Database & Backend Platform · decision tool

PlanetScale vs Convex — for your app, not in general

PlanetScale or Convex? Set your usage, budget and constraints; the verdict, monthly cost and risks update live from verified pricing.

Prices verified 2026-07-15 against official pricing pages · fit weights are our estimates (see methodology) · share the URL to share your configuration

As of Jul 2026, with 5,000 monthly active users, 5 GB database size, 40 GB monthly egress, 1,000 db operations per user / month, 24 compute active hours / day, a $50 budget for this slot, PlanetScale ranks first for these inputs at 78% fit and a StackSays-estimated $15.00/month (Convex: 76% fit, $30.58/month). Fit weights are our estimates; prices trace to official pages. Change any input below and the verdict recomputes.

Your situation

The verdict updates as you move these.

Database size (GB)rows + indexes; a typical early SaaS is 1–10GBMonthly egress (GB)data served out of the DB/API to clientsBudget for this slot ($/mo)what you'd accept paying for the database layerTeam size1 = solo; bundled platforms save glue time for small teams

Toss-up — your priorities decide, not the tools

PlanetScalefit 78% · est $15.00+/mo

Production-grade MySQL/Postgres clusters with Vitess sharding pedigree

vs Convex: fit 78% against 76%, est $15.00+ against $30.58 per month — genuinely close; read both risk lists below

PlanetScalefit 78%

$15.00+/mo

Convexfit 76%

$30.58/mo

Comparing 2 tools head-to-head. Open the full field (7 options) →

The decision, in plain words

For a solo builder at 5,000 monthly active users and a $50.00/mo budget for the database slot, PlanetScale leads at 78% fit and $15.00/mo. The two rules doing the work: budget fit (~$15/mo is 30% of your $50/mo budget); ecosystem maturity (established — our estimate from ecosystem age, docs and hiring pool).

Convex is a genuine coin-flip here (76% fit, $30.58/mo) — read both risk lists and pick the failure mode you prefer.

Honest weak spot of the pick: no free tier — paying from day one.

Generated from the calculation above — every number traces to the sourced data; nothing here is written by an AI making things up.

Why PlanetScale scores 78%

Budget fit (weight 30, our estimate) — ~$15/mo is 30% of your $50/mo budget+30

Batteries included (weight 12, our estimate) — Database only — you assemble the rest separately+0

Exit cost (weight 4, our estimate) — Standard Postgres — dump and restore anywhere+4

Ecosystem maturity (weight 8, our estimate) — established — our estimate from ecosystem age, docs and hiring pool+8

Free-tier runway (weight 10, our estimate) — No free tier — paying from day one-6

Total (lines sum exactly)36

Possible range −64…+64 (sum of active rule weights) · fit % = (total + max) / (2 × max)(36 + 64) / 128 = 78%

How the $15.00+/mo estimate is calculated

PS-5 HA cluster base$15.00

Note — 3-node high availability, smallest size; storage (EBS), backups and egress billed separately — sticker ≠ bill$0

Monthly total (lines sum exactly)$15.00

What could change this verdict

Cost risk

Estimated now (StackSays estimate, not your final bill)$15.00/mo · PS-5 HA cluster

Free-tier statusNo free tier — paid from the first unit

Biggest unpriced/uncertain variable3-node high availability, smallest size; storage (EBS), backups and egress billed separately — sticker ≠ bill

Official prices verified 2026-07-15; calculation is deterministic code over those prices.

At a glance

Tool	Free tier	Paid entry	Verified
Convex	1M function calls, 0.5GB database, 1GB file storage, 1GB egress	Professional $25/mo	2026-07-15
PlanetScale	No free tier	PS-5 HA cluster $15/mo	2026-07-15

Where did you land?anonymous, one click

Data sources

Tool	Source	Verified
Convex	Convex pricing page	2026-07-15
PlanetScale	PlanetScale pricing page	2026-07-15

A monitor re-checks these pages for changes; when a vendor moves a price, the date updates and every verdict recomputes.

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