Neon vs Alibaba Cloud (Aliyun)
A detailed comparison to help you choose between Neon and Alibaba Cloud (Aliyun).
Quick Verdict
4.6/5
Neon
305 reviews
4.0/5
Alibaba Cloud (Aliyun)
400 reviews
Neon is rated higher (4.6 vs 4.0). Neon is serverless PostgreSQL with database branching, scale-to-zero, and connection pooling. Scales to zero when not in use — no idle charges. Alibaba Cloud is the dominant cloud in China and largest cloud in Asia-Pacific. Essential for any application targeting Chinese users. Compliant with Chinese regulations.
Neon Serverless Postgres with branching and scale-to-zero | Alibaba Cloud (Aliyun) Asia-Pacific and China cloud by Alibaba | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Rating | 4.6 (305 reviews)✓ | 4.0 (400 reviews) |
| Pricing model | freemium | freemium |
| Starting price | Free tier available | Free tier available |
| Best for | Developers using Next.js or serverless frameworks who want Postgres with branching at zero idle cost | Businesses needing cloud infrastructure in mainland China or the Asia-Pacific region |
| Specifications (entry plan) | ||
| CPU cores | 0 vCPU | — |
| RAM | 0 GB | — |
| Storage | 0 GB | — |
| Bandwidth | 0 TB/mo | — |
| SLA uptime | 99.9% | — |
| Data-center count | 8 | — |
| Features | ||
| IPv6 | ||
| DDoS protection | ||
| Automated backups | ✓ | |
| Snapshots | ||
| Managed option | ||
| Bare metal | ||
| GPU available | ||
| S3-compatible | ||
| Hourly billing | ✓ | |
| Free tier | ✓ | |
| Data-center locations | ||
| Regions | United StatesEuropean Union | — |
| Tags | ||
| Tags | free tiermanaged optionbackups includedeu datacenterus datacenterapi accessopen source | free tierhourly billinggpu availableeu datacenterus datacenterapac datacenterapi access |
| Visit Neon → | Visit Alibaba Cloud (Aliyun) → | |
Neon
Pros
- + Scale-to-zero — no charges for idle databases
- + Database branching for preview environments
- + Generous free tier — 10 projects
Cons
- - Cold start latency when scaled to zero
- - Less mature than managed RDS for mission-critical
Alibaba Cloud (Aliyun)
Pros
- + Only viable cloud for China market
- + Largest APAC cloud
- + $450 free credits for new accounts
Cons
- - Requires Chinese registration for China regions
- - Complex compliance for non-Chinese companies
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