Developer Tools — Updated August 2026
Tools worth moving to, plus 7 developer tools startups from our own directory.
| Tool | Best for | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Developers who want PlanetScale-style branching on Postgres | Free | |
| Startups that want Postgres plus auth, storage, and APIs in one place | Free | |
| Edge apps and projects that want thousands of cheap databases | Free | |
| Teams that want distributed SQL with serious resilience | Free |
PlanetScale brought database branching to the mainstream and runs some of the biggest MySQL workloads anywhere on Vitess. For startups, the calculus changed in 2024 when it retired its free Hobby tier — overnight, the default database for side projects needed a new default. Add in teams that simply prefer Postgres, and there's a strong field of alternatives, most with free tiers that PlanetScale no longer matches.
Serverless Postgres with copy-on-write branching — the closest thing to PlanetScale's workflow in the Postgres world, plus scale-to-zero so idle databases cost nothing. The free tier comfortably runs real side projects.
Free tier · usage-based paid plans
Pros
Cons
Best for: Startups that want Postgres plus auth, storage, and APIs in one place
More than a database: managed Postgres with authentication, file storage, instant REST APIs, and realtime subscriptions bundled in. Open source and self-hostable if you ever want to leave the hosted version.
Free tier · Pro from $25/mo
Pros
Cons
SQLite reimagined for the cloud (via libSQL), with replicas close to users and pricing that makes a database-per-tenant architecture realistic. A different model from MySQL, but a remarkably good fit for many apps that were on PlanetScale's Hobby tier.
Generous free tier · usage-based
Pros
Cons
Postgres-compatible SQL that replicates across zones and regions by design, so node failures are a non-event. The serverless free tier makes the distributed architecture accessible to small projects that expect to grow.
Free serverless tier · usage-based
Pros
Cons
7 indie developer tools startups from our community of 20,000+ founders, ranked by upvotes.
Runsite
Developer ToolsShip web apps, databases & sites — hosted in the EU
Synra
Developer ToolsConnect Claude to your database via one secure URL. No confi
Conference Database
Developer ToolsThe sponsor intel tool for conference organizers.
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OneManDB
Developer ToolsThe #1 database of successful solopreneurs making $10k+/month
Podseeker
Developer ToolsThe podcast database for PR pros that helps you find the right shows, and land more guest spots.
Anonyx
Developer ToolsAnonymize databases without breaking referential integrity.
Galaxy
Developer ToolsCursor for SQL
Check the pricing line on each card above — free tiers and free trials are listed where they exist. Several of the indie startups on this page also run free or freemium plans aimed at solo founders and small teams.
Start with the "Best for" line on each card — it names the situation where that tool wins. Then check the pricing against your team size, and use the pros and cons to rule tools out. If two still look close, most offer a free tier or trial: run your real workflow through both for a week.
None of the mainstream PlanetScale alternatives we review above is fully open source. Open-source and self-hostable tools carry a badge on their cards when we list them, and this page is re-reviewed periodically as the market changes.
Last reviewed: August 2026. SaaS pricing and features change quickly — verify against the vendor sites before quoting.
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