PlanetScale Alternatives: Best Managed MySQL Hosting in 2025

PlanetScale shook the developer community when they removed their free tier and changed their pricing. If you're looking for PlanetScale alternatives, you're not alone—thousands of developers are seeking MySQL hosting that offers similar features without the sticker shock.

This guide compares the best alternatives for managed MySQL hosting in 2025, from cloud giants to European providers focused on simplicity and value.

Why Developers Are Leaving PlanetScale

The Pricing Change

PlanetScale went from a generous free tier to:

• Scaler: $39/month minimum (from free)
• Reads/Writes: Metered billing that can spike unexpectedly
• Storage: Included amounts are limited
• Branching: Key feature now costs extra

For many developers, especially those with side projects or startups, this represented a 100%+ cost increase overnight.

What Made PlanetScale Special

Before looking at alternatives, let's understand what features people loved:

• Branching: Git-like branches for database schema changes
• Non-blocking schema changes: Deploy without downtime
• Vitess under the hood: Horizontal scaling technology
• MySQL compatibility: Works with existing tools
• Great DX: CLI, dashboard, integrations

PlanetScale Alternatives Comparison

Option 1: Switch to PostgreSQL (Recommended for Most)

If you were using PlanetScale for a typical web application, PostgreSQL is often a better choice. It offers:

• Better JSON support than MySQL
• More advanced features (CTEs, window functions)
• Wider hosting options
• Better tooling ecosystem

Neon (Serverless PostgreSQL)

Neon is the closest PostgreSQL equivalent to PlanetScale:

• Branching: Yes, git-like database branches
• Serverless: Scale to zero, pay per use
• Free tier: 0.5GB storage, decent for development
• Pricing: $19/mo for Launch plan

# Connection string format
postgresql://user:password@ep-xxxx.eu-central-1.aws.neon.tech/dbname?sslmode=require

# Works with any PostgreSQL client
psql "postgresql://..."

Supabase

Full PostgreSQL with extras:

• Database: Full PostgreSQL, not serverless
• Extras: Auth, Storage, Edge Functions
• Free tier: 500MB, 2 projects
• Pricing: $25/mo for Pro

Option 2: Stay with MySQL

If you need MySQL specifically (existing application, specific features, team expertise), here are your options:

Railway MySQL

Simple MySQL hosting with good DX:

• Easy setup: One-click MySQL deployment
• Pricing: Pay for resources used (~$5-20/mo typical)
• Replicas: Available on Team plan
• Backups: Automatic daily

# Deploy MySQL on Railway
railway add mysql

# Get connection string
railway connect mysql

DigitalOcean Managed MySQL

• Starting price: $15/mo (1GB RAM, 10GB storage)
• Automatic backups: Daily, 7-day retention
• Read replicas: Available
• Standby nodes: For high availability

AWS RDS for MySQL

• Most features: Everything you'd expect from AWS
• Free tier: 12 months of db.t2.micro
• Complexity: More configuration required
• Cost: Can get expensive with data transfer

Option 3: European Managed Databases (GDPR Focus)

If data sovereignty matters—and it should for EU businesses—consider European providers:

DanubeData Managed MySQL

DanubeData offers managed MySQL, PostgreSQL, and MariaDB hosted in German data centers:

• GDPR compliant: Data stays in Germany
• Simple pricing: Fixed monthly, no surprises
• Replicas: Read replicas available
• Backups: Automatic daily snapshots
• SSL/TLS: Encrypted connections

Pricing

Key Features

# Connection details provided via dashboard
Host: db-xxxxx.danubedata.com
Port: 3306 (MySQL) / 5432 (PostgreSQL)
SSL: Required (certificates provided)

# MySQL connection example
mysql -h db-xxxxx.danubedata.com -u myuser -p --ssl-ca=ca.pem

# PostgreSQL connection example
psql "host=db-xxxxx.danubedata.com dbname=mydb user=myuser sslmode=require"

Option 4: Self-Hosted MySQL on VPS

For maximum control and lowest ongoing cost:

When to Self-Host

• You have the expertise to manage databases
• You want predictable, fixed costs
• You need custom MySQL configuration
• You're running other services on the same server

