PlanetScale is a managed database platform that runs PostgreSQL and Vitess-based MySQL clusters, with developer workflows such as database branching built in.
PlanetScale was founded by the creators of Vitess, the system that scaled MySQL at YouTube. It now offers both Vitess for horizontally sharded MySQL and PlanetScale Postgres, including Metal clusters on local NVMe storage for high-performance workloads.
Key features
- Managed PostgreSQL and Vitess (MySQL-compatible) databases
- Database branching for safe schema changes
- High-availability clusters with a primary and replicas across 3 availability zones
- PlanetScale Metal with local NVMe storage
- Horizontal sharding with Vitess
- Query insights and connection monitoring
- pscale CLI and API
- Available on AWS and Google Cloud marketplaces
Who it's for
PlanetScale is aimed at startups and enterprises running production databases that need reliability, performance and scale without operating their own clusters.
Common use cases
- Hosting the primary Postgres or MySQL database for a SaaS app
- Scaling a MySQL workload beyond a single server with sharding
- Running high-throughput workloads on NVMe-backed Metal
- Making schema changes safely with branches
Pricing
According to PlanetScale's pricing page:
- PlanetScale Postgres single node: starting at $5 per month, for development and low-traffic workloads.
- High Availability: a primary plus 2 replicas across 3 availability zones.
- Metal: starting at $50 per month, with local NVMe storage.
- Enterprise: custom plans.
Alternatives
- Neon: serverless Postgres with branching
- Supabase: Postgres backend with auth and storage
- Turso: edge SQLite database
FAQ
Is PlanetScale free?
No. PlanetScale has no free plan; Postgres databases start at $5 per month.
What is PlanetScale used for?
PlanetScale is used to host production PostgreSQL and MySQL-compatible databases with high availability, branching and scaling.
Does PlanetScale support Postgres?
Yes. PlanetScale offers PlanetScale Postgres alongside its Vitess-based MySQL product.
PlanetScale vs Neon: what's the difference?
Neon is serverless Postgres with scale-to-zero, while PlanetScale focuses on high-performance, highly available clusters, including NVMe-backed Metal.
What is PlanetScale Metal?
Metal is PlanetScale's offering that runs databases on local NVMe storage for higher performance, starting at $50 per month.
What is Vitess?
Vitess is an open-source system for horizontally scaling MySQL, created at YouTube, that powers PlanetScale's MySQL product.