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Best Neon alternatives (2026)

Neon is our top-ranked serverless Postgres, but on the Free plan your compute is suspended until the next billing period once a project uses its 100 CU-hours, compute always scales to zero after 5 minutes idle, and Launch bills every CU-hour, so the cost moves with your traffic. Neon is now part of Databricks. These alternatives cover Postgres with a backend attached (Supabase, Nhost), Postgres billed per query or per fixed instance (Prisma Postgres, Xata, PlanetScale) and cheap SQLite at the edge (Turso, Cloudflare D1). Ranked by our evidence-based score, with Neon shown last for reference.

Editorial picks for this use case. See each tool page for its score breakdown. Last updated 2026-10-25.

#1
S
Supabase open source
Open-source Postgres development platform
Verified
93
/ 100
 #2
P
Prisma Postgres
Managed Postgres from the Prisma team, billed per operation
Verified
81
/ 100
 #3
T
Turso open source
SQLite-based database platform
Verified
77
/ 100
 #4
N
Nhost open source
Open-source Postgres backend with GraphQL, auth, storage and functions
Verified
76
/ 100
 #5
C
Cloudflare D1
Serverless SQLite database built into Cloudflare Workers
Verified
75
/ 100
 #6
X
Xata open source
Postgres with instant copy-on-write branches for every PR and agent
Verified
71
/ 100
 #7
P
PlanetScale
Managed database platform
Verified
69
/ 100
 #8
N
Neon open source
Serverless Postgres
Verified
86
/ 100

The short version

Supabase (93) is the strongest alternative overall: the same Postgres, plus auth, storage, realtime and functions, on an always-on instance instead of scale-to-zero compute. Prisma Postgres (81) bills per query (a free plan with 200,000 operations, then Starter at $10/mo) instead of per CU-hour. Turso (77) and Cloudflare D1 (75) are SQLite for apps that want many tiny, cheap databases; Turso announced on Oct 2, 2026 that it is being acquired by Supabase. Nhost (76) is Postgres with auth, storage and a GraphQL API, Xata (71) keeps Neon-style branching on a fixed hourly instance, and PlanetScale (69) runs Postgres on dedicated instances from $5/mo. Neon itself scores 86 and is still the best pure serverless Postgres in our ranking, so switch for a concrete reason, not by default.

Why people look for a Neon alternative

Four reasons come up most. Hard caps on the Free plan: each project gets 100 CU-hours a month (about 400 hours of the default 0.25 CU compute), 1 GB of storage (20 GB across all projects) and 5 GB of egress. Neon’s docs say that when you run out of CU-hours or egress, the compute is suspended until the next billing period or until you upgrade, and going over the storage cap makes inserts, updates and deletes fail. Cold starts: on Free, scale to zero is always on and suspends compute after 5 minutes idle; Neon says it reactivates within a few hundred milliseconds, which is fine for most apps but noticeable on the first request after a quiet spell. On Launch you can turn it off. Bills that move with traffic: Launch has no monthly minimum but charges $0.106 per CU-hour and $0.35 per GB-month, so an always-on database costs more than its “typical $15/mo” example. Ownership: Neon now describes itself as built around Lakebase Postgres, by Databricks; some teams prefer an independent vendor or a fixed monthly price.

Quick picks by need

Postgres plus auth, storage and realtime in one place: Supabase, or Nhost if you want a GraphQL API. Pay per query, with spend limits: Prisma Postgres. A fixed, always-on instance with no cold starts: Supabase Pro (one Micro instance included), PlanetScale single node from $5/mo, or Xata Cloud from $0.012/hr. Branch per pull request or agent, without Neon: Xata, which charges no per-branch or per-seat fees. Thousands of tiny databases (one per user or agent): Turso, whose Free plan includes 100 databases and whose paid plans have unlimited databases, where idle databases cost only storage. Already on Cloudflare Workers: D1. Bigger scale with high availability: PlanetScale (1 primary + 2 replicas across 3 availability zones, or local NVMe on Metal from $50/mo).