Quick Setup on VPS

# Create VPS on DanubeData (€8.99/mo for 4GB RAM)
# SSH in and install MySQL

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y mysql-server

# Secure installation
sudo mysql_secure_installation

# Create database and user
sudo mysql << EOF
CREATE DATABASE myapp;
CREATE USER 'myapp_user'@'%' IDENTIFIED BY 'secure_password';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON myapp.* TO 'myapp_user'@'%';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EOF

# Configure for remote access (if needed)
sudo nano /etc/mysql/mysql.conf.d/mysqld.cnf
# Change: bind-address = 0.0.0.0

sudo systemctl restart mysql

Cost Comparison: Self-Hosted vs Managed

Migration Guide: PlanetScale to Alternative

Step 1: Export Your Data

# Using PlanetScale CLI
pscale database dump your-database main --output ./dump

# Or using mysqldump with connection string
mysqldump -h aws.connect.psdb.cloud -u username -p database > backup.sql

Step 2: Prepare for Target Database

If migrating to PostgreSQL, you'll need to convert:

# Using pgloader (MySQL to PostgreSQL)
pgloader mysql://user:pass@planetscale-host/db 
         postgresql://user:pass@new-host/db

# Or manually convert schema
# Key differences:
# - AUTO_INCREMENT → SERIAL or IDENTITY
# - TINYINT(1) → BOOLEAN
# - DATETIME → TIMESTAMP
# - TEXT types have different limits

Step 3: Import to New Database

# MySQL to MySQL
mysql -h new-host -u user -p database < backup.sql

# MySQL to PostgreSQL (after conversion)
psql -h new-host -U user -d database -f converted_backup.sql

Step 4: Update Application

# Update connection string
# Before (PlanetScale)
DATABASE_URL="mysql://user:pass@aws.connect.psdb.cloud/db?sslaccept=strict"

# After (DanubeData MySQL)
DATABASE_URL="mysql://user:pass@db-xxx.danubedata.com/db?ssl=true"

# After (PostgreSQL)
DATABASE_URL="postgresql://user:pass@db-xxx.danubedata.com/db?sslmode=require"

Feature Comparison: What You Lose (and Gain)

PlanetScale Features You Might Miss

• Database branching: Only Neon (PostgreSQL) offers comparable branching
• Non-blocking schema changes: Can be achieved with pt-online-schema-change or gh-ost
• Vitess horizontal scaling: Most apps don't need this scale

What You Gain

• Predictable costs: Fixed monthly pricing
• Data sovereignty: EU hosting options
• No vendor lock-in: Standard MySQL/PostgreSQL
• Foreign keys: PlanetScale disabled these by default

Recommendation by Use Case

For Side Projects / Startups

Recommendation: Neon (PostgreSQL) or Railway (MySQL)

Both offer affordable entry points with good developer experience.

For EU/GDPR Compliance

Recommendation: DanubeData Managed Database

German data centers, fixed pricing, no US data transfer concerns.

For Maximum Control

Recommendation: Self-hosted MySQL on VPS

€8.99/mo gives you a full server for database and application.

For Enterprise / High Availability

Recommendation: AWS RDS or DanubeData with Replicas

Built-in replication and failover capabilities.

Conclusion

PlanetScale's pricing changes pushed many developers to reconsider their database hosting. The good news: there are excellent alternatives, often at lower prices with simpler billing.

Key takeaways:

• Consider PostgreSQL if you don't have MySQL-specific requirements
• European providers offer GDPR compliance and predictable pricing
• Self-hosting is viable if you have the expertise
• Database branching (PlanetScale's killer feature) is available in Neon for PostgreSQL

Get Started with DanubeData

Looking for managed MySQL hosting in Europe with simple, predictable pricing?

👉 Create a Managed MySQL Database - Starting at €19.99/mo

DanubeData Database Features:

• MySQL 8.0, 8.4, 9.0, 9.1 versions available
• PostgreSQL 15, 16, 17 also available
• Automatic daily backups
• SSL/TLS encryption
• Read replicas available
• German data center (GDPR compliant)

Migrating from PlanetScale? Contact our team for migration assistance.