PlanetScale vs Turso

PlanetScale vs Turso comparison for serverless databases. Compare MySQL (Vitess) vs SQLite at the edge.

🏆

Quick Verdict

Winner: Depends

PlanetScale offers enterprise MySQL with excellent branching. Turso provides edge-native SQLite with global replication. Choose PlanetScale for MySQL at scale; choose Turso for edge-first, low-latency apps.

Choose PlanetScale if...

✓ You need MySQL compatibility
✓ You want Vitess-powered scaling
✓ You need non-blocking schema changes
✓ You're coming from MySQL
✓ Enterprise support matters

Choose Turso if...

✓ You want SQLite at the edge
✓ Lowest latency is critical
✓ You're deploying globally
✓ You want a generous free tier
✓ You prefer embedded database model

Feature-by-Feature Comparison

Category	PlanetScale	Turso	Winner
Pricing	No free tier. Scaler: $29/mo. Usage-based storage/reads.	Free: 9GB storage, 500 databases. Scaler: From $29/mo.	Turso
Free Tier	No free tier (removed in 2024).	9GB total storage, 500 databases, 1B row reads/mo.	Turso
Developer Experience	Excellent CLI. Branching workflow. Dashboard.	Good CLI. libSQL is familiar. Edge-native SDK.	Tie
Documentation	Excellent docs. Clear guides. Active community.	Good docs. Improving. Solid SDK reference.	PlanetScale
Scalability	Vitess-powered. Horizontal scaling. Enterprise-proven.	Edge replication. Scales reads globally. Growing.	PlanetScale
Features	Branching, deploy requests, insights, read replicas.	Edge locations, embedded replicas, branching, vector search.	Tie

Code Comparison

Connect to PlanetScale

typescript

import { connect } from '@planetscale/database';

const conn = connect({
  url: process.env.DATABASE_URL,
});

const results = await conn.execute(
  'SELECT * FROM users WHERE email = ?',
  ['user@example.com']
);

PlanetScale works with MySQL-compatible drivers.

Connect to Turso

typescript

import { createClient } from '@libsql/client';

const client = createClient({
  url: process.env.TURSO_DATABASE_URL!,
  authToken: process.env.TURSO_AUTH_TOKEN,
});

const result = await client.execute({
  sql: 'SELECT * FROM users WHERE email = ?',
  args: ['user@example.com'],
});

Turso uses libSQL, a SQLite fork.

🔄 Migration Notes

Different SQL dialects (MySQL vs SQLite) require query adjustments. Schema migration tools exist for both. Consider ORM abstraction for easier switching.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Turso just SQLite? ▼

Turso uses libSQL, a fork of SQLite designed for production. It adds features like replication, HTTP interface, and edge deployment.

Why did PlanetScale remove their free tier? ▼

PlanetScale discontinued their free tier in 2024 to focus on paid customers. This made alternatives like Turso more attractive for hobby projects.

Try PlanetScale

Serverless MySQL platform

Try Turso

SQLite for production

⚖ Compare in Interactive Tool

Last updated: January 11, 2026