PlanetScale vs Supabase: Database Platform Comparison

PlanetScale and Supabase are both modern database platforms, but they're solving different problems. PlanetScale is MySQL infrastructure with developer-friendly features. Supabase is a complete backend platform built on PostgreSQL. The choice depends on whether you need a database or a backend.

What Each Platform Offers

PlanetScale gives you:

• MySQL-compatible database (built on Vitess)
• Database branching (like git for schemas)
• Non-blocking schema changes
• Connection pooling built-in
• Serverless scaling

Supabase gives you:

• PostgreSQL database
• Authentication (email, OAuth, magic links)
• File storage
• Edge Functions
• Auto-generated REST and GraphQL APIs
• Real-time subscriptions
• Row-level security

The feature lists tell the story: PlanetScale is a database; Supabase is a backend.

The Database Underneath

PlanetScale: MySQL via Vitess

PlanetScale runs Vitess, the MySQL scaling system created at YouTube. It's MySQL-compatible but with some differences:

-- Standard MySQL works
CREATE TABLE users (
  id BIGINT PRIMARY KEY AUTO_INCREMENT,
  email VARCHAR(255) UNIQUE,
  created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
);

INSERT INTO users (email) VALUES ('alice@example.com');
SELECT * FROM users WHERE email = 'alice@example.com';

Limitations:

• No foreign key constraints (by design. They complicate sharding)
• Some MySQL features unavailable (triggers have limitations)
• Vitess-specific behaviors in edge cases

The lack of foreign keys is intentional. PlanetScale's philosophy is that application code should enforce relationships, not the database. This enables horizontal scaling but requires discipline.

Supabase: PostgreSQL

Supabase runs standard PostgreSQL:

-- Full PostgreSQL, including foreign keys
CREATE TABLE users (
  id UUID PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT gen_random_uuid(),
  email TEXT UNIQUE NOT NULL,
  created_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT NOW()
);

CREATE TABLE orders (
  id UUID PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT gen_random_uuid(),
  user_id UUID REFERENCES users(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
  total DECIMAL(10,2) NOT NULL
);

You get the full PostgreSQL feature set: foreign keys, CTEs, window functions, JSON operations, full-text search, and extensions.

Database Branching

PlanetScale's standout feature is database branching:

# Create a branch from production
pscale branch create mydb feature-x

# Make schema changes on the branch
pscale shell mydb feature-x
> ALTER TABLE users ADD COLUMN phone VARCHAR(20);

# Create a deploy request (like a PR)
pscale deploy-request create mydb feature-x --to main

# Merge non-blocking (no locks, no downtime)
pscale deploy-request deploy mydb feature-x

Schema changes deploy without locking tables. You can test migrations against production-like data. It's genuinely excellent for schema management.

Supabase doesn't have branching. Schema changes are direct:

-- Run migrations directly
ALTER TABLE users ADD COLUMN phone TEXT;

For schema management, you'd use external tools (Prisma, TypeORM migrations, or manual scripts).

Authentication

Supabase has built-in auth:

// Sign up
const { user, error } = await supabase.auth.signUp({
  email: 'alice@example.com',
  password: 'secret'
});

// Sign in
const { user, error } = await supabase.auth.signInWithPassword({
  email: 'alice@example.com',
  password: 'secret'
});

// OAuth
const { data, error } = await supabase.auth.signInWithOAuth({
  provider: 'google'
});

Auth integrates with row-level security:

-- Users can only read their own data
CREATE POLICY "Users see own data" ON user_data
  FOR SELECT USING (auth.uid() = user_id);

PlanetScale has no auth. You'd use a separate service (Auth0, Clerk, NextAuth) and implement authorization in your application.

APIs

Supabase auto-generates APIs from your schema:

// REST-style queries via client library
const { data } = await supabase
  .from('products')
  .select('*, category:categories(*)')
  .eq('active', true)
  .order('created_at', { ascending: false })
  .limit(10);

No backend code needed for basic CRUD.

PlanetScale is just a database. You write your own API:

// You build this yourself
app.get('/products', async (req, res) => {
  const products = await db.query(`
    SELECT p.*, c.name as category_name
    FROM products p
    JOIN categories c ON p.category_id = c.id
    WHERE p.active = true
    ORDER BY p.created_at DESC
    LIMIT 10
  `);
  res.json(products);
});

More control, more code.

Pricing (as of 2026)

Note: PlanetScale removed their free tier in March 2024.

PlanetScale:

• Scaler: $39/month (10 GB storage, 100M row reads)
• No free tier
• Pay for reads, writes, storage

Supabase:

• Free: 500 MB database, 1 GB storage, 50K auth users
• Pro: $25/month (8 GB database, 100 GB storage)
• Predictable pricing based on resources

Supabase's free tier is generous for side projects. PlanetScale requires payment from day one.

When to Choose PlanetScale

You need MySQL specifically:

• Existing MySQL application
• MySQL expertise on team
• MySQL-specific features you depend on

Schema management is critical:

• Frequent schema changes
• Need non-blocking migrations
• Want branch-based workflow for database

You have your own backend:

• Already using Auth0/Clerk for auth
• Building custom API layer
• Don't need auto-generated APIs

Horizontal scaling is a requirement:

• Preparing for massive scale
• Need Vitess's sharding capabilities

When to Choose Supabase

You need a complete backend:

• Auth + database + storage in one platform
• Want to avoid stitching services together
• Rapid prototyping priority

PostgreSQL is preferred:

• Need foreign keys enforced by database
• Want full PostgreSQL features
• Coming from PostgreSQL background

Starting with limited budget:

• Free tier for development/side projects
• Don't want to pay until launch

Real-time features needed:

• Subscriptions to database changes
• Collaborative features
• Live dashboards

Migration Considerations

From PlanetScale to Supabase

This means MySQL to PostgreSQL migration:

# Export from PlanetScale
mysqldump -h host -u user -p database > dump.sql

# Convert MySQL syntax to PostgreSQL
# - AUTO_INCREMENT → SERIAL or GENERATED
# - DATETIME → TIMESTAMPTZ
# - Different string functions
# - etc.

# Import to Supabase
psql -h host -U user -d database < converted_dump.sql

Significant work due to database differences.

From Supabase to PlanetScale

PostgreSQL to MySQL:

# Export from Supabase
pg_dump -h host -U user database > dump.sql

# Convert PostgreSQL to MySQL
# - Remove foreign keys (PlanetScale doesn't support them)
# - UUID → VARCHAR(36) or BINARY(16)
# - TIMESTAMPTZ → DATETIME
# - Different syntax for various operations

# Import to PlanetScale
mysql -h host -u user -p database < converted_dump.sql

Also significant work, plus you lose foreign key enforcement.

The Honest Take

PlanetScale is excellent if you need MySQL with modern developer experience. The branching feature is genuinely useful for teams with frequent schema changes. But losing the free tier hurt, and you're paying for just a database. You'll need other services for auth, storage, etc.

Supabase is excellent if you want a complete backend quickly. The combination of PostgreSQL + auth + storage + APIs is compelling. But you don't get database branching, and you're more locked into the Supabase way of doing things.

For new projects with no MySQL requirement, Supabase is often the better choice. You get more for less, and PostgreSQL is arguably the better database. For existing MySQL applications or teams needing PlanetScale's branching workflow, it remains a solid option despite the pricing changes.