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Database & Cache
planetscale

PlanetScale

TypeScriptMySQLServerlessBranching

Serverless MySQL platform with database branching — deploy schema changes like code with non-blocking migrations and global replication.

License

Proprietary

Language

TypeScript

79
Trust
Good

Why PlanetScale?

MySQL-compatible apps that need safe, non-blocking schema migrations

Teams that want Git-like branching workflows for database changes

Serverless apps needing connection pooling without PgBouncer setup

Signal Breakdown

What drives the Trust Score

npm downloads
300k / wk
Commits (90d)
60 commits
GitHub stars
2k ★
Stack Overflow
800 q's
Community
Medium
Weighted Trust Score79 / 100

Download Trend

Last 12 months

Tradeoffs & Caveats

Know before you commit

You need PostgreSQL-specific features (JSONB, arrays, extensions)

Apps that moved away after PlanetScale ended its free tier in 2024

Pricing

Free tier & paid plans

Free tier

No free tier

Paid

PS-10: $39/mo, PS-20: $59/mo (no free tier since 2024)

Alternative Tools

Other options worth considering

supabase
Supabase95Excellent

Open-source Firebase alternative. Combines Postgres, auth, file storage, realtime subscriptions, and edge functions in one platform. The default backend for indie SaaS with a generous free tier.

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turso
Turso74Good

Edge-native SQLite database built on libSQL — embed a database per tenant or deploy replicas globally close to your users with a generous free tier.

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neon
Neon61Fair

Serverless PostgreSQL with branching and scale-to-zero. Neon is the go-to Postgres for serverless and edge deployments — starts from $0 and branches your database like Git.

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Often Used Together

Complementary tools that pair well with PlanetScale

prisma

Prisma

Database & Cache

88Strong
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nextjs

Next.js

Frontend & UI

98Excellent
View

Learning Resources

Docs, videos, tutorials, and courses

Docs

docs

Quickstart

tutorial

Get Started

Repository and installation options

View on GitHub

github.com/planetscale/database-js

npmnpm install @planetscale/database

Quick Start

Copy and adapt to get going fast

import { connect } from '@planetscale/database';

const conn = connect({
  host: process.env.DATABASE_HOST,
  username: process.env.DATABASE_USERNAME,
  password: process.env.DATABASE_PASSWORD,
});

const results = await conn.execute('SELECT * FROM users LIMIT 10');
console.log(results.rows);

Community Notes

Real experiences from developers who've used this tool