PlanetScale vs Linode (Akamai)
A detailed comparison to help you choose between PlanetScale and Linode (Akamai).
PlanetScale Serverless MySQL with database branching | Linode (Akamai) Reliable VPS backed by Akamai's global network | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Rating | 4.4 (357 reviews)✓ | 4.4 (316 reviews) |
| Pricing model | freemium | paid |
| Starting price | Free tier available✓ | From €5/mo |
| Best for | Teams running MySQL at scale who need schema migrations without downtime | Developers who want reliable VPS with built-in DDoS protection and don't want to pay extra for CDN integration |
| Specifications (entry plan) | ||
| CPU cores | 0 vCPU | 1 vCPU✓ |
| RAM | 0 GB | 1 GB✓ |
| Storage | 0 GB | 25 GB✓ |
| Bandwidth | 0 TB/mo | 1 TB/mo✓ |
| SLA uptime | 99.99% | 99.99% |
| Data-center count | 6 | 11✓ |
| €/vCPU/mo | — | €5.00 |
| €/GB RAM/mo | — | €5.00 |
| Performance | ||
| CPU score (sysbench) | — | 1,800 |
| Disk read (fio) | — | 800 MB/s |
| Disk IOPS (4K random) | — | 14,000 |
| Network out | — | 0.5 Gbps |
| Latency (TTFB) | — | 30 ms |
| 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 | United StatesUnited KingdomGermanyIndiaSingaporeJapan+3 |
| Tags | ||
| Tags | free tiermanaged optionