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MySQL vs PlanetScale
Short answer: Pick MySQL if you want open-source relational database with enterprise extensions; pick PlanetScale if you want sharded MySQL/Postgres with unlimited IOPS. MySQL is free and open source; PlanetScale starts at $5/month.
Which to pick
Pick MySQL if you want…
- Open-source relational database with enterprise extensions
- A free, open-source tool
Pick PlanetScale if you want…
- Sharded MySQL/Postgres with unlimited IOPS
- Managed MySQL hosting
Side by side
- What it is
- MySQL:MySQL is an open-source relational database by Oracle offering enterprise, AI, and cloud analytics features.
- PlanetScale:PlanetScale provides managed, horizontally-sharded MySQL, Vitess, and Postgres databases with unlimited IOPS and high-availability.
- Best for
- MySQL:Open-source relational database with enterprise extensions
- PlanetScale:Sharded MySQL/Postgres with unlimited IOPS
- Who it’s for
- MySQL:Developers and organizations needing a reliable, scalable SQL database.
- PlanetScale:Developers and teams needing scalable, high-performance cloud databases.
- Pricing
- MySQL:Open source
- PlanetScale:Paid
- Starting price
- MySQL:Free
- PlanetScale:$5/month (Single-node Postgres)
- Free plan or trial
- MySQL:Free to use
- PlanetScale:—
- Plans
- MySQL:—
- PlanetScale:Single-node Postgres $5 per month · PlanetScale Metal $50 per month
- Open source
- MySQL:Yes, 12,517 GitHub stars
- PlanetScale:—
- Works with
- MySQL:—
- PlanetScale:Fivetran, Airbyte, Hightouch, Datadog, Vantage, Debezium, Prometheus, pganalyze
MySQL features
- HeatWave. Integrated generative AI and ML for transaction and lakehouse-scale analytics.
- MySQL AI. Provides automated, secure machine-learning and generative AI capabilities inside the database.
- Enterprise Edition. Advanced features, management tools, and support for high scalability, security, and uptime.
- Cluster CGE. Delivers uncompromising scalability, uptime and agility for web, cloud, and communications services.
- Community Governance. Open collaboration model with transparent processes and community participation.
- Early Access Program. Allows preview, testing, and evaluation of upcoming MySQL Community Edition builds.
PlanetScale features
- Horizontal sharding. Vitess and Neki enable explicit sharding for MySQL and Postgres across thousands of nodes.
- Branch-per-environment. Each branch runs on its own isolated cluster for safe schema changes.
- Unlimited IOPS on NVMe. PlanetScale Metal uses blazing-fast NVMe drives with unlimited IOPS.
- High-availability clusters. One primary and two replicas across three availability zones with automated failover.
- Built-in connection pooling. PgBouncer for Postgres and similar pooling for MySQL reduce connection overhead.
- Query Insights & observability. Integrated monitoring dashboards for Vitess, Neki, and Postgres workloads.
- Database Traffic Control™. Set flexible budgets on query traffic to prevent runaway queries.
- Security & compliance. SOC 1/2, PCI DSS, HIPAA compliance with IP restrictions and private link options.
MySQL vs PlanetScale FAQ
What is the difference between MySQL and PlanetScale?+
PlanetScale offers a hosted MySQL service focused on scaling, while MySQL provides on-premise and cloud editions with enterprise features.
Should I use MySQL or PlanetScale?+
Pick MySQL if you want open-source relational database with enterprise extensions or a free, open-source tool. Pick PlanetScale if you want sharded MySQL/Postgres with unlimited IOPS or managed MySQL hosting.
Is MySQL or PlanetScale free?+
MySQL is free and open source. PlanetScale is paid, from $5/month (Single-node Postgres).
Which is cheaper, MySQL or PlanetScale?+
MySQL is free, so it costs less. PlanetScale starts at $5/month (Single-node Postgres).
Is MySQL or PlanetScale open source?+
MySQL is open source (mysql/mysql-server on GitHub). DevHunt has no public source repository on record for PlanetScale.
On DevHunt
Based on each tool's website and DevHunt data. Details may change; check the official sites.