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Neon vs PlanetScale: free tier and first paid price (checked 2026-10-19)
Neon has a free plan that stays free; PlanetScale has no lasting free plan. Neon Launch: Usage-based, $0.106 per CU-hour; PlanetScale Single node: Starting at $5/month. These first paid prices are not directly comparable from the list prices alone. Only Neon says no card is needed. Only PlanetScale says it offers an EU region.
| Fact | Neon | PlanetScale |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Stays free | No lasting free plan |
| Card for the free plan | Not required | Unknown |
| EU region | Unknown | Yes |
| First paid plan | Launch | Single node |
| First paid price | Usage-based, $0.106 per CU-hour | Starting at $5/month |
| Free plan includes | Free is $0. Page: 'Build and learn free with no time limits and no credit card required.' Limits shown: 100 projects, 100 CU-hours monthly per project, 1 GB of storage per project. Scale to zero is listed. | The pricing page does not list a $0 plan. It describes single-node clusters 'starting at $5/month' for development and low-traffic workloads, and Metal 'starting at $50/month'. |
| Free limits |
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| Paid plan note | Launch has no flat monthly price on the page. It shows 'Typical spend: $15/mo' and storage at $0.35 per GB-month on one row ($0.20 per GB-month on another comparison row). | A sample configuration on the page estimated $41/month (a $30 line plus an $11 storage line) for AWS us-east-1. 100 GB public egress included, then $0.06/GB. |
| EU / data region note | Page mentions GDPR and ISO compliance. It does not name an EU region in the captured text. | Page: 'Deploy in any AWS or GCP region with at least 3 availability zones.' It does not name a city. |
| Last checked | ||
| Pricing page | neon.com/pricing | planetscale.com/pricing |
Questions
Does Neon or PlanetScale have a free plan?
Neon has a free plan that stays free; PlanetScale has no lasting free plan. Checked 2026-10-19: Neon pricing, PlanetScale pricing.
Which is cheaper to start paying for, Neon or PlanetScale?
Neon Launch: Usage-based, $0.106 per CU-hour; PlanetScale Single node: Starting at $5/month. These first paid prices are not directly comparable from the list prices alone. Checked 2026-10-19: Neon pricing, PlanetScale pricing.
Do Neon and PlanetScale need a credit card for the free plan?
Neon says no credit card is needed for the free plan; PlanetScale does not say whether a card is needed. Checked 2026-10-19: Neon pricing, PlanetScale pricing.
Do Neon and PlanetScale offer an EU region?
Neon does not state an EU region; PlanetScale says it offers an EU region. Checked 2026-10-19: Neon pricing, PlanetScale pricing.
Sources
- Neon pricing page (checked 2026-10-19)
- PlanetScale pricing page (checked 2026-10-19)
Every cell is copied from the official pricing pages. The verdict is generated from those fields and makes no other claims. "Unknown" means the page did not say. Prices change: check the vendor page before you buy.
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