PlanetScale vs Supabase

Side-by-side — pricing, strengths, tradeoffs, and fit.

PlanetScale

MySQL-compatible serverless database that scales without limits

Supabase

The open-source Firebase alternative with Postgres

At a glance

Open Source
● Established·From $5/mo
Open SourceFree TierEnterprise
● Established·From Freemium

Overview

One-liner

MySQL-compatible serverless database that scales without limits

One-liner

The open-source Firebase alternative with Postgres

Maturity

Established

Maturity

Established

Open source

✓ Yes

Open source

✓ Yes

Pricing

Free tier

✕ None

Free tier

✓ Available

Starts at

$5/mo

Starts at

Freemium

Model

Usage-based

Model

Hybrid

Enterprise

✕ None

Enterprise

✓ Available

Best for

✓ Best for

Growth-stage startups and scale-ups who need MySQL compatibility with horizontal scaling and zero-downtime schema changes
Enterprise teams running high-traffic applications that have outgrown single-node MySQL
Agency and consultant teams managing multiple production databases who need reliable branching workflows

✓ Best for

Startup founders and indie developers who need a complete backend-as-a-service with auth, database, and storage in one place
Teams moving from Firebase who want a relational database with a generous free tier
Developers who want to self-host their database infrastructure while keeping a familiar UI

Not ideal for

✕ Not for

Hobby developers or solo developers on a tight budget since the free tier was removed
Teams requiring Postgres instead of MySQL

✕ Not for

Teams needing a horizontally sharded database for massive write throughput
Enterprises requiring SOC 2 on the free plan without upgrading to a paid tier

Strengths

↑ Strengths

MySQL-compatible
Vitess-powered sharding
Non-blocking schema migrations
Database branching

↑ Strengths

Postgres database
Authentication
Auto-generated REST and GraphQL APIs
Realtime subscriptions

Weaknesses

↓ Weaknesses

—

↓ Weaknesses

Free tier projects are automatically paused after one week of inactivity, limiting continuous availability for hobby projects.
Custom SMTP integration for authentication emails fails with Microsoft Office 365 and Outlook, breaking standard email workflows.
The Supabase Node.js client causes ESM handling issues that break Vitest testing environments.
Extension version pinning is deprecated, forcing users to accept default versions and ignoring explicit version specifications.
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