PlanetScale vs Prisma Postgres
PlanetScale: Performance-focused managed MySQL (Vitess) and Postgres, with NVMe-backed Metal clusters and branching. Prisma Postgres: Serverless Postgres from the Prisma ORM team, on unikernels, billed per operation with no cold starts.
key differences
- PlanetScale is built for larger datasets (Multi-PB) than Prisma Postgres (≤ 100 GB).
- Horizontal scaling is native in PlanetScale and none in Prisma Postgres.
- Only PlanetScale has change data capture, compression, branching, online schema changes.
- Prisma Postgres has a serverless option; PlanetScale does not.
choose planetscale for
- +High-traffic SaaS backends sensitive to tail latency
- +Teams that want safe, reviewable schema changes in CI
- +Outgrowing a single MySQL primary
- +Migrating from RDS/Aurora to faster NVMe-backed Postgres
best at · OLTP, Content, Metadata
choose prisma-postgres for
- +TypeScript apps built with Prisma ORM
- +Side projects and startups needing quick Postgres
- +Serverless functions on Vercel, Netlify or Cloudflare
- +Many small databases for templates or AI-generated apps
best at · OLTP, Content
PlanetScale vs Prisma Postgres: FAQ
What is the difference between PlanetScale and Prisma Postgres?
PlanetScale: Performance-focused managed MySQL (Vitess) and Postgres, with NVMe-backed Metal clusters and branching. Prisma Postgres: Serverless Postgres from the Prisma ORM team, on unikernels, billed per operation with no cold starts. PlanetScale is built for larger datasets (Multi-PB) than Prisma Postgres (≤ 100 GB). Horizontal scaling is native in PlanetScale and none in Prisma Postgres. Only PlanetScale has change data capture, compression, branching, online schema changes.
When should I choose PlanetScale over Prisma Postgres?
Choose PlanetScale for high-traffic SaaS backends sensitive to tail latency; teams that want safe, reviewable schema changes in CI; and outgrowing a single MySQL primary. Choose Prisma Postgres for TypeScript apps built with Prisma ORM; side projects and startups needing quick Postgres; and serverless functions on Vercel, Netlify or Cloudflare.
Is PlanetScale or Prisma Postgres more popular?
PlanetScale ranks #118 on the WhichDB Score (25.7/100) and Prisma Postgres ranks #228 (14.6/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.
Are PlanetScale and Prisma Postgres open source?
No. PlanetScale is proprietary, closed-source software. No. Prisma Postgres is proprietary, closed-source software.