PlanetScale is a proprietary, cloud-hosted database platform (MySQL/Vitess and Postgres) known for branching-based schema workflows and horizontal scaling. It's built for teams that want a managed database without operating Vitess themselves, but your data and billing live entirely on PlanetScale's cloud.
Supabase is the open-source alternative worth considering if you want a self-hostable Postgres platform that also bundles auth, storage, and real-time features — a broader "backend platform" rather than PlanetScale's focused database-branching model.
FAQ
Is there a free, open-source alternative to PlanetScale?
Supabase is Apache-2.0 licensed and self-hostable, giving you a Postgres database without PlanetScale's usage-based cloud billing.
What's the best open-source alternative to PlanetScale?
Supabase is the strongest pick if you want a self-hosted Postgres backend with built-in auth and storage; it doesn't replicate PlanetScale's Vitess-based branching workflow for MySQL specifically.
What are the top open-source alternatives to PlanetScale?
Browse all open-source alternatives to PlanetScale above, or explore the full Developer Tools category for more options.