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PlanetScalevsSupabase

PlanetScale vs Supabase ComparisonServerless MySQL with git-like branching vs hosted Postgres with auth, storage, and real-time

PlanetScale is a serverless MySQL platform built on Vitess, the same technology YouTube used to scale MySQL. Its killer feature is schema branching: create a branch of your database schema, test migrations, then merge like a pull request with zero-downtime deployments. Supabase is an open-source Firebase alternative built on PostgreSQL. When PlanetScale killed their free tier in March 2024, it damaged trust and drove developers to Supabase. Supabase's Postgres foundation, open-source self-hosting option, and complete platform make it the stronger choice for most new projects.

Head-to-head summary

2
PlanetScale wins
0
Ties
5
Supabase wins

Detailed comparison

Database engine
PlanetScale
MySQL via Vitess: solid and battle-tested, but MySQL has fewer advanced features than Postgres
Supabase
PostgreSQL: superior JSON support, JSONB, full-text search, custom types, richer extension ecosystem
Schema branching
PlanetScale
Industry-leading schema branching: branch your database like Git, merge with zero downtime
Supabase
No native branching: migrations run directly. Neon offers branching if that matters.
Auth & storage
PlanetScale
No built-in auth or storage: you integrate Clerk, Auth0, or build your own
Supabase
Supabase Auth, S3-compatible storage, and real-time are built in, with fewer third-party services needed
Free tier
PlanetScale
Free tier discontinued March 2024: paid plans start at $39/month
Supabase
Generous free tier: 500MB database, 1GB storage, 50K monthly active users
Open source & self-hosting
PlanetScale
Proprietary SaaS: no self-hosting option
Supabase
Fully open source: self-host on your own infrastructure with Docker
Scalability
PlanetScale
Built on Vitess: horizontally scalable MySQL designed for massive write throughput
Supabase
Scales well with connection pooling and read replicas, but sharding is more complex
Ecosystem & integrations
PlanetScale
Strong Prisma and Drizzle integration: non-blocking schema changes work well with these ORMs
Supabase
First-class integrations with Prisma, Drizzle, and its own generated TypeScript client

Our verdict

We recommend: Supabase

Supabase wins on breadth, trust, and ecosystem. The free tier exists, the platform is open-source and self-hostable, Postgres is more capable than MySQL, and the auth/storage/real-time integrations reduce service sprawl. PlanetScale remains compelling for teams that need its branching workflow and are already on MySQL.

When to choose each

Choose PlanetScale when:

  • Your team is already running MySQL and wants managed infrastructure with zero-downtime schema deployments
  • You need Vitess-level write scalability: hundreds of thousands of writes per second
  • You value the git-like schema branching workflow and want schema changes to go through review like code
  • You're migrating an existing MySQL application and want a managed host with a familiar engine

Choose Supabase when:

  • You want a complete backend platform: auth, storage, real-time, and database without managing separate services
  • You need PostgreSQL's advanced features: JSONB, full-text search, PostGIS, custom extensions
  • You want an open-source, self-hostable solution for data sovereignty or to avoid SaaS lock-in
  • You're starting a new project and want a generous free tier to validate before committing to paid infrastructure

Frequently asked questions

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