Supabase
Supabase Inc.
8.2
Overall Score / 10
PlanetScale
PlanetScale Inc.
7
Overall Score / 10
Our Verdict
Choose Supabase if:
- —Developers wanting an open-source Firebase alternative with SQL
- —Full-stack teams needing auth + database + storage + real-time
- —Projects wanting to avoid vendor lock-in with PostgreSQL
Choose PlanetScale if:
- —Teams needing production-grade MySQL with branching workflows
- —Applications requiring horizontal scaling and sharding
- —Companies wanting zero-downtime schema migrations
The biggest difference: Supabase wins as a full backend platform (auth + storage + real-time + database). PlanetScale wins for teams specifically needing production-grade MySQL with branching and sharding.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Criteria | Supabase | PlanetScale |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest Paid Plan | $25/mo (Pro)Source: Supabase Inc. pricing page → | $5/mo (Scaler (Single Node))Source: PlanetScale Inc. pricing page → |
| Free Tier | Yes 2 projects, 500MB database, 50K MAUs, 1GB file storage, auto-pauses after 7 days inactivity | No No free tier (removed in 2024). Starts at $5/month. |
| Value for Money | 9 | 6 |
| Ease of Use | 7 | 7 |
| Feature Power | 9 | 9 |
| Setup Ease | 8 | 7 |
| Migration Ease | 5 | 5 |
| Transparency | 9 | 7 |
| Deployment | hybrid | cloud |
| API Available | Yes | Yes |
| Platforms | Web, CLI, Self-hosted (Docker) | Web, CLI |
| Compliance | SOC 2 Type II (Team+), GDPR, HIPAA (Enterprise) | SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, HIPAA (Enterprise) |
Feature Comparison
Feature Comparison Matrix
20 features compared · 19 differences
| Feature | Supabase | PlanetScale |
|---|---|---|
| Core | ||
| Authentication | Full | None |
| Automated backups | None | Full |
| Edge functions | Full | None |
| File storage | Full | None |
| Horizontal sharding | None | Full |
| MySQL-compatible (Vitess) | None | Full |
| Open source | Full | None |
| PlanetScale Postgres (new) | None | Full |
| PostgreSQL database | Full | None |
| Query insights | None | Full |
| Read replicas | None | Full |
| Real-time subscriptions | Full | None |
| Vector embeddings | Full | None |
| Zero-downtime migrations | None | Full |
| Advanced | ||
| Database branching | None | Full |
| Integrations | ||
| Auto-generated APIs | Full | Full |
| Connection pooling | None | Full |
| Database webhooks | Full | None |
| Security | ||
| Audit logs | None | Full |
| Row-level security | Full | None |
Pricing Comparison
Supabase Pricing
2 projects, 500MB database, 50K MAUs, 1GB file storage (pauses after 7 days inactive)
8GB database, 100K MAUs, 100GB storage, no pausing, $10 compute credits included
SOC2, daily backups, advanced collaboration, priority support
HIPAA, dedicated infrastructure, custom contracts, SLA
PlanetScale Pricing
Development workloads, 10GB storage included, $0.50/GB additional
Local NVMe storage, production-ready performance
High availability, 1 primary + 2 replicas, 3 availability zones
Bring your own cloud, managed deployments, custom support, SLA
Who Should Choose Which?
Who should choose Supabase
Best for
- Developers wanting an open-source Firebase alternative with SQL
- Full-stack teams needing auth + database + storage + real-time
- Projects wanting to avoid vendor lock-in with PostgreSQL
Avoid if
- You need always-on free tier (projects pause after 7 days)
- You want a NoSQL database (Supabase is PostgreSQL)
- You need a mature enterprise support ecosystem
Who should choose PlanetScale
Best for
- Teams needing production-grade MySQL with branching workflows
- Applications requiring horizontal scaling and sharding
- Companies wanting zero-downtime schema migrations
Avoid if
- You want a free tier for development
- You prefer PostgreSQL over MySQL
- You want a full backend platform (just a database)
Switching Guidance
Switching from Supabase
Common triggers to leave:
- •Free tier pauses inactive projects
- •Need NoSQL flexibility
- •Need mature enterprise features
Potential blockers:
- •PostgreSQL data and schema
- •Auth configuration
- •Edge function code
- •Real-time subscription setup
Switching from PlanetScale
Common triggers to leave:
- •No free tier
- •MySQL only (though Postgres now available)
- •Just a database, not full backend
Potential blockers:
- •Database branching workflow
- •Sharding configuration
- •Production data migration effort
Try Supabase
Start free — no credit card required
Try PlanetScale
Plans from $5/mo