PlanetScale vs ScaleGrid
SEPT 2026 auditA comparison of PlanetScale and ScaleGrid built from values read directly from each provider's own documentation, with the source recorded against every figure.
The short answer
Choose PlanetScale if…
Production workloads that want replicas across availability zones as the default shape rather than an upgrade, and teams who need MySQL-compatible sharding that the Postgres-only services do not offer.
Editorial · Palash Bagchi · approved
Choose ScaleGrid if…
Teams that already have a favored database engine and cloud provider but want someone else operating it — the BYOC model bills infrastructure at cost and adds management on top, worth it if the operational burden is the actual problem.
Editorial · Palash Bagchi · approved
Consider something else if…
- PlanetScale: You are prototyping. Pricing starts at a node rather than at zero, and there is no free tier documented on the pricing page.
- ScaleGrid: The workload fits a single-engine specialist with its own scale-to-zero or branching model — ScaleGrid's value is operating an engine you already chose, not offering a distinctive one.
Neither quite fits? Every other option, ranked by iScore: PlanetScale alternatives · ScaleGrid alternatives
15 sourced criteria separate them — see where, with sources, below.
Pick the criteria you care about. The chart counts how many of them lean toward each provider — the same read as scanning the bars below, just totalled for the ones you chose.
PlanetScale 0
ScaleGrid 0
At a glance.
| Criterion | PlanetScale | ScaleGrid |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | ||
| Free tier | No — $5/month is the cheapest SKU on PlanetScale's whole price list; the document prices no free plan. | No |
| Entry paid plan | $5/month for a single-node Postgres database on network-attached storage; PlanetScale Metal with local NVMe starts at $50/month | Dedicated Hosting starts at $10/month for Redis; $13/month PostgreSQL, $18/month MongoDB, $23/month MySQL, all-inclusive of machine, disk and network costs. From the Dedicated Hosting Plans doc; the live /pricing/ calculator quotes higher figures (see notes). |
| Pricing model | Priced by cluster shape rather than per query, and on two different bases: Vitess by cluster size, VTGate configuration and storage; Neki by shard size and count, router configuration, replicas, storage, backup storage and network usage. | Two models: Dedicated Hosting, an all-inclusive plan covering machine, disk and network cost; or Bring Your Own Cloud (BYOC), management-only pricing where the cloud provider is billed separately. |
| Limits | ||
| Storage (entry plan) | First 10 GB free on network-attached storage, then per-GB pricing; storage is included for Metal databases | 18 GB storage on NANO, the entry row of the pricing calculator for PostgreSQL on DigitalOcean (1 core, 1 GB RAM); IOPS listed as N/A. Calculator table; renders client-side, so the excerpt needs the render-fetch path. |
| Execution | ||
| Managed connection pooling | Supported | Supported — PgBouncer for PostgreSQL, enabled at cluster creation or later, with pooling mode and pool size set by you. |
| Infrastructure | ||
| Regions | 19 regions — 12 on AWS (Tokyo, Mumbai, Singapore, Sydney, Montreal, Frankfurt, Dublin, London, São Paulo, N. Virginia, Ohio, Oregon) and 7 on GCP. A branch's region is fixed at creation and changing it means migrating. | AWS, Azure, GCP, OCI, Akamai and DigitalOcean are named as examples, not as a list; the site footer names Oracle and Zadara instead of Akamai. No region list is published. |
| Data | ||
| Engine | PostgreSQL, and MySQL-compatible Vitess clusters with horizontal sharding | MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis, RabbitMQ and SQL Server. |
| Database branching | Supported | Limited — Clone copies a backup's config and contents into a new, separately billed cluster, not an in-place branch. |
| Point-in-time recovery | Point-in-time recovery through write-ahead log archiving. WAL is kept for as long as the oldest backup, so the default schedule gives a 2-day window and a longer retention extends it. | PostgreSQL PITR: backups every 10 minutes by default, transaction logs retained 7 days; supported on Azure, DigitalOcean, EC2 and OCI only. |
