PlanetScale
PlanetScale: A focused managed database platform for teams that need branching, sharding, and high availability. Ranked #16 of 36 in Managed Database Hosting by our editors (8.0/10); pricing: Paid; best for teams needing branching and sharded relational databases.
At a glance
- Editor score8.0 / 10
- PricingPaid
- Best forTeams needing branching and sharded relational databases
- Free planNo
- Paid from$5/mo
- Database typeRelational
- Founded2018 · San Francisco, California, United States
- Facts checked20 Sep 2026
Where it wins
- Managed Vitess, PostgreSQL, and sharded PostgreSQL databases
- Branching, online schema migrations, and connection pooling
- Replicas, automatic failover, backups, and PostgreSQL recovery
Where it doesn't
- No free plan; paid plans start at $5 per month
- Platform access is limited to the web
- Enterprise pricing is custom rather than published
Our verdict on PlanetScale
PlanetScale is a managed database hosting platform for development teams and organizations running MySQL-compatible Vitess databases, PostgreSQL, or sharded PostgreSQL through Neki. It combines managed clusters with high-availability deployments, replicas, automatic failover, database branching, online schema migrations, connection pooling, backups, observability, and horizontal sharding. Its strongest fit is for teams that need relational database operations beyond a single conventional instance.
Pricing starts with the Base plan at $5 per month, billed monthly. The published plan highlights resource-based pricing, single-node PostgreSQL from $5 per month, Vitess MySQL-compatible databases, Neki sharded PostgreSQL, and month-to-month billing. Enterprise adds business support, custom deployment options, single-tenant environments, and the option to bring an AWS or GCP account, with custom pricing. The paid-only structure makes the entry point clear, while teams needing Enterprise deployment choices must request a tailored plan.
PlanetScale’s standout capabilities center on database growth and controlled change. Branching supports isolated environments, while online schema migrations help manage structural updates; connection pooling is provided through PgBouncer and Vitess components. High-availability deployments use replicas and automatic failover, and PostgreSQL includes automated backups, point-in-time restores, and storage autoscaling. Integrations include Fivetran, Airbyte, Hightouch, Datadog, Vantage, Debezium, Prometheus, and pganalyze. Choose PlanetScale for branching, sharding, and managed relational scaling; choose another option if a free plan, broader platform coverage, or simpler fixed-tier pricing is the priority.
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PlanetScale pricing
All 2 PlanetScale plans and prices →
PlanetScale fact sheet
| Free plan | No |
|---|---|
| Paid from | $5/mo |
| Database type | Relational |
| High availability | Yes |
| Point-in-time recovery | Yes |
| Scaling model | Both |
| Read replicas | Yes |
| Backup retention | Not verified |
| Deployment | Cloud |
| Platforms | Web |
| Integrations | 8 integrations: Fivetran, Airbyte, Hightouch, Datadog, Vantage, Debezium … |
| Pricing | Paid (source) |
| Website | planetscale.com |
| Facts checked | 20 Sep 2026 |
PlanetScale integrations
PlanetScale lists 8 integrations on its own site.
- Fivetran
- Airbyte
- Hightouch
- Datadog
- Vantage
- Debezium
- Prometheus
- pganalyze
Alternatives to PlanetScale
- Amazon RDSA broad AWS-managed SQL service with high availability, scaling, and operational automation.9.4
- Amazon AuroraA managed AWS database for scalable relational workloads and global deployments.9.3
- Google Cloud SQLA capable managed SQL service for teams already operating in Google Cloud.9.2
See all PlanetScale alternatives →
Also Ranked In
PlanetScale is ranked in 6 of our directories.
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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
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