Pick the database by what your app actually does
Supabase, Neon, PlanetScale, Turso, Convex. Five providers, five different optimal use cases. The bundled-versus-database-only choice is the first split; everything else follows.
READ THE FULL COMPARISONThe databases, by the brief that picks each one
Supabase
Postgres + Auth + Storage + Realtime + pgvector
Bundle wins for full-stack apps. HIPAA add-on $350/month on Team. Pro $25/month, Team $599/month.
Read the take →Neon
Postgres branching for preview deploys
Killer feature: every PR gets its own DB branch. Free tier generous, Launch $19/month, Scale $69/month.
Read the take →PlanetScale
MySQL at scale with branching + Vitess
No free tier since 2024. Scaler $39/month, Pro $79+/month. Right when already on MySQL at scale.
Read the take →Turso
Edge-distributed SQLite for read-heavy apps
Replicates globally for sub-50ms reads. 9GB free + 1B reads. Scaler $29/month.
Read the take →Convex
TypeScript-first reactive database, no SQL
Schema in TypeScript, real-time queries by default. Free 1GB, Pro $25/seat. Lock-in is real.
Read the take →The decision in one sentence
Pick Supabase for full-stack apps where you want one vendor for DB, auth, storage, real-time. Pick Neon for Postgres-only projects where preview-deploy branching matters. Pick PlanetScale if you are already on MySQL at scale. Pick Turso for read-heavy edge-distributed content apps. Pick Convex for TypeScript-only teams who value DX over flexibility.
The supporting comparisons
- Serverless databases 2026: Supabase, Neon, PlanetScale, Turso, Convex Eighteen months running all five in production. Real economics, real trade-offs, no affiliate links.
- HIPAA-compliant Supabase + Vercel: the $700/month setup Production setup for healthcare apps using Supabase with the HIPAA add-on under BAA.
- How I built a 25,000-page directory in Next.js Production case study at scale, Supabase as the data backbone for HostList.io.
- Authentication services 2026: Clerk, Auth0, Supabase Auth, WorkOS, Better Auth The auth choice intersects with the database choice; pick them together.
The full directory of 14 serverless databases
This hub is the editorial top-5. The full directory at /serverless-databases/ covers 14 databases filterable by category (Postgres / SQLite-at-edge / MySQL / NoSQL / realtime / KV), engine, pricing, plus Postgres-compatibility and edge-ready flags — including the niche options the top-5 cuts: Xata, Nile, Tigris, MongoDB Atlas, Cloudflare D1, Vercel Postgres, CockroachDB.