Skip to content
inetGeek

Neon vs Nile

SEPT 2026 audit

A comparison of Neon and Nile built from values read directly from each provider's own documentation, with the source recorded against every figure.

Reviewed by Palash BagchiUpdated 29 criteria comparedSources last checked

The short answer

Choose Neon if…

Workloads that are idle most of the time, and teams who want a real database per pull request. Compute suspends after five minutes and storage is billed separately, so a staging branch costs almost nothing while nobody is using it.

Editorial · Palash Bagchi · approved

Choose Nile if…

Multi-tenant SaaS where every customer wants isolation — Nile makes a database per tenant the default shape rather than something you build on top of Postgres.

Editorial · Palash Bagchi · approved

Consider something else if…

  • Neon: You need predictable monthly billing. Usage pricing with no minimum fee cuts both ways, and a runaway query on an autoscaling compute is billed at the rate it ran.
  • Nile: Several of the features on its own pricing table are marked Coming soon, including branching, backups and provisioned compute, so what is bought today is narrower than the table suggests.

Neither quite fits? Every other option, ranked by iScore: Neon alternatives · Nile alternatives

12 sourced criteria separate them — see where, with sources, below.

Visit Neon documentationVisit Nile documentation

No affiliate links, sponsored placements or paid rankings appear on this site. Ordering follows the sourced data and the stated criteria.

01.

At a glance.

CriterionNeonNile
Pricing
Free tierYesYes — Ongoing $0 Free plan: 50M query tokens, 1 GB storage, 500 connections, no pauses.
Kind of free offerFree tierFree tier
Entry paid planNo fixed monthly fee. Launch is usage-based — Neon's own worked example puts typical spend at $15/month for intermittent load on 1 GB — so there is no entry price to compare, only a rate card. Recorded without a magnitude because a vendor's spend estimate is not a price.$15/month for Pro, which carries a production SLA. Scale is $350/month.
Pricing modelUsage-based with no minimum monthly fee on paid plans: $0.106/CU-hour compute and $0.35/GB-month storage on Launch, $0.222/CU-hour on ScalePriced on queries rather than instances, with a $15 base for Pro. Nile's own framing is "Pay for queries, not for instances", and additional tokens are $0.05 per million.
Limits
Storage (entry plan)No included allowance on the Launch plan; storage is metered at $0.35/GB-month. The Free plan includes 0.5 GB per project.5 GB on Pro, then $1.00 per additional GB.
Execution
Managed connection poolingSupportedSupported
Infrastructure
Regions
8 AWS regions: N. Virginia, Ohio, Oregon, Frankfurt, London, Singapore, Sydney, São Paulo. A project's region is fixed at creation and cannot be changed.
Two regions selectable for a new database: AWS_US_WEST_2 (AWS US West, Oregon) and AWS_EU_CENTRAL_1 (AWS Europe, Frankfurt). The separate list-available-regions endpoint enumerates a third value, AZURE_EASTUS.
Data
EnginePostgreSQLPostgreSQL, with tenant isolation as a first-class concept — databases, tenant databases and vector embeddings are all described as unlimited.
Connection limit
Scales with compute size: 104 direct connections at 0.25 CU (1 GB RAM), 419 at 1 CU, 2517 at 6 CU; up to 10,000 through the pooler
10,000 connections on Pro, with connection pooling included.
When idleCompute suspends after 5 minutes idle on Free and Launch, and can be disabled on Launch; configurable from 1 minute to always-on on Scale. The database is not deleted or paused — the next query restarts the compute.No cold start on Pro — Nile lists it as a plan feature rather than a behaviour to configure.
Database branching
Supported
Not supported — Pricing marks Branching 'Coming soon': one branch Free, 50 Pro, unlimited Scale.
Backup retention1 day of history on paid plans by default and 6 hours on Free, configurable up to 7 days on Launch or 30 days on Scale. Neon notes that widening the window raises storage cost, so the ceiling is a paid choice rather than an included allowance.Three backups taken daily; restore is request-based through support and available on paid tiers only. No retention window is published.
Compliance
SOC 2
Annual SOC 2 Type II audits by an accredited independent third party.
Listed on the pricing plan comparison as 'Coming soon'; the Free and Pro columns show '-' for SOC 2.
GDPR / data residency
Follows the GDPR framework; Data Processing Agreements (DPA) offered.
Region choice covers residency: a database can be provisioned in eu-central-1 (Frankfurt), which Nile presents as easing EU data-residency rules. From Nile's 2024-04-10 regions announcement; the live API region enum still lists AWS_EU_CENTRAL_1.
Encryption at rest
AES-256, with key rotation policies.
Stated for Nile Auth: all communication is encrypted using TLS and all stored data is encrypted at rest. Read in the Nile Auth FAQ; Nile publishes no platform-wide security page.