| Read replicas | Supported — Two replicas come with the High Availability shape, across three availability zones. | Supported — Converting a standalone deployment to a replica set: 2 + 1 quorum or 3 nodes, in datacenter regions you pick. |
| Backup retention | Automatic backups every 12 hours on production and development branches, retained 2 days by default. Custom schedules and manual backups can set a longer period, and are charged for it. | Up to five backups per deployment on ScaleGrid's dedicated hosting plans. |
| Compliance | ||
| SOC 2 | SOC 1 Type 2 and SOC 2 Type 2 + HIPAA reports, available on all plans on request via PlanetScale's Trust Center. | SOC 2 Type II audited against the Security trust service criterion by Insight Assurance; report available on request through the Trust Center form. |
| HIPAA | HIPAA-eligible via a Business Associate Agreement for qualifying customers; PlanetScale notes HHS does not recognize a formal HIPAA certification, so compliance is a shared responsibility rather than a badge. | HIPAA compliance listed under Support for ScaleGrid Enterprise (on-premises / private cloud) deployments. Stated for the Enterprise plan only; the SOC 2 trust page does not mention HIPAA. |
| GDPR / data residency | Complies with GDPR; data locality follows the AWS/GCP region a database is created in, and EU-region databases keep data in-region unless a read-only replica is added elsewhere. | GDPR DPA published with EU Standard Contractual Clauses (Module Two) for EEA transfers; ScaleGrid itself is located in the United States. |
| PCI DSS | PlanetScale Managed — the single-tenant product deployed into the customer's own AWS/GCP account — holds a PCI DSS 4.0 Attestation of Compliance as a Level 1 Service Provider. Not documented for the shared multi-tenant product. | PCI compliance listed under Support for ScaleGrid Enterprise (on-premises / private cloud) deployments. Stated for the Enterprise plan only; no PCI DSS attestation or level is published. |
| Encryption at rest | AES encryption at rest on the storage media serving database branches and backups. | Optional encryption at rest for data and backups; when enabled, backups are encrypted and can only be mounted on the database machines. |
| Private networking / VPC | AWS PrivateLink or GCP Private Service Connect on all plans; PlanetScale Managed on AWS additionally offers fully private network isolation. | Bring Your Own Cloud plans can use VPCs (AWS VPC, GCP VPC, OCI VCN, Azure VNET) and Security Groups; Dedicated Hosting plans cannot. |
| Dedicated infrastructure | Two single-tenant options: Enterprise single-tenant, deployed into an AWS/GCP account owned by PlanetScale, or PlanetScale Managed, deployed inside the customer's own AWS or GCP account. | Dedicated Hosting plans run on dedicated virtual machines hosted by ScaleGrid, exclusive to a single client or business. |
Where they differ.
Entry paid plan
- PlanetScale
- $5/month for a single-node Postgres database on network-attached storage; PlanetScale Metal with local NVMe starts at $50/month
- ScaleGrid
- Dedicated Hosting starts at $10/month for Redis; $13/month PostgreSQL, $18/month MongoDB, $23/month MySQL, all-inclusive of machine, disk and network costs. From the Dedicated Hosting Plans doc; the live /pricing/ calculator quotes higher figures (see notes).
Sources (2) →Sources ↓
- Pricing — PlanetScale ↗
“PlanetScale Postgres [...] Single node — Starting at $5/month for development and low-traffic workloads Metal — Starting at $50/month with local NVMe storage for high-performance needs High Availability — 1 primary + 2 replicas across 3 availability zones”
Read 2026-09-05 · official pricing · Report a correction
- Dedicated Hosting Plans: ScaleGrid for PostgreSQL, Redis, MySQL, and MongoDB — ScaleGrid Docs ↗
“Dedicated Hosting pricing starts at $18/month for MongoDB®, $10/month for Redis™, $23/month for MySQL, and $13/month for PostgreSQL.”
