What is the difference between PlanetScale and CockroachDB?

PlanetScale is best for Teams running MySQL at scale who need safe schema migrations, while CockroachDB is best for Teams wanting distributed SQL that survives anything. PlanetScale starts at $39/mo and CockroachDB starts at Free.

Is PlanetScale or CockroachDB cheaper?

PlanetScale starts at $39/mo. CockroachDB starts at Free with a free tier.

Is there a free alternative to PlanetScale?

Yes, CockroachDB offers a free tier (Free 10 GiB).

PlanetScale vs CockroachDB

PlanetScale is Serverless MySQL platform with branching, non-blocking schema changes, and unlimited scalability, while CockroachDB is Distributed SQL database designed for global scale, resilience, and strong consistency. The biggest difference up front: CockroachDB is free, while PlanetScale starts at $39/mo. PlanetScale is built for teams running mysql at scale who need safe schema migrations, whereas CockroachDB targets teams wanting distributed sql that survives anything.

At a glance

	PlanetScale	CockroachDB
Best for	Teams running MySQL at scale who need safe schema migrations	Teams wanting distributed SQL that survives anything
Starting price	$39/mo	Free
Free tier	—	✓
Open source	—	✓
Free tier available	—	✓
Open source	—	✓
Auto-scaling	✓	—
Database Branching	✓	—
Distributed SQL	—	✓
Multi-Region	—	✓
PostgreSQL Compatible	—	✓
Query Insights	✓	—
Schema Migrations	✓	—
Serverless	—	✓

PlanetScale

Strengths

Git-like branching for safe schema changes
Non-blocking schema migrations with zero downtime
Built on Vitess for proven horizontal scalability
Excellent developer experience and CLI tools

Weaknesses

No free tier — minimum $39/month commitment
No foreign key constraint support by default
MySQL only — no Postgres option
Vendor lock-in with proprietary branching features

Try PlanetScale → Full review

CockroachDB

Strengths

Open source and transparent
Includes Distributed SQL as a core feature, purpose-built for database workflows
Fully open-source — you can self-host, audit the code, and avoid vendor lock-in
Free 10 GiB — generous enough for most small teams to get real work done

Weaknesses

Free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade
Enterprise-focused design means the interface can feel heavy for smaller teams
Ecosystem of third-party integrations is smaller than the market leaders in database
Community support can be slower than the dedicated support teams at commercial alternatives

Try CockroachDB → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: CockroachDB is completely free (Free 10 GiB), which makes it the obvious pick if budget is the top concern. PlanetScale starts at $39/mo. That cost buys you a more polished or feature-rich experience, so it comes down to whether the extras justify the spend.

Feature gaps: PlanetScale offers Auto-scaling, Database Branching and Query Insights that CockroachDB lacks. CockroachDB brings Distributed SQL, Multi-Region and PostgreSQL Compatible that PlanetScale does not have.

Team fit: PlanetScale is geared toward small teams teams, while CockroachDB is aimed at enterprise teams. Pick the one that matches where your team is today and where it is headed — migrating tools later is always painful.

Open source: CockroachDB is open source, meaning you can self-host, audit the code, and avoid vendor lock-in. PlanetScale is proprietary — you are trusting the vendor with your data and uptime.

Where each tool shines: PlanetScale's biggest strengths are: git-like branching for safe schema changes. non-blocking schema migrations with zero downtime. CockroachDB's biggest strengths are: open source and transparent. includes distributed sql as a core feature, purpose-built for database workflows.

Watch out for: With PlanetScale, users commonly note that no free tier — minimum $39/month commitment. With CockroachDB, the main complaint is that free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade.

Choose PlanetScale if...

Your profile matches its sweet spot: teams running mysql at scale who need safe schema migrations
You specifically need Auto-scaling and Database Branching
You care about non-blocking schema migrations with zero downtime
Your team size fits the small teams profile PlanetScale is designed for

Choose CockroachDB if...

Your profile matches its sweet spot: teams wanting distributed sql that survives anything
Budget is a hard constraint — CockroachDB is free, PlanetScale is not
You need self-hosting, data sovereignty, or the ability to audit source code
You specifically need Distributed SQL and Multi-Region
You care about includes distributed sql as a core feature, purpose-built for database workflows