Only criteria both providers publish appear here; a tinted cell marks a real difference. Criteria only one of them documents are listed below, and an absence there means we found no source — not that the feature is missing. How we source this.

The small bar above a value is inetGeek's own lean toward that side — computed from the same facts shown, never a number the provider published. See the picker below "The short answer" to weigh only the criteria you care about.

02.

Where they differ.

Entry paid plan

Neon
No fixed monthly fee. Launch is usage-based — Neon's own worked example puts typical spend at $15/month for intermittent load on 1 GB — so there is no entry price to compare, only a rate card. Recorded without a magnitude because a vendor's spend estimate is not a price.
Nile
$15/month for Pro, which carries a production SLA. Scale is $350/month.
Sources (2) →
  • Pricing — Neon ↗

    “Launch Usage-based Typical spend: $ 15 /mo Based on: Intermittent load , 1 GB Get started”

    Read 2026-09-07 · official pricing · Report a correction

  • Pricing — Nile ↗

    “Pro For launching production workloads. With production SLA $ 15 / month [...] Scale For scale, more security and global presence $ 350 / month”

    Read 2026-09-06 · official pricing · Report a correction

Pricing model

Neon
Usage-based with no minimum monthly fee on paid plans: $0.106/CU-hour compute and $0.35/GB-month storage on Launch, $0.222/CU-hour on Scale
Nile
Priced on queries rather than instances, with a $15 base for Pro. Nile's own framing is "Pay for queries, not for instances", and additional tokens are $0.05 per million.
Sources (2) →
  • Neon plans — Neon Docs ↗

    “On Launch and Scale plans, you pay only for what you use; there's no minimum monthly fee. Usage for compute, storage, extra branches, and other features is billed at the published rates”

    Read 2026-09-05 · official pricing · Report a correction

  • Pricing — Nile ↗

    “Pay for queries Not for instances [...] 0.05 per million additional tokens Storage 5 GB $1.00 per additional GB”

    Read 2026-09-06 · official pricing · Report a correction

Storage (entry plan)

Neon
No included allowance on the Launch plan; storage is metered at $0.35/GB-month. The Free plan includes 0.5 GB per project.
Nile
5 GB on Pro, then $1.00 per additional GB.
Sources (2) →

Regions

Neon

8 AWS regions: N. Virginia, Ohio, Oregon, Frankfurt, London, Singapore, Sydney, São Paulo. A project's region is fixed at creation and cannot be changed.

Nile

Two regions selectable for a new database: AWS_US_WEST_2 (AWS US West, Oregon) and AWS_EU_CENTRAL_1 (AWS Europe, Frankfurt). The separate list-available-regions endpoint enumerates a third value, AZURE_EASTUS.

Sources (2) →
  • Regions — Neon Docs ↗

    “Each Neon project exists in exactly one region. Your database runs in that region. You cannot change the region for an existing project. If you need your data in a different region, you create a new Neon project in that region and migrate your database there.”

    Read 2026-09-05 · official docs · Report a correction

  • Nile API reference - Create a database ↗

    “The region where the database will be hosted. Nile currently supports the following values: AWS_US_WEST_2 - AWS in US West (Oregon) AWS_EU_CENTRAL_1 - AWS in Europe (Frankfurt)”

    Read 2026-09-13 · official docs · Report a correction

Engine

Neon
PostgreSQL
Nile
PostgreSQL, with tenant isolation as a first-class concept — databases, tenant databases and vector embeddings are all described as unlimited.
Sources (2) →
  • Connection pooling — Neon Docs ↗

    “Each Postgres connection creates a new process in the operating system, consuming memory and CPU resources. Postgres limits the number of connections based on available RAM.”