Read 2026-09-13 · official docs · Report a correction
Pricing model
- PlanetScale
- Priced by cluster shape rather than per query, and on two different bases: Vitess by cluster size, VTGate configuration and storage; Neki by shard size and count, router configuration, replicas, storage, backup storage and network usage.
- ScaleGrid
- Two models: Dedicated Hosting, an all-inclusive plan covering machine, disk and network cost; or Bring Your Own Cloud (BYOC), management-only pricing where the cloud provider is billed separately.
Sources (2) →Sources ↓
- Pricing — PlanetScale ↗
“Vitess MySQL-compatible databases with horizontal sharding. Pricing based on cluster size, VTGate configuration, and storage. Metal also available. Neki Postgres databases with horizontal sharding. Pricing is based on shard size and count, router configuration, replicas, storage, backup storage, and network usage.”
Read 2026-09-14 · official pricing · Report a correction
- ScaleGrid Pricing ↗
“Our Dedicated Hosting plans are all-inclusive and cover machine cost, as well as your disk and network costs and up to 5 free backups. The Bring Your Own Cloud plans are management-only and connect to your existing cloud account so you pay for those costs with your cloud provider.”
Read 2026-09-14 · official pricing · Report a correction
Storage (entry plan)
- PlanetScale
- First 10 GB free on network-attached storage, then per-GB pricing; storage is included for Metal databases
- ScaleGrid
- 18 GB storage on NANO, the entry row of the pricing calculator for PostgreSQL on DigitalOcean (1 core, 1 GB RAM); IOPS listed as N/A. Calculator table; renders client-side, so the excerpt needs the render-fetch path.
Sources (2) →Sources ↓
- Pricing — PlanetScale ↗
“Storage amount — Included for Metal databases. For network-attached storage databases, the first 10 GB is free, with per-GB pricing beyond that.”
Read 2026-09-05 · official pricing · Report a correction
- Database Hosting Pricing - Choose Your Plan | ScaleGrid ↗
“CORE (S) RAM (GB) STORAGE (GB) MONTHLY PRICE (USD) [...] NANO 1 1 18 IOPS: N/A”
Read 2026-09-13 · official pricing · Report a correction
Regions
- PlanetScale
- 19 regions — 12 on AWS (Tokyo, Mumbai, Singapore, Sydney, Montreal, Frankfurt, Dublin, London, São Paulo, N. Virginia, Ohio, Oregon) and 7 on GCP. A branch's region is fixed at creation and changing it means migrating.
- ScaleGrid
- AWS, Azure, GCP, OCI, Akamai and DigitalOcean are named as examples, not as a list; the site footer names Oracle and Zadara instead of Akamai. No region list is published.
Sources (2) →Sources ↓
- Selecting a region — PlanetScale Docs ↗
“Currently, the following regions are supported, with their respective PlanetScale slugs: AWS ap-northeast-1 (Tokyo) [...] AWS us-west-2 (Oregon) [...] GCP us-central1 (Council Bluffs, Iowa) [...] GCP europe-west4 (Eemshaven, Netherlands) [...] Once you select a region for your default branch, it cannot be changed directly, but you can migrate to a new region if needed.”
Read 2026-09-05 · official docs · Report a correction
- ScaleGrid MySQL Hosting ↗
“offering high availability, dedicated servers, and superuser control across major cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, GCP, OCI, Akamai and DigitalOcean”
Read 2026-09-14 · official site · Report a correction
Engine
- PlanetScale
- PostgreSQL, and MySQL-compatible Vitess clusters with horizontal sharding
- ScaleGrid
- MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis, RabbitMQ and SQL Server.
Sources (2) →Sources ↓
- Pricing — PlanetScale ↗
“MySQL-compatible with horizontal sharding for massive scale. Runs on network-attached storage or PlanetScale Metal.”
Read 2026-09-05 · official site · Report a correction
- ScaleGrid Pricing ↗
“ScaleGrid for MySQL™ ScaleGrid for PostgreSQL® ScaleGrid for MongoDB® ScaleGrid for Redis® ScaleGrid for RabbitMQ ScaleGrid for SQL Server®”
Read 2026-09-14 · official pricing · Report a correction
Database branching
- PlanetScale
- Supported
- ScaleGrid
- Limited — Clone copies a backup's config and contents into a new, separately billed cluster, not an in-place branch.
