whichdb
vs

PlanetScale vs Supabase

PlanetScale: Performance-focused managed MySQL (Vitess) and Postgres, with NVMe-backed Metal clusters and branching. Supabase: Open-source Postgres backend platform: database, auth, storage, realtime and edge functions in one project.

key differences

  • Licensing: PlanetScale is proprietary (Proprietary (managed service; Vitess is Apache-2.0)); Supabase is open source (permissive) (Apache License 2.0).
  • PlanetScale is built for larger datasets (Multi-PB) than Supabase (≤ 10 TB).
  • Horizontal scaling is native in PlanetScale and none in Supabase.
  • Only PlanetScale has compression, online schema changes.
  • Only Supabase has geospatial, pub/sub.

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 supabase for

  • +MVPs and startups needing a complete backend quickly
  • +AI-generated apps from Lovable, Bolt and similar builders
  • +Mobile and web apps with auth and file uploads
  • +Realtime collaborative features via Postgres changes

best at · OLTP, Vector search, RAG

PlanetScalePerformance-focused managed MySQL (Vitess) and Postgres, with NVMe-backed Metal clusters and branching.
SupabaseOpen-source Postgres backend platform: database, auth, storage, realtime and edge functions in one project.
overview
Primary model
Relational
Relational
Also supports
Document, Vector
Document, Vector, Spatial
Type
Managed service
Backend platform
Status
Active
Active
Developer
PlanetScale, Inc.
Supabase, Inc.
First release
2021
2020
Latest version
–
v1.26.08 (self-hosted) (Aug 7, 2026)
License
ProprietaryProprietary (managed service; Vitess is Apache-2.0)
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
Free tier
—
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
25.7
54.3
Rank
#118
#23
GitHub stars
671
114.1K
Stack Overflow questions
60
2.1K
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Massive (Multi-PB)
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Horizontal scaling
Native
None
Multi-region
Read replicas
Read replicas
ACID
Full
Full
Consistency
Strong, Eventual
Strong
Schema
Strict
Strict
Architecture
Primary replica, Distributed
Primary replica, Client server
deployment
Self-hosted
—
✓
Vendor-managed cloud
✓
✓
Serverless
—
—
Embedded
—
—
Edge
—
—
Clouds
AWS, Google Cloud
AWS, Vercel
capabilities
Transactions
✓
✓
Joins
✓
✓
Secondary indexes
✓
✓
Full-text search
✓
✓
Vector search
✓
✓
Geospatial
—
✓
JSON
✓
✓
Change data capture
✓
✓
Triggers
✓
✓
Stored procedures
✓
✓
Materialized views
✓
✓
TTL / expiry
—
—
Pub/Sub
—
✓
Columnar storage
—
—
In-memory
—
—
Durable persistence
✓
✓
Compression
✓
—
Encryption at rest
✓
✓
Role-based access
✓
✓
Time travel
—
—
Branching
✓
✓
Online schema changes
✓
—
Streaming ingest
—
—
Offline sync
—
—
Runs in WebAssembly
—
—
interfaces
Query languages
SQL, PL/pgSQL
SQL, PL/pgSQL, GraphQL
Client languages
JavaScript, Go, Python, Ruby, PHP, Java, Rust
JavaScript, Python, Dart, Swift, Kotlin, C#, Go, Rust
Best for
OLTP, Content, Metadata, Vector search
OLTP, Vector search, RAG, Content
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

PlanetScale vs Supabase: FAQ

What is the difference between PlanetScale and Supabase?

PlanetScale: Performance-focused managed MySQL (Vitess) and Postgres, with NVMe-backed Metal clusters and branching. Supabase: Open-source Postgres backend platform: database, auth, storage, realtime and edge functions in one project. Licensing: PlanetScale is proprietary (Proprietary (managed service; Vitess is Apache-2.0)); Supabase is open source (permissive) (Apache License 2.0). PlanetScale is built for larger datasets (Multi-PB) than Supabase (≤ 10 TB). Horizontal scaling is native in PlanetScale and none in Supabase.

When should I choose PlanetScale over Supabase?

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 Supabase for MVPs and startups needing a complete backend quickly; AI-generated apps from Lovable, Bolt and similar builders; and mobile and web apps with auth and file uploads.

Is PlanetScale or Supabase more popular?

Supabase ranks #23 on the WhichDB Score (54.3/100) and PlanetScale ranks #118 (25.7/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are PlanetScale and Supabase open source?

No. PlanetScale is proprietary, closed-source software. Yes. Supabase is open source. License: Apache License 2.0.