    Read 2026-09-05 · official docs · Report a correction

  • Pricing — Nile ↗

    “multi-tenant applications with Nile's Postgres Unlimited Databases Unlimited Tenants Pay for queries Not for instances Limitless vector embeddings”

    Read 2026-09-06 · official site · Report a correction

Connection limit

Neon

Scales with compute size: 104 direct connections at 0.25 CU (1 GB RAM), 419 at 1 CU, 2517 at 6 CU; up to 10,000 through the pooler

Nile

10,000 connections on Pro, with connection pooling included.

Sources (2) →
  • Connection pooling — Neon Docs ↗

    “Neon uses PgBouncer to provide connection pooling, enabling up to 10,000 concurrent connections. [...] In Neon, this limit is defined by max_connections, which varies by compute size: Compute size (CU) RAM max_connections 0.25 1 GB 104 0.50 2 GB 209 1 4 GB 419”

    Read 2026-09-05 · official docs · Report a correction

  • Pricing — Nile ↗

    “# of connections 10,000 Connection pooling”

    Read 2026-09-06 · official pricing · Report a correction

When idle

Neon
Compute suspends after 5 minutes idle on Free and Launch, and can be disabled on Launch; configurable from 1 minute to always-on on Scale. The database is not deleted or paused — the next query restarts the compute.
Nile
No cold start on Pro — Nile lists it as a plan feature rather than a behaviour to configure.
Sources (2) →

Database branching

Neon
Supported
Nile
Not supported — Pricing marks Branching 'Coming soon': one branch Free, 50 Pro, unlimited Scale.
Sources (2) →
  • Neon plans — Neon Docs ↗

    “Each Neon project is created with a root branch, like the main branch in Git. [...] You can create child branches for testing, previews, or development. [...] Free: 10 branches/project Launch: 10 branches/project Scale: 25 branches/project”

    Read 2026-09-05 · official docs · Report a correction

  • Pricing | Nile Database ↗

    “Branching Coming soon One branch [...] Branching Coming soon 50 branches”

    Read 2026-09-13 · official pricing · Report a correction

Backup retention

Neon
1 day of history on paid plans by default and 6 hours on Free, configurable up to 7 days on Launch or 30 days on Scale. Neon notes that widening the window raises storage cost, so the ceiling is a paid choice rather than an included allowance.
Nile
Three backups taken daily; restore is request-based through support and available on paid tiers only. No retention window is published.
Sources (2) →
  • Point-in-time restore — Neon Docs ↗

    “Neon retains a history of changes for your branches, with defaults of 6 hours on Free plan and 1 day on paid plans. [...] You can configure it up to 7 days on Launch or 30 days on Scale plans.”

    Read 2026-09-07 · official docs · Report a correction

  • Backup and Restore ↗

    “This is available for paid tiers only. We hope to make this process self-serve soon. [...] We take three backups daily to ensure your data is well-protected.”

    Read 2026-09-13 · official docs · Report a correction

SOC 2

Neon
Annual SOC 2 Type II audits by an accredited independent third party.
Nile
Listed on the pricing plan comparison as 'Coming soon'; the Free and Pro columns show '-' for SOC 2.
Sources (2) →

GDPR / data residency

Neon
Follows the GDPR framework; Data Processing Agreements (DPA) offered.
Nile
Region choice covers residency: a database can be provisioned in eu-central-1 (Frankfurt), which Nile presents as easing EU data-residency rules. From Nile's 2024-04-10 regions announcement; the live API region enum still lists AWS_EU_CENTRAL_1.
Sources (2) →
  • Neon Security ↗

    “Neon follows the GDPR framework, ensuring user rights, data minimization, and lawful processing. We offer Data Processing Agreements (DPA) and support compliant cross-border data transfers.”

    Read 2026-09-14 · official site · Report a correction

  • Introducing: SaaS Anywhere on Postgres - for Speed and Compliance ↗

    “We started with us-west-2 (Oregon) and you now have the option to also provision a database in eu-central-1 (Frankfurt). [...] There are many regions with strict data residency regulations: EU, UK, parts of Canada, Japan, Australia [...] Having databases in the relevant regions make this a lot simpler and safer.”