Cost at small scale: the free plans

Neon Free: no card or time limit, 100 projects with 100 CU-hours, 1 GB storage and 5 GB egress each, 10 branches per project, plus Managed Better Auth up to 60,000 MAU. Supabase Free: 2 active projects, 500 MB database, 50,000 MAU, 5 GB egress and 1 GB file storage, but projects pause after 1 week of inactivity. Prisma Postgres Free: 200,000 operations a month, 2 GB storage and 50 databases. Turso Free: 100 databases, 5 GB storage, 500 million rows read and 10 million rows written a month, no card. Cloudflare D1 (Workers Free): 5 million rows read and 100,000 rows written a day. Nhost Starter: 1 project, 1 GB database, 1 GB storage, 5 GB egress, paused after 1 week of inactivity. Xata: no free cloud plan, but the open-source edition is free to self-host. PlanetScale: no free plan; single-node Postgres starts at $5/mo.

Cost at medium scale: the first real bill

Take an always-on production app with about 8 GB of data, computed from each vendor’s list rates. Neon Launch: a 0.25 CU compute running 24/7 is about 182 CU-hours, roughly $19, plus about $2.80 for 8 GB of storage, so about $22/mo before branches and egress over 500 GB. Supabase Pro: $25/mo covers one Micro instance (1 GB RAM), 8 GB disk, 100,000 MAU and 250 GB egress; the Small instance (2 GB RAM) makes it about $30. Prisma Postgres Starter: $10/mo with 1M operations (then $8 per million) and 10 GB storage; Pro is $49/mo with 10M operations. Turso Developer: $5.99/mo ($4.99 billed yearly) with 9 GB storage, 2.5 billion rows read and 25 million rows written. Cloudflare D1: the $5/mo Workers Paid minimum includes 25 billion rows read, 50 million rows written and 5 GB, then $0.75 per GB-month, about $7.25 for 8 GB. Xata Cloud: the small instance (2 GB RAM) is $18/mo plus $0.28 per GB-month, about $20. Nhost Pro: from $25/mo with $15 of compute credits and a 10 GB database. PlanetScale: from $5/mo for a single node, with 10 GB of egress included on that size; storage and backups are billed on top.

Moving your data off Neon

Neon is standard Postgres, so every Postgres option here takes a dump and restore. Use Neon’s direct (unpooled) connection string with pg_dump, then restore into a new database on the same Postgres major version. To Supabase: its Neon guide runs pg_dump with --clean --if-exists --quote-all-identifiers and loads the file with psql. To PlanetScale: its Neon guide uses Postgres logical replication for a no-downtime move (or pg_dump and restore if a maintenance window is fine), and recommends checking that your extensions are supported first. To Prisma Postgres, Nhost or Xata: the same pg_dump and restore works. To Turso or D1: these are SQLite, so plan to convert the schema and rewrite Postgres-specific SQL (types, extensions, functions) rather than restore a dump.

When to stay on Neon

Stay if your app is idle most of the day (scale to zero is the cheapest way to run it), if you rely on instant branches for previews or agents, or if you run many small projects on the Free plan’s 100 projects. Turning off scale to zero on Launch removes cold starts at the cost of paying for every hour. Move when you want auth and storage bundled (Supabase, Nhost), a bill that doesn’t move with traffic (Supabase Pro, PlanetScale, Xata), pricing per query (Prisma Postgres), or one tiny database per user or agent (Turso, D1).

