Turso vs PlanetScale: Complete Comparison Guide
Compare Turso and PlanetScale on edge performance, scalability, cost, and database technology. Discover which cloud database is the best fit for your project.
Turso
An edge database built on libSQL, an open-source fork of SQLite. Turso distributes SQLite databases across edge locations worldwide for ultra-fast local reads. With embedded replicas, applications can read directly from within the process without network latency. Turso combines the simplicity of SQLite with the scalability of a distributed system.
PlanetScale
A MySQL-compatible serverless database platform built on Vitess, the scaling technology behind YouTube. PlanetScale offers non-blocking schema changes, database branching, and horizontal scaling. The platform targets teams needing MySQL compatibility with enterprise-grade scalability and zero-downtime deployments.
Comparison table
| Feature | Turso | PlanetScale |
|---|---|---|
| Database engine | libSQL (SQLite fork) — lightweight and embeddable | MySQL-compatible via Vitess — horizontal sharding |
| Edge performance | Edge-optimized with local replicas across 30+ locations | Centralized regions — not specifically edge-optimized |
| Embedded replicas | In-process SQLite replica — zero-latency reads possible | Not available — always requires network round-trip |
| Schema branching | Database branching for development and testing | Advanced schema branching with non-blocking schema changes |
| Free tier | Generous — 9 GB storage, 500 databases, 25 billion rows read | No free tier available |
Verdict
Turso and PlanetScale represent two different visions for cloud databases. Turso innovates with SQLite on the edge, running databases closer to users for ultra-fast reads. Embedded replicas are unique and eliminate network latency entirely. PlanetScale offers enterprise-grade MySQL scaling via Vitess with excellent schema management tools. The choice depends on your architecture: edge-first with minimal latency (Turso) or MySQL enterprise scaling with advanced branching (PlanetScale).
Our recommendation
At MG Software, we follow the rise of edge databases with great interest. Turso is an excellent choice for edge-first projects where low latency is crucial, and the generous free tier makes it attractive for experimentation. For our primary databases, however, we choose PostgreSQL via Supabase or Neon. We recommend PlanetScale specifically for clients with an existing MySQL ecosystem who need enterprise scaling. The edge database market is evolving rapidly, and Turso is a promising player.
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