Clerk vs PlanetScale: Pricing Comparison 2026
Side-by-side pricing comparison of Clerk and PlanetScale. See all plans, features, and costs at a glance.
Bottom line: Clerk starts at Custom pricing and PlanetScale starts at Custom pricing. Compare all 13 pricing tiers side by side.
Last updated: July 6, 2026
Clerk vs PlanetScale: Quick Pricing Facts
| Feature | Clerk | PlanetScale |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | Custom pricing | Custom pricing |
| Number of Plans | 4 | 9 |
| Free Tier | Yes | No |
| Pricing Model | usage-based | usage-based |
| Annual Discount | N/A | N/A |
Clerk and PlanetScale are both priced at Custom pricing, making them equally accessible Dev Tools. Together they offer 13 pricing plans with 0 features compared, so the best choice comes down to which features match your needs.
Clerk stands out with a free plan for getting started.
Review the detailed tier-by-tier comparison above to see exactly which features are included at each price point and find the best fit for your Dev Tools needs.
| Pricing Plans |  Clerk Try free |  PlanetScale Try free |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | Hobby $0/monthCheapest | Single node Custom pricing |
| Tier 2 | Pro Custom pricing | Metal Custom pricing |
| Tier 3 | Business Custom pricing | High Availability Custom pricing |
| Tier 4 | Enterprise Custom pricing | Instance and VTGate sizes Custom pricing |
| Tier 5 | - | Storage amount Custom pricing |
| Tier 6 | - | Add-ons Custom pricing |
| Tier 7 | - | Bring your own cloud Custom pricing |
| Tier 8 | - | Upgraded support Custom pricing |
| Tier 9 | - | your own Custom pricing |
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What Reviewers Say
Clerk
Which Should You Choose?
Choose Clerk if:
- •You need user authentication and identity management for your application
- •Clerk's pre-built auth UI, MFA, and organization management are the requirement
- •You want managed auth separate from your database platform
Choose PlanetScale if:
- •You need a serverless MySQL-compatible database with non-blocking schema changes
- •PlanetScale's branching model and horizontal scalability fit high-traffic applications
- •You want a managed database with a developer-friendly schema change workflow
Clerk manages user identity. PlanetScale manages application data. These tools are complementary. Clerk is free up to 10,000 MAUs. PlanetScale starts free (with some limits); Scaler Pro from $39/month. Modern web applications commonly pair Clerk for auth with PlanetScale for their database.
Frequently Asked Questions: Clerk vs PlanetScale
How many pricing plans does Clerk have vs PlanetScale?
Does Clerk or PlanetScale offer a free plan?
Does Clerk or PlanetScale offer custom enterprise pricing?
How do Clerk and PlanetScale compare for Dev Tools?
Sources
- Clerk Official Pricing- Vendor pricing page
- PlanetScale Official Pricing- Vendor pricing page
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