Quick Comparison
| Turso | PlanetScale | |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | libSQL (SQLite fork) | MySQL (Vitess) |
| Edge | Yes (embedded replicas) | No (regional) |
| Branching | No | Yes (database branches) |
| Free tier | 9GB storage, 500 DBs | 5GB, 1 billion reads |
| Best for | Edge apps, embedded | Web apps, SaaS |
When to Use Turso
- Edge deployments (Cloudflare Workers, Vercel Edge)
- You want embedded replicas for low latency
- SQLite compatibility
- Small to medium apps
When to Use PlanetScale
- MySQL-compatible apps
- You want database branching (like git for your schema)
- Larger scale applications
- You need a managed MySQL service
Verdict
Turso for edge-first apps. PlanetScale for traditional web apps that need MySQL. Both have generous free tiers.