PlanetScale vs Postman — Pricing, Plans, and Verified Costs (2026)
PlanetScale starts at $5/mo. Postman starts at $12/mo. PlanetScale is $7/mo cheaper on the entry tier than Postman.
See price history: PlanetScale · Postman
Serverless MySQL platform built on Vitess (YouTube's original scaling infra). Positioned as the alternative to Amazon Aurora for teams that need horizontal scale with zero downtime schema changes. PS-5 cluster starts at $39/mo, HA clusters from $59/mo. Distinctive for branching + deploy requests (git-like workflow for schema changes). Killed its free tier in April 2024 — controversial move that drove users to Neon + Turso.
The API development platform that defined the category, used by 30M+ developers at 500K+ companies. Positioned as the shared workspace for API design, testing, monitoring, and documentation. Distinctive for its collection-based workflow that made API testing collaborative before Insomnia and Bruno existed. Priced $14-$29/user/mo across Free/Basic/Professional plus custom Enterprise. Also offers Postman AI Agent Builder (2024 launch) for AI-powered API workflows. Founded 2014 in Bangalore, $5.6B valuation (2021 Series D). Public API network hosts 200K+ published APIs.
All plans compared
| Tier role | Plan | PlanetScale monthly | PlanetScale annual | Postman monthly | Postman annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free / starter | Hobby / Free | Free | Free | Free | Free |
| Entry paid | $5 PlanetScale / Solo | $5 | $5 | $12 | $9 |
| Teams | — / Team | — | — | $23 | $19 |
| Enterprise | Enterprise | Custom | Custom | $49 | $49 |
Tier names differ across vendors. Rows are aligned by tier role, not name. Full tier structures on each tool's page.
What each is best for
PlanetScale is worth it if… developers who want serverless MySQL with branching (Git-like schema changes) and read replicas — particularly for high-traffic apps that outgrow shared Postgres. New $5/mo tier launched 2026 undercutting AWS RDS on entry pricing; Scaler adds more resources; Enterprise custom.
Postman is worth it if… engineering teams (3-500 developers) that build, test, and consume APIs — particularly if you have more than 5 developers hitting the same API surface. Free covers solo learning + hobby projects (3 collaborators); Basic adds unlimited history and version control; Professional adds unlimited collaborators, SSO add-on, and 100K API calls; Enterprise adds SCIM, audit logs, and unlimited scale.
Bottom line: Similar positioning, closer to a preference call than a strategic one.
Choose PlanetScale over Postman if…
Choose PlanetScale if…
- You're comfortable with PlanetScale's from $5/mo entry point.
- You match the profile PlanetScale is built for: developers who want serverless MySQL with branching (Git-like schema changes) and read replicas — particularly for high-traffic apps that outgrow shared Postgres.
- You need a general-purpose developer & infrastructure option rather than a vertical-specific one.
Choose Postman if…
- You're comfortable with Postman's from $12/mo entry point.
- You match the profile Postman is built for: engineering teams (3-500 developers) that build, test, and consume APIs — particularly if you have more than 5 developers hitting the same API surface.
- You need a general-purpose developer & infrastructure option rather than a vertical-specific one.
At a glance
| PlanetScale | Postman | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Entry price | $5/mo | $12/mo |
| Enterprise available | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing model | — | — |
| Verification | Checked October 3, 2026 | Pricing under review |
| Full pricing | View full pricing | View full pricing |
Pricing last verified October 3, 2026. Tracked daily.
Frequently asked questions
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Common questions about PlanetScale and Postman
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- How much does Postman cost in 2026?
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