PlanetScale
PlanetScale Inc. · 🗄️ Database
PlanetScale is the world's most advanced serverless MySQL platform. Build faster with branching, non-blocking schema changes, and more.
Overview
PlanetScale is a serverless MySQL platform built on Vitess, the database technology that scales YouTube. Its standout feature is database branching: you branch your schema like Git, make non-blocking schema changes on a development branch, and merge them with a deploy request — no locking, no downtime. Connection pooling and query insights come built in.
The Hobby tier historically offered 5GB storage with about 1 billion row reads and 10 million row writes per month, plus production and development branches. Note: PlanetScale discontinued its free Hobby plan in April 2024, so confirm current availability and pricing before relying on a free tier.
It targets teams that want MySQL at scale with a safe, Git-like schema workflow and serverless connection handling.
Pros
- ✓Serverless MySQL that scales on Vitess
- ✓Git-like database branching with non-blocking schema changes
- ✓Deploy requests make migrations safe and reviewable
- ✓Built-in connection pooling and query insights
- ✓Battle-tested at very large scale
Cons
- ✕The free Hobby tier was discontinued in April 2024
- ✕MySQL only — no Postgres
- ✕The branching workflow has a learning curve
- ✕Some features assume larger, paid usage
Best for
- →Teams that need MySQL at scale
- →Schema changes without downtime
- →Apps with serverless or edge connection needs
Getting started
- 1 Create a PlanetScale account and a database
- 2 Create a development branch for schema changes
- 3 Apply schema changes on the branch, then open a deploy request
- 4 Merge the deploy request to apply changes to production safely
- 5 Connect your app with the provided connection string
Features
- ✓Serverless MySQL
- ✓Database Branching
- ✓Non-blocking Schema Changes
- ✓Automatic Backups
- ✓Connection Pooling
- ✓Insights & Analytics
FAQ
PlanetScale discontinued its free Hobby plan in April 2024, and paid plans now start higher. Check planetscale.com for the current options before planning around a free tier.
It lets you branch your schema like Git, make non-blocking changes on a dev branch, and merge them to production via a deploy request — without locking tables.
No. PlanetScale is MySQL-compatible, built on Vitess. For serverless Postgres, see Neon or Supabase.
Deploy these projects to PlanetScale
Open-source projects and templates that run on PlanetScale's free tier.