    Read 2026-09-13 · official site · Report a correction

Encryption at rest

Neon
AES-256, with key rotation policies.
Nile
Stated for Nile Auth: all communication is encrypted using TLS and all stored data is encrypted at rest. Read in the Nile Auth FAQ; Nile publishes no platform-wide security page.
Sources (2) →

When these numbers change, hear about it. Sources are re-checked monthly; a repricing goes out as a short note.

Confirm by email; unsubscribe from any issue. Your address goes to Kit and nowhere else — what we do with it.

03.

Documented by only one.

These criteria are published by one provider and not the other. An absence here means we have not found a source, not that the feature is missing — except where we say we read the other provider's own page on a given date and it does not state it. Those rows lean, and the provider can correct them with a link.

What the free plan includesNeon: 100 projects with 10 branches each, plus allowances for compute and storage, at no monthly cost.
Credit card to startNeon: No
Egress over allowanceNeon: 5 GB per project included on Free; 500 GB per project included on Launch and Scale, then $0.10/GB
Startup credit programNeon: Via the Databricks Startup Program: up to $1,000 in Neon credits for self-funded startups (<$1M raised), or up to $200K in Neon and Databricks credits for VC-backed startups (≥$1M raised) or accelerator participants. Credits valid 12 months from acceptance.
Memory (entry plan)Nile: No memory figure published: serverless compute is billed in query tokens, abstract units of CPU and memory, 50 million included on the Free plan.
Scales to zeroNeon: Supported
Point-in-time recoveryNeon: History window of 6 hours up to 1 GB-month on Free, up to 7 days on Launch, up to 30 days on Scale
Read replicasNeon: Supported
Support on entry paid planNeon: Support plans are mapped to pricing plans: community support on Free, billing support on Launch, standard support on Scale.
ISO 27001Neon: Annual ISO/IEC 27001:2022 and ISO/IEC 27701:2019 audits.
HIPAANeon: HIPAA compliance achieved, to support customers handling protected health information (PHI).
PCI DSSNeon: The page attributes PCI-DSS to the AWS and Azure infrastructure Neon runs on. Neon's own compliance list on the same page names CCPA, GDPR, ISO 27001, ISO 27701, SOC 2 and HIPAA, and not PCI DSS.
Role-based access controlNeon: Access to production systems is role-based, requiring SSO and continuous monitoring.
Dedicated infrastructureNile: Provisioned compute is dedicated to a single Nile customer; tenants can be placed on either serverless or provisioned compute. The pricing page separately marks Provisioned Compute 'Coming soon' (upto 4 VCPU on Pro).
04.

Questions this comparison answers.

Entry paid plan: Neon or Nile?

Neon: No fixed monthly fee. Launch is usage-based — Neon's own worked example puts typical spend at $15/month for intermittent load on 1 GB — so there is no entry price to compare, only a rate card. Recorded without a magnitude because a vendor's spend estimate is not a price.

Nile: $15/month for Pro, which carries a production SLA. Scale is $350/month.

Storage (entry plan): Neon or Nile?

Neon: No included allowance on the Launch plan; storage is metered at $0.35/GB-month. The Free plan includes 0.5 GB per project.

Nile: 5 GB on Pro, then $1.00 per additional GB.

Should I choose Neon or Nile?

Pick Neon if Workloads that are idle most of the time, and teams who want a real database per pull request. Compute suspends after five minutes and storage is billed separately, so a staging branch costs almost nothing while nobody is using it.

Pick Nile if Multi-tenant SaaS where every customer wants isolation — Nile makes a database per tenant the default shape rather than something you build on top of Postgres.

Provider pages

NeonServerless Postgres that separates storage from compute, with copy-on-write branching and compute that suspends when idle.NilePostgres reshaped around tenants, with per-tenant databases and vector embeddings included rather than metered separately.

Related comparisons

Aiven vs NeonAiven vs NileAmazon Aurora vs NeonAmazon Aurora vs NileAmazon RDS vs NeonAmazon RDS vs NileCrunchy Bridge vs NeonCrunchy Bridge vs Nile

Comments

Every page here is sourced and dated.