Compare
Selfhost.dev vs
PlanetScaleSelfhost.dev and PlanetScale both run managed PostgreSQL, but your $5 buys very different machines. PlanetScale's entry is a 1/16 vCPU slice, and $7 once you keep a realistic 20 GB; Selfhost.dev gives you 2 full vCPU at 20 GB for $5, with every feature on. And you can try it first: a $1 signup credit, no card needed, runs a real database for about 4 days before you spend anything.
TL;DR
The short
version.
At a realistic 20 GB, PlanetScale is $7/mo for a 1/16 vCPU slice. Selfhost.dev is $5/mo with 2 full vCPU and every feature on.
PlanetScale charges before the instance runs. Selfhost.dev gives a $1 credit at signup (no card needed), enough to run a real database for about 4 days first.
150+ AI-powered MCP tools included. PlanetScale's own MCP server stops at 16 database tools.
Pricing comparison
Same money,
more machine.
PlanetScale's entry looks like $5, but that is a 1/16 vCPU slice at 10 GB. At the 20 GB you should really keep, it is $7. Selfhost.dev is prepaid, pay-as-you-go, and pauses to $0 when you stop.
Entry (10 GB)
- 1/16 vCPU, 512 MB RAM, 10 GB
- Pay before the instance runs
- t4g.nano: 2 vCPU, 512 MB RAM, 20 GB
- $1 credit at signup, no card needed
- All features included
Realistic floor (20 GB)
- 1/16 vCPU, 512 MB RAM, 20 GB
- t4g.nano: 2 vCPU, 512 MB RAM, 20 GB
Feature by feature
Full
comparison.
| Feature | Selfhost.dev | PlanetScale |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | from $5 (2 vCPU, 20 GB) | $5 (1/16 vCPU, 10 GB) |
| At 20 GB storage | $5/mo | $7/mo |
| vCPU at entry | 2 vCPU | 1/16 vCPU |
| Free to start | $1 credit at signup, no card needed | Pay-first, no credit |
| BYOC (your own AWS) | Yes, transparent management fee | Enterprise only (custom) |
| Clouds & regions | AWS, worldwide | AWS (12), Google Cloud (7) |
| Storage autoscale | Yes | Yes (EBS) |
| High availability | Multi-AZ standby | Multi-AZ |
| Scheduled auto start/stop | Included | No |
| Database branching | Forking (PITR clone) | Yes (signature) |
| Encryption | At rest (AWS KMS) + in transit | At rest + in transit |
| AI management | 150+ MCP tools | 16 MCP tools |
Deep dive
Where the
differences matter.
Feel it work before you spend
PlanetScale charges you before the instance runs. Selfhost.dev grants a $1 welcome credit the moment you sign up, no card needed, which runs a real t4g.nano for about 4 days. You get to feel a live database work before you spend anything.
More machine for less money
At the 20 GB storage most production databases should keep, PlanetScale is $7/mo for a 1/16 vCPU slice. Selfhost.dev is $5/mo for 2 full vCPU and the same 512 MB RAM, with backups, alerting, and pooling handled from the start, so nobody has to be the DBA. PlanetScale's regions are also limited: AWS in 12, Google Cloud in 7, versus AWS worldwide. And the model cannot be pulled out from under you: prepaid credits with no tiers to deprecate, resources that pause at a $0 balance, and BYOC that keeps the exit path in your own AWS account. Comparing other managed Postgres options? See Selfhost.dev vs DigitalOcean and Selfhost.dev vs Aiven.
Two real reasons to pick PlanetScale
Pick PlanetScale if you need Google Cloud (Selfhost.dev runs on AWS only) or if its database branching workflow is central to how you ship. Those are genuine strengths. Multi-AZ and storage autoscale are not differentiators, Selfhost.dev has both. If neither Google Cloud nor branching is a must-have, Selfhost.dev is cheaper, gives you 2 full vCPU, a free start, and 150+ MCP tools to drive it all from your AI editor. Whichever engine you are on, Selfhost.dev also runs managed PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis, and ClickHouse on one account.
Migration
Switching from PlanetScale?
We migrate you, free.
There is no migration tool to fight with, because you get people instead. A Selfhost.dev engineer plans and runs the move with you, end to end, at no extra cost.
Your PlanetScale setup, data size, and engine version: the free cost audit form is enough. You get the exact monthly number and a migration plan before anything moves.
PlanetScale's Postgres moves with standard tooling: pg_dump and restore, or logical replication for a near-zero-downtime cutover. Coming from PlanetScale's MySQL side instead? Our managed MySQL takes a mysqldump or replication-based move the same way.
We verify a restore on the new instance first, and you flip the connection string only when you are satisfied, onto 2 full vCPU in the AWS region of your choice.
Free on every plan size. If the numbers do not work for you, you keep the breakdown.