What is the difference between PlanetScale and Turso?

PlanetScale is best for Teams running MySQL at scale who need safe schema migrations, while Turso is best for Developers wanting SQLite at the edge. PlanetScale starts at $39/mo and Turso starts at Free.

Is PlanetScale or Turso cheaper?

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

Is there a free alternative to PlanetScale?

Yes, Turso offers a free tier (Free 9 GB total storage).

PlanetScale vs Turso

PlanetScale is Serverless MySQL platform with branching, non-blocking schema changes, and unlimited scalability, while Turso is edge-hosted distributed database built on libSQL (SQLite fork) for ultra-low latency reads. The biggest difference up front: Turso is free, while PlanetScale starts at $39/mo. PlanetScale is built for teams running mysql at scale who need safe schema migrations, whereas Turso targets developers wanting sqlite at the edge.

At a glance

	PlanetScale	Turso
Best for	Teams running MySQL at scale who need safe schema migrations	Developers wanting SQLite at the edge
Starting price	$39/mo	Free
Free tier	—	✓
Open source	—	✓
Free tier available	—	✓
Open source	—	✓
Auto-scaling	✓	—
Branching	—	✓
Database Branching	✓	—
Edge SQLite	—	✓
Embedded Replicas	—	✓
Multi-Region	—	✓
Query Insights	✓	—
Schema Migrations	✓	—

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

Turso

Strengths

Open source and transparent
Includes Edge SQLite 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 9 GB total storage — generous enough for most small teams to get real work done

Weaknesses

Free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
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 Turso → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: Turso is completely free (Free 9 GB total storage), 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 Turso lacks. Turso brings Branching, Edge SQLite and Embedded Replicas that PlanetScale does not have.

Team fit: Both tools target small teams teams, so the decision hinges on features and workflow fit rather than scale.

Open source: Turso 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. Turso's biggest strengths are: open source and transparent. includes edge sqlite 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 Turso, 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

Choose Turso if...

Your profile matches its sweet spot: developers wanting sqlite at the edge
Budget is a hard constraint — Turso is free, PlanetScale is not
You need self-hosting, data sovereignty, or the ability to audit source code
You specifically need Branching and Edge SQLite
You care about includes edge sqlite as a core feature, purpose-built for database workflows