Sources (2) →Sources ↓
- Branching — PlanetScale Docs ↗
“PlanetScale Postgres provides two types of database branches: Development branches — Development branches run on PS-DEV instances that have limited performance capabilities, different egress rates, and no replicas. [...] Production branches — Production branches are intended for production traffic and include optional replicas for high availability.”
Read 2026-09-05 · official docs · Report a correction
- PostgreSQL Backup Clone ↗
“you can use the PostgreSQL Clone feature. This allows you to carry over the configuration of that backup along with all its contents to a new cluster. [...] Clone creates a new cluster with the same config and backup contents that you can connect to and examine the data. [...] Standard pricing rules apply for this newly created deployment”
Read 2026-09-13 · official docs · Report a correction
Point-in-time recovery
- PlanetScale
- Point-in-time recovery through write-ahead log archiving. WAL is kept for as long as the oldest backup, so the default schedule gives a 2-day window and a longer retention extends it.
- ScaleGrid
- PostgreSQL PITR: backups every 10 minutes by default, transaction logs retained 7 days; supported on Azure, DigitalOcean, EC2 and OCI only.
Sources (2) →Sources ↓
- Back up and restore — PlanetScale Docs ↗
“PlanetScale Postgres databases include comprehensive backup and restore capabilities to protect your data. The backup system provides both automated scheduled backups and manual on-demand backups, as well as point-in-time recovery (PITR) support through Write-Ahead Log (WAL) archiving. [...] WAL logs are retained for the same period as your oldest backup.”
Read 2026-09-05 · official docs · Report a correction
- PostgreSQL Point In Time Recovery (PITR) — ScaleGrid Docs ↗
“by default, they are scheduled to happen every 10 minutes, and transaction logs will be retained for a duration of 7 days [...] Point In Time Recovery is supported on the following cloud providers: Azure, DigitalOcean, EC2, and OCI.”
Read 2026-09-13 · official docs · Report a correction
Backup retention
- PlanetScale
- Automatic backups every 12 hours on production and development branches, retained 2 days by default. Custom schedules and manual backups can set a longer period, and are charged for it.
- ScaleGrid
- Up to five backups per deployment on ScaleGrid's dedicated hosting plans.
Sources (2) →Sources ↓
- Back up and restore — PlanetScale Docs ↗
“All PlanetScale Postgres databases include automatic scheduled backups that run every 12 hours for production and development branches. Default backups are created automatically and don't require any setup. There are no additional charges for these backups. [...] The default, included backup schedule retains backups for 2 days. You can set a custom retention period for custom backup schedules and manual one-off backups.”
Read 2026-09-05 · official docs · Report a correction
- ScaleGrid Pricing ↗
“ScaleGrid offers up to five backups per deployment on ScaleGrid's dedicated hosting plans.”
Read 2026-09-11 · official pricing · Report a correction
SOC 2
- PlanetScale
- SOC 1 Type 2 and SOC 2 Type 2 + HIPAA reports, available on all plans on request via PlanetScale's Trust Center.
- ScaleGrid
- SOC 2 Type II audited against the Security trust service criterion by Insight Assurance; report available on request through the Trust Center form.
Sources (2) →Sources ↓
- Security and compliance — PlanetScale Docs ↗
“PlanetScale continuously monitors and reports primarily using System and Organization Controls (SOC) 1 & 2 Type 2 paired with the HIPAA Security Rule. To request access to our latest reports, please visit PlanetScale's Trust Center.”
Read 2026-09-12 · official docs · Report a correction
- ScaleGrid SOC 2 Type II Audited Controls ↗
“ScaleGrid’s SOC 2 Type II audit focused on the Security trust service criterion and evaluated the effectiveness of our Security controls and operational practices over time. The audit was conducted by independent audit firm Insight Assurance. [...] Customers and prospective customers may request access to ScaleGrid’s SOC 2 Type II report and supporting security documentation through the request form on this page.”