Side-by-side comparison

ToolScoreFree tierPricingBest for
Supabase93Yes: 2 projects, 500 MB DB, 50K MAU, 1 GB storage (pauses after 1 week idle)Pro from $25/mo per org (includes $10 compute credit)Default backend for vibe-coded apps (Lovable, Bolt, v0 integrations)
Prisma Postgres81Yes: 200K operations/mo, 2 GB storage, 50 databases, no cardStarter $10/mo (1M operations, then $8 per million; 10 GB, then $2/GB; spend limits); Pro $49/mo (10M ops, 50 GB); Business $129/mo (50M ops, 100 GB, HIPAA/SOC 2)TypeScript apps and coding agents that want a Postgres database in one command with predictable per-query pricing
Turso77Yes: 100 databases, 5 GB, 500M row reads/mo, no cardDeveloper $5.99/mo ($4.99 annual)Lightweight SQLite apps and database-per-user designs
Nhost76Yes: Starter is free with 1 project, 1 GB database, 1 GB storage and 5 GB egress (the project pauses after 1 week of inactivity)Starter free (1 project). Pro from $25/mo with $15 compute credits included: 10 GB database (then $0.20/GB), 50 GB storage, 50 GB egress, daily backups. Team from $599/mo. Enterprise customBuilders who want a Supabase-style all-in-one Postgres backend but prefer a GraphQL API
Cloudflare D175Yes: 5M rows read/day, 100K rows written/day, 5 GB total (500 MB per database, 10 databases)Workers Paid $5/mo account minimum: 25B rows read and 50M rows written/mo included (then $0.001/M reads, $1.00/M writes), 5 GB included then $0.75/GB-moApps already on Cloudflare Workers or Pages that want a cheap SQL database with no servers
Xata71No: 14-day free trial on Xata Cloud (no card); open source self-hosting is freeXata Cloud pay as you go from $0.012/hr (micro, ~$9/mo) + $0.28/GB-month storage; no per-branch or per-seat fees; BYOC quotedTeams running many coding agents or previews that each need an isolated copy of a production Postgres database
PlanetScale69NoFrom $5/mo (single-node Postgres PS-5); HA from $15/moProduction databases that need performance and HA
Neon86Yes: 100 projects, 1 GB storage per project, 100 CU-hours/project/moLaunch: usage-based, no monthly minimum ($0.106/CU-hour, $0.35/GB-month)Serverless Postgres with instant branches for previews and agents

FAQ

What is the best Neon alternatives in 2026?
Our top pick is Supabase (score 93/100): Open-source Postgres development platform. Runners-up: Prisma Postgres, Turso, Nhost, Cloudflare D1, Xata, PlanetScale, Neon.
Is Supabase free?
Supabase free tier: Yes: 2 projects, 500 MB DB, 50K MAU, 1 GB storage (pauses after 1 week idle). Paid pricing: Pro from $25/mo per org (includes $10 compute credit).
Is Prisma Postgres free?
Prisma Postgres free tier: Yes: 200K operations/mo, 2 GB storage, 50 databases, no card. Paid pricing: Starter $10/mo (1M operations, then $8 per million; 10 GB, then $2/GB; spend limits); Pro $49/mo (10M ops, 50 GB); Business $129/mo (50M ops, 100 GB, HIPAA/SOC 2).
Is Turso free?
Turso free tier: Yes: 100 databases, 5 GB, 500M row reads/mo, no card. Paid pricing: Developer $5.99/mo ($4.99 annual).
How are these tools ranked?
Each tool is scored out of 100 on fit, vibe-coder friendliness, output quality, pricing, ecosystem, momentum and code ownership, using desk research of official docs and pricing pages. Affiliate status never affects scores.
What is the best alternative to Neon?
Supabase, at 93 in our ranking: the same Postgres plus auth, storage, realtime and functions, with a free plan and Pro from $25/mo on an always-on instance. Prisma Postgres (81) is the pick if you want to pay per query, and Xata (71) if you mainly want Neon-style branching.
What happens when I run out of Neon’s free CU-hours?
Neon’s docs say that on the Free plan, when a project runs out of CU-hours or public network transfer, its compute is suspended until the next billing period or until you upgrade. Your data is not deleted. Each project gets 100 CU-hours a month, enough for about 400 hours of a 0.25 CU compute.
Does Neon have cold starts?
Yes, when a compute has scaled to zero. On the Free plan computes suspend after 5 minutes of inactivity and this can’t be disabled; Neon says a suspended compute reactivates within a few hundred milliseconds of the next query. On Launch you can disable scale to zero, and on Scale it is configurable from 1 minute to always on.
How do I migrate from Neon to Supabase?
Supabase’s guide exports your Neon database with pg_dump (using --clean, --if-exists and --quote-all-identifiers) and imports the file into your Supabase project with psql. Use Neon’s unpooled connection string for the dump.
Is Turso part of Supabase now?
Turso announced on Oct 2, 2026 that it is being acquired by Supabase. Turso says its platform keeps running, Turso Database stays open source, and apps that outgrow SQLite get a path into Postgres through Supabase.

Sources (checked Oct 17, 2026)

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