PlanetScale vs Heroku: Database Platform Comparison 2026

Compare PlanetScale and Heroku for hosting databases and applications. See pricing, features, and which platform fits your development workflow.

Updated 2026-09 · 2026

PlanetScale

MySQL-compatible serverless database platform with branching

39month (Scaler plan — no free tier since April 2024)

Strengths

+Database branching workflow like Git
+Automatic horizontal sharding
+Non-blocking schema changes

Weaknesses

-No free tier since April 2024 (previously offered a generous Hobby plan)
-Limited to database hosting (not a full application platform)
-Branching workflow has a learning curve

Best for

Teams needing scalable MySQL databases with modern development workflows and schema change management

Heroku

Full-stack cloud platform for deploying and managing applications

5month (Eco dynos — cheapest plan, no free tier since Nov 2022)

Strengths

+Complete application hosting platform
+Supports multiple languages and frameworks
+Extensive add-on marketplace

Weaknesses

-No free tier since November 2022
-Expensive at scale compared to alternatives
-Eco dynos sleep after 30 minutes of inactivity

Best for

Developers wanting an all-in-one platform to deploy full applications with minimal DevOps overhead

Feature Comparison

Feature	PlanetScale	Heroku
Primary Use Case	Database-as-a-service (MySQL, now also Postgres)	Full application hosting platform
Free Tier	None — discontinued April 2024	None — discontinued Nov 2022, cheapest plan is $5/month Eco dyno
Database Options	MySQL-compatible (Vitess) plus Postgres (added 2025)	PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis, MongoDB (via add-ons)
Application Hosting	No (database only)	Yes (Node.js, Python, Ruby, Java, PHP, Go, etc.)
Scaling Approach	Automatic horizontal sharding	Manual dyno scaling
Schema Changes	Non-blocking with branching workflow	Standard migrations (can cause downtime)
Developer Workflow	Branch, merge, deploy like Git	Git push to deploy
Starting Price (Paid)	$39/month (Scaler plan)	$5/month (Eco dynos) + database costs
High Availability	Included on Scaler Pro ($69/month) and above	Requires Standard tier and above (~$50/month) for Heroku Postgres
Backup & Recovery	Daily backups, point-in-time recovery	Continuous protection on Standard+ plans
CLI Tools	pscale CLI for database management	heroku CLI for full platform management
Add-ons/Extensions	Limited (database-focused)	200+ add-ons (monitoring, logging, caching, etc.)

The Verdict

PlanetScale and Heroku serve different purposes: PlanetScale is a specialized database platform with advanced features like branching and automatic sharding, while Heroku is a complete application hosting platform. Both dropped their free tiers (PlanetScale in 2024, Heroku in 2022), so budget for at least $5-39/month depending on which you pick. Choose PlanetScale if you need a scalable MySQL (or now Postgres) database with modern DevOps workflows, or Heroku if you want an all-in-one platform to deploy full applications with minimal configuration.

How to switch from PlanetScale to Heroku

1Export your PlanetScale database using `pscale database dump <database> <branch>`, which generates a portable MySQL dump (.sql) file you can download locally.
2If moving to Heroku Postgres, convert the MySQL dump to a PostgreSQL-compatible schema and data set using pgloader or a similar migration tool, since Heroku's native managed database is Postgres.
3Provision a Heroku Postgres add-on on your app with `heroku addons:create heroku-postgresql` and import the converted file using the Heroku CLI's pg:psql or pg:backups:restore tools.
4Update your application's environment variables and connection strings to point to the new Heroku Postgres DATABASE_URL instead of PlanetScale's connection endpoint.
5Rebuild any workflows that relied on PlanetScale's deploy requests or branching for schema changes as standard Heroku release-phase migrations run on deploy.
6Test the migration in a staging Heroku app, confirm data integrity and app functionality, then cut over production traffic and decommission the PlanetScale database.

PlanetScale vs Heroku: common questions

How do I export my data from PlanetScale to migrate to Heroku?+

Use the pscale CLI command `pscale database dump <database> <branch>` to generate a portable MySQL dump file, or trigger an export from the PlanetScale dashboard's backup section. If you're moving to Heroku Postgres, you'll need to convert that MySQL dump to a Postgres-compatible format using a tool like pgloader before importing.

What do I lose by switching from PlanetScale to Heroku?+

You lose PlanetScale's Git-like database branching, non-blocking schema changes, and automatic horizontal sharding via Vitess — Heroku Postgres uses standard migrations that can cause brief downtime. In exchange you gain a full application hosting platform instead of just a database.

Is Heroku's free tier enough for a small team?+

Heroku has had no free tier since November 2022. The cheapest option, Eco dynos, costs $5/month for a shared pool of 1,000 dyno hours across all your apps, which is usually too limited for a small team running more than one active app continuously.

Does Heroku work with the tools I already use with PlanetScale?+

Most ORMs and frameworks that connect to PlanetScale (Prisma, Rails ActiveRecord, Django) also work with Heroku Postgres since it's a standard connection string. Heroku additionally offers 200+ marketplace add-ons for monitoring, logging, and caching that PlanetScale doesn't provide natively.

How does the cost compare between PlanetScale and Heroku over time?+

PlanetScale's database cost is relatively flat, starting at $39/month and stepping up at defined tiers. Heroku's total bill grows with both dyno usage and database add-on tier, so a growing app running Standard or Performance dynos plus a Standard Postgres plan can end up costing more than PlanetScale alone for just the database layer.