Does PlanetScale Work With Neon?
PlanetScale and Neon cannot be used together as they are mutually exclusive database platforms serving the same role—you choose one or the other, not both.
Quick Facts
How PlanetScale Works With Neon
PlanetScale and Neon are competing serverless database solutions that occupy the exact same architectural slot in your application. PlanetScale provides MySQL compatibility with branching and scaling, while Neon offers PostgreSQL with similar features. They are not complementary tools—using both would mean maintaining two separate database systems, which defeats the purpose of choosing a managed serverless platform. The decision between them is binary: if you need MySQL dialect and PlanetScale's specific branching model, you use PlanetScale. If you prefer PostgreSQL and Neon's autoscaling with its generous free tier, you use Neon. Some teams might use PlanetScale for production and maintain a separate development database elsewhere, but that's not a PlanetScale + Neon integration—it's just running PlanetScale in isolation. The real choice is about which database engine fits your tech stack, ORM support, and operational preferences.
Choose One: PlanetScale vs Neon
npm install @prisma/client prisma// Option A: PlanetScale (MySQL)
const prismaPS = new PrismaClient({
datasources: {
db: {
url: process.env.DATABASE_URL_PLANETSCALE // mysql://user:pass@host/db
}
}
});
// Option B: Neon (PostgreSQL)
const prismaNeon = new PrismaClient({
datasources: {
db: {
url: process.env.DATABASE_URL_NEON // postgresql://user:pass@host/db
}
}
});
// NOT both simultaneously in production
// Pick one based on your requirementsKnown Issues & Gotchas
Attempting to use both as primary databases creates data synchronization nightmares
Fix: Choose one platform as your primary database. If you need multi-region or multi-database architecture, use database replication solutions or consider cross-database ETL tools instead.
ORMs like Prisma support both, which might create false impression they work together
Fix: An ORM can target either database, but you still only connect to one at runtime unless you explicitly implement cross-database logic, which is not their intended use.
Cost considerations: running both simultaneously doubles your database costs unnecessarily
Fix: Use one platform. If you need read replicas or failover, explore that platform's native solutions before adding a second database system.
Alternatives
- •Supabase (PostgreSQL) + PlanetScale—if you need PostgreSQL features alongside MySQL compatibility for different services
- •Firebase Realtime Database + PlanetScale—if you need a document store alongside relational data
- •Cockroach Cloud + Neon—if you need multi-region distributed SQL with PostgreSQL compatibility
Resources
Related Compatibility Guides
Explore more compatibility guides