PlanetScale

KEEP IT

The value is the network, the data or the infrastructure. Keep paying.

A managed MySQL platform built on Vitess, with database branches you can develop against and schema changes applied without locking the table.

Promptfree, for everyone, and the only version there is

Run Postgres yourself, and take migrations seriously.

STACK
- Managed Postgres from your hosting provider, or Postgres in Docker with real backups

MIGRATIONS THAT DO NOT LOCK
- Add columns nullable, backfill in batches, then add the constraint
- Create indexes concurrently, always
- Never rename a column in one step: add, dual-write, backfill, switch reads, drop

BRANCHING, THE POOR VERSION
- Restore last night's backup into a scratch database and run the migration against it in CI
- That catches most of what a branch would

BACKUPS
- Nightly dump off the machine, and a restore you have actually performed

Include the migration checklist, the CI restore step and the backup script.

What you lose

Online schema changes on a large table, which is the hardest routine operation in database work
Branching, so a migration is tested against production-shaped data before it lands
Horizontal sharding through Vitess, operated by people who wrote it

If you would rather not build

Managed Postgres from any provider
Neon, for branching on Postgres
Postgres in Docker with pg_dump, for small projects

The escape hatch

open source · no votes, no paid placement

PostgreSQL

The database itself; concurrent index builds cover many online changes.

postgres/postgresfree · open source

Atlas

Schema-as-code with migration linting that catches locking changes.

ariga/atlasfree · open source

Why this verdict

our own opinion · changed only by a person

28/100

Verdict no at 28. Running Postgres is easy; safe online schema changes at scale are what the platform is for, and the expand-and-contract pattern only gets you part way.

History

tracked since 10 Aug 2026 · nothing is ever overwritten

Interest · last 30 dayspeak 1/day

0113 Jul18 Jul23 Jul28 Jul2 Aug7 Aug11 Aug

— views— prompt copies none yet— votes none yet

Questions about PlanetScale

answered from the record above

Is PlanetScale free?

No — the plan we track is $39 a month. Scaler from around $39/month billed monthly, priced on storage and rows read.

Can you replace PlanetScale by building your own?

KEEP IT. The value is the network, the data or the infrastructure. Keep paying. Replacement score 28 out of 100, build time longer than it saves. Read what you lose before you decide.

How much does PlanetScale cost?

$39 a month on Scaler — $468 a year. Recorded 10 Aug 2026.

What do you lose by replacing PlanetScale?

Online schema changes on a large table, which is the hardest routine operation in database work; Branching, so a migration is tested against production-shaped data before it lands; Horizontal sharding through Vitess, operated by people who wrote it. If any of those carry weight for you, keep paying.

Is there an open-source alternative to PlanetScale?

Yes: PostgreSQL, Atlas. The prompt on this page is for when you want it your way instead.

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