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Google Cloud SQL vs PlanetScale comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Google Cloud SQL
Ranking in Relational Databases Tools
18th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.2
Number of Reviews
24
Ranking in other categories
Database as a Service (DBaaS) (6th), Database Management Systems (DBMS) (9th)
PlanetScale
Ranking in Relational Databases Tools
17th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
8.3
Number of Reviews
6
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Relational Databases Tools category, the mindshare of Google Cloud SQL is 1.1%, down from 1.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of PlanetScale is 1.1%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Relational Databases Tools Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
PlanetScale1.1%
Google Cloud SQL1.1%
Other97.8%
Relational Databases Tools
 

Featured Reviews

RR
SDE 2 at Virtusa
Drag and drop workflows have simplified data mapping and currently improve my cloud database work
The IPaaS Connector, which I have found most valuable, is part of Google Cloud SQL. Google Cloud's user interface is really good, which improves efficiency in my database operations. The UI is excellent, making it easier to understand what we are doing. Currently, I am working on IPaaS Connector, so it is really just a clickable interface without writing any code. I simply use drag and drop and connecting lines, and it is working. Google Cloud SQL's global infrastructure improves our database's latency metrics because we are using Gemini in our project. Since both are products of Google, it makes our product faster.
Neeraj Sameer Allu - PeerSpot reviewer
Founder at Tuft
Manages databases in serverless environments and easy to get started with
The main thing I didn't like about PlanetScale was that we couldn't run analytical queries on it. They bill based on the number of rows read, so even a simple count query could easily use up our allocated resources. Apart from that, I actually loved it. It's based on MySQL, so it doesn't have foreign key constraints or cascades. We have to delete manually or use an ORM. As it's based on MySQL, we can use log posters for complex queries, but it only supports MySQL. I feel like Postgres is more useful for custom or complex queries.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"This is a stable solution and offers good performance."
"My suggestion to anyone thinking about this solution is to jump into it head-first!"
"They have good multi-region failure support, and we can just set up there and read replicas directly and we can fall back."
"The setup was straightforward. Just a couple of clicks, and we were done."
"This is a stable solution and offers good performance."
"It is not the cool features that I find valuable, it is the stability of Google Cloud Platform."
"The most valuable feature for us is the Postgres on Google Cloud SQL since it supports most of the features we need."
"As a cloud product, we're always on the latest version of the solution, it self-updates, and it's easier to maintain so you don't really have to worry about the operation side of it."
"I like the solution's developer experience. When you deploy changes to the database in the portal, you can use different deployment strategies and see how things work. You can put changes into different branches, like deployment and staging. This is built into the product, allowing you to navigate changes through different branches."
"The branching feature is also good for developer experience."
"The solution is beginner-friendly. Like any new platform, it can be a bit confusing at first. But after spending about an hour with it, you can get a clear idea of what everything is for. It's not very confusing; I think they've improved it recently."
"I did not face any downtime when using the product."
"The database is accessible 24/7, ensuring my project runs smoothly without interruptions."
"One feature I appreciate about PlanetScale is its ability to handle migrations and commands without the need to run them manually in the database."
"I recommend using PlanetScale as it provides ease of access and control over database changes using commands from the local terminal."
 

Cons

"In the case of Google, they need to work on a more easy interface for users."
"The most vulnerable problem with Google SQL is that while you can customize your access control list, it provides you with a public IP address."
"The product's user interface could be more user-friendly to improve the overall user experience."
"I would appreciate more flexibility with specific extensions applicable to engines like PostgreSQL. This would enhance the capabilities of Google Cloud SQL."
"In my opinion the most vulnerable problem with Google SQL is each SQL node is provided with a public IP address."
"We see latency issues, so we were forced to introduce an in-memory store."
"Google Cloud SQL needs to improve its support for high-end I/O operations."
"I would appreciate more flexibility with specific extensions applicable to engines like PostgreSQL."
"I would like PlanetScale to have a feature where the database can be accessed in the cloud with a link, allowing for a more user-friendly interface compared to the terminal."
"We encountered some initial issues during the product deployment, which required me to search for solutions on forums."
"When I tried to integrate the solution with Firebase for authentication, I faced some interruptions. Also, when using it with Next.js and NextAuth.js for Google and social logins, I had some troubles."
"I used PlanetScale for hobby projects, so my perspective differs from someone using it commercially. Unfortunately, they've removed the free tier in recent months and pivoted to a business-to-business model. This is sad for hobby developers like me because it's a great product, but I understand they have costs to cover."
"I am not sure, but I think recently, the tool removed the free version."
"The main thing I didn't like about PlanetScale was that we couldn't run analytical queries on it."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"You need to pay extra costs for backup and replication."
"It is not expensive, especially considering the significant reduction in database management time."
"From a financial perspective, Google Cloud SQL is on the cheaper side."
"While the platform’s pricing may be higher, it aligns with industry standards, considering the quality of service and features provided."
"The pricing is very much an important factor as to why we use this solution."
"It's really cheap. It wouldn't be more than, I believe it's around 50 euro per month for running a cloud SQL."
"The solution is affordable."
"The solution is expensive for beginners. That's why I wasn't motivated to use it more. But they were already providing many features for free for beginners, which was great."
"Last time, when I wanted to use the tool in a project, I could see it was only paid, so I didn't use the service."
"I am currently using the product's free version, which has been sufficient for my portfolio project."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
15%
Educational Organization
13%
Computer Software Company
9%
University
7%
No data available
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business9
Midsize Enterprise5
Large Enterprise10
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business7
Large Enterprise2
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Google Cloud SQL?
We have set up automated patch management for Google Cloud SQL, and it does on a daily basis what needs to be done, so it is pretty good overall for maintaining our database security.
What needs improvement with Google Cloud SQL?
I would to improve a few glitches in Google Cloud SQL that I have recently noticed. There are a few UI glitches that I have noticed recently, specifically something called data mapping in IPaaS Con...
What is your primary use case for Google Cloud SQL?
I am not working with Oracle; everything I am working on is on Google. I would like to improve a few glitches in Google Cloud SQL that I have recently noticed. There are a few UI glitches that I ha...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for PlanetScale?
I am currently using the product's free version, which has been sufficient for my portfolio project. The paid version ranges from $39 to $1,000, depending on the features and scale required.
What needs improvement with PlanetScale?
I would like PlanetScale to have a feature where the database can be accessed in the cloud with a link, allowing for a more user-friendly interface compared to the terminal. This would make it easi...
What is your primary use case for PlanetScale?
I have used PlanetScale as it is an advanced version of MySQL. It functions as a platform where MySQL is live, similar to AWS. I use PlanetScale to store data in a live environment where queries ca...
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

BeDataDriven, CodeFutures, Daffodil, GenieConnect, KiSSFLOW, LiveHive, SulAm_rica, Zync
Block, Intercom, Convex, MyFitnessPal
Find out what your peers are saying about Google Cloud SQL vs. PlanetScale and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.
892,943 professionals have used our research since 2012.