PlanetScale

PlanetScale built something genuinely innovative — database branching. You can branch your production database, test schema changes on the branch, then merge back with zero downtime. It's how database migrations should work.

The non-blocking schema changes are magic for production systems. Add a column, change a type, drop an index — all without locking the table. Combined with instant rollback, you can experiment with schema changes fearlessly.

The painful part: they killed the free tier in 2024. At $39/month minimum, it's a significant cost for indie devs. For comparison, Neon gives you a free Postgres with branching. If you're not committed to MySQL, Neon is the better deal for side projects.