PlanetScale vs Supabase: Which Database Platform is Right for You?
Compare PlanetScale and Supabase for your database needs. PlanetScale offers MySQL-compatible serverless databases with branching, while Supabase provides Postgres with built-in auth, storage, and real-time features.
Updated 2026-04 · 2026
PlanetScale
MySQL-compatible serverless database with Git-like branching
Strengths
- +Git-like branching workflow for schema changes
- +Automatic horizontal sharding and scaling
- +Non-blocking schema changes with zero downtime
Weaknesses
- -MySQL only (no Postgres support)
- -Free tier has limitations on connections and storage
- -No built-in authentication or storage services
Best for
Teams needing MySQL at scale with sophisticated schema management and zero-downtime deployments
Supabase
Open source Firebase alternative with Postgres database
Strengths
- +Full Postgres database with extensions support
- +Built-in authentication and authorization
- +Real-time subscriptions out of the box
Weaknesses
- -Free tier pauses projects after 1 week of inactivity
- -Can be complex for simple use cases
- -Real-time features add overhead
Best for
Developers building full-stack applications who want Postgres with batteries-included backend services
Feature Comparison
| Feature | ||
|---|---|---|
| Database Engine | MySQL (Vitess-based) | PostgreSQL |
| Free Tier | 1 database, 5GB storage, 1 billion row reads/month | 2 projects, 500MB database, 1GB file storage, 50MB bandwidth |
| Schema Branching | Yes - Git-like workflow with deploy requests | No - manual migrations |
| Built-in Authentication | No | Yes - email, OAuth, magic links, phone |
| Real-time Subscriptions | No | Yes - built-in via Postgres replication |
| Auto-generated APIs | No | Yes - REST and GraphQL |
| File Storage | No | Yes - S3-compatible storage |
| Horizontal Scaling | Automatic sharding | Manual (read replicas on paid plans) |
| Connection Pooling | Built-in, highly optimized | PgBouncer included |
| Edge Functions | No | Yes - Deno-based serverless functions |
| Open Source | No (built on open source Vitess) | Yes - fully open source |
| Self-hosting | No | Yes - Docker support |
The Verdict
Choose PlanetScale if you need MySQL at scale with sophisticated schema management and your application already handles auth/storage separately. Choose Supabase if you want a complete backend platform with Postgres, built-in auth, real-time features, and don't mind the free tier limitations. Supabase offers more features out of the box, while PlanetScale excels at pure database operations with enterprise-grade scaling.