PlanetScale vs CockroachDB(2026)
PlanetScale is better for teams that need non-blocking schema changes. CockroachDB is the stronger choice if truly distributed (no downtime). PlanetScale is paid (from $39/month) and CockroachDB is freemium (from $0 (free tier 5GB)).
Full feature breakdown, pricing details, and pros & cons below.
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PlanetScale
PlanetScale is a MySQL-compatible serverless database with branching workflows for schema changes.
Starting at $39/month
Visit PlanetScaleCockroachDB
CockroachDB is a distributed PostgreSQL-compatible database built for global scale and survivability.
Starting at $0 (free tier 5GB)
Visit CockroachDBHow Do PlanetScale and CockroachDB Compare on Features?
| Feature | PlanetScale | CockroachDB |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | paid | freemium |
| Starting price | $39/month | $0 (free tier 5GB) |
| MySQL-compatible | ✓ | — |
| Database branching | ✓ | — |
| Non-blocking schema changes | ✓ | — |
| Query insights | ✓ | — |
| Replication | ✓ | — |
| Distributed SQL | — | ✓ |
| PostgreSQL-compatible | — | ✓ |
| Multi-region | — | ✓ |
| Automatic sharding | — | ✓ |
| ACID transactions | — | ✓ |
| Change data capture | — | ✓ |
PlanetScale Pros and Cons vs CockroachDB
PlanetScale
CockroachDB
Should You Use PlanetScale or CockroachDB?
Choose PlanetScale if…
- •Non-blocking schema changes
- •MySQL compatibility
- •Excellent performance
Choose CockroachDB if…
- •Truly distributed (no downtime)
- •Postgres-compatible
- •Multi-region out of the box