Read 2026-09-13 · official site · Report a correction
HIPAA
- PlanetScale
- HIPAA-eligible via a Business Associate Agreement for qualifying customers; PlanetScale notes HHS does not recognize a formal HIPAA certification, so compliance is a shared responsibility rather than a badge.
- ScaleGrid
- HIPAA compliance listed under Support for ScaleGrid Enterprise (on-premises / private cloud) deployments. Stated for the Enterprise plan only; the SOC 2 trust page does not mention HIPAA.
Sources (2) →Sources ↓
- Security and compliance — PlanetScale Docs ↗
“PlanetScale can enter into Business Associate Agreements (BAAs) with customers who meet qualifying criteria. [...] The Department of Health and Human Services does not recognize any formal certification for HIPAA.”
Read 2026-09-12 · official docs · Report a correction
- ScaleGrid Enterprise: Fully Managed DB Hosting On-premises | BYOC ↗
“Enterprise support packages, installation & training, documentation, HIPAA & PCI compliance”
Read 2026-09-13 · official site · Report a correction
GDPR / data residency
- PlanetScale
- Complies with GDPR; data locality follows the AWS/GCP region a database is created in, and EU-region databases keep data in-region unless a read-only replica is added elsewhere.
- ScaleGrid
- GDPR DPA published with EU Standard Contractual Clauses (Module Two) for EEA transfers; ScaleGrid itself is located in the United States.
Sources (2) →Sources ↓
- Security and compliance — PlanetScale Docs ↗
“PlanetScale complies with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other global privacy regulations, where applicable. [...] If you create a database in a Europe-based region, your data does not leave the region the database was created in, unless you create a read-only region in another region.”
Read 2026-09-12 · official docs · Report a correction
- Data Processing Addendum (DPA) | ScaleGrid ↗
“ScaleGrid is located in the United States and to the extent any processing of Personal Data of Data Subjects located in the EEA by ScaleGrid takes place in any country outside the EEA (other than exclusively in an Adequate Country), there must be a lawful basis for this transfer as required by the Data Protection Legislation.”
Read 2026-09-13 · official site · Report a correction
PCI DSS
- PlanetScale
- PlanetScale Managed — the single-tenant product deployed into the customer's own AWS/GCP account — holds a PCI DSS 4.0 Attestation of Compliance as a Level 1 Service Provider. Not documented for the shared multi-tenant product.
- ScaleGrid
- PCI compliance listed under Support for ScaleGrid Enterprise (on-premises / private cloud) deployments. Stated for the Enterprise plan only; no PCI DSS attestation or level is published.
Sources (2) →Sources ↓
- Security and compliance — PlanetScale Docs ↗
“PlanetScale Managed, when deployed with the appropriate controls enabled via our Shared Responsibility Matrix, has been issued an Attestation of Compliance (AoC) and Report on Compliance (RoC), certifying our compliance with the PCI DSS 4.0 as a Level 1 Service Provider.”
Read 2026-09-12 · official docs · Report a correction
- ScaleGrid Enterprise: Fully Managed DB Hosting On-premises | BYOC ↗
“Enterprise support packages, installation & training, documentation, HIPAA & PCI compliance”
Read 2026-09-13 · official site · Report a correction
Encryption at rest
- PlanetScale
- AES encryption at rest on the storage media serving database branches and backups.
- ScaleGrid
- Optional encryption at rest for data and backups; when enabled, backups are encrypted and can only be mounted on the database machines.
Sources (2) →Sources ↓
- Security and compliance — PlanetScale Docs ↗
“Data is encrypted at rest on the underlying storage media that serves database branches and also the underlying storage media that hosts your PlanetScale database backups.”
Read 2026-09-12 · official docs · Report a correction
- Data Processing Addendum (DPA) | ScaleGrid — Annex B: Security Measures ↗
“Encryption at rest options are provided to encrypt your data and backups [...] If Encryption at rest is enabled the backups are also encrypted and can only be mounted on the database machines”
Read 2026-09-13 · official site · Report a correction
Private networking / VPC
- PlanetScale
- AWS PrivateLink or GCP Private Service Connect on all plans; PlanetScale Managed on AWS additionally offers fully private network isolation.
- ScaleGrid
- Bring Your Own Cloud plans can use VPCs (AWS VPC, GCP VPC, OCI VCN, Azure VNET) and Security Groups; Dedicated Hosting plans cannot.
Sources (2) →Sources ↓
- Security and compliance — PlanetScale Docs ↗
“Optionally, you can connect privately to databases through AWS PrivateLink or GCP Private Service Connect. [...] PlanetScale Managed on AWS also supports: Fully private network isolation”
Read 2026-09-12 · official docs · Report a correction
- Dedicated Hosting Plans: ScaleGrid for PostgreSQL, Redis, MySQL, and MongoDB — ScaleGrid Docs ↗
“There are a few limitations on the cloud management side compared to our Bring Your Own Cloud plans, where you can use Virtual Private Clouds (AWS VPC, GCP VPC, OCI VCN, and Azure VNET), Reserved Instances, and Security Groups by hosting in your own cloud account.”
Read 2026-09-13 · official docs · Report a correction
Dedicated infrastructure
- PlanetScale
- Two single-tenant options: Enterprise single-tenant, deployed into an AWS/GCP account owned by PlanetScale, or PlanetScale Managed, deployed inside the customer's own AWS or GCP account.
- ScaleGrid
- Dedicated Hosting plans run on dedicated virtual machines hosted by ScaleGrid, exclusive to a single client or business.
Sources (2) →Sources ↓
- Security and compliance — PlanetScale Docs ↗
“PlanetScale single-tenant deployment options are deployed into a dedicated AWS Organizations member account or GCP organization owned by PlanetScale. [...] PlanetScale Managed is a single-tenant deployment of PlanetScale within your Amazon Web Services (AWS) or Google Cloud Platform (GCP) account.”
Read 2026-09-12 · official docs · Report a correction
- Dedicated Hosting Plans: ScaleGrid for PostgreSQL, Redis, MySQL, and MongoDB — ScaleGrid Docs ↗
“Dedicated Hosting is a hosting solution that provides a dedicated server(s) exclusive to a single client or business. [...] All Dedicated Hosting plans are hosted on your own dedicated virtual machines hosted by ScaleGrid.”
Read 2026-09-13 · official docs · Report a correction
When these numbers change, hear about it. Sources are re-checked monthly; a repricing goes out as a short note.
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.
Questions this comparison answers.
Entry paid plan: PlanetScale or ScaleGrid?
PlanetScale: $5/month for a single-node Postgres database on network-attached storage; PlanetScale Metal with local NVMe starts at $50/month
ScaleGrid: Dedicated Hosting starts at $10/month for Redis; $13/month PostgreSQL, $18/month MongoDB, $23/month MySQL, all-inclusive of machine, disk and network costs. From the Dedicated Hosting Plans doc; the live /pricing/ calculator quotes higher figures (see notes).
Storage (entry plan): PlanetScale or ScaleGrid?
PlanetScale: First 10 GB free on network-attached storage, then per-GB pricing; storage is included for Metal databases
ScaleGrid: 18 GB storage on NANO, the entry row of the pricing calculator for PostgreSQL on DigitalOcean (1 core, 1 GB RAM); IOPS listed as N/A. Calculator table; renders client-side, so the excerpt needs the render-fetch path.
Should I choose PlanetScale or ScaleGrid?
Pick PlanetScale if Production workloads that want replicas across availability zones as the default shape rather than an upgrade, and teams who need MySQL-compatible sharding that the Postgres-only services do not offer.
Pick ScaleGrid if Teams that already have a favored database engine and cloud provider but want someone else operating it — the BYOC model bills infrastructure at cost and adds management on top, worth it if the operational burden is the actual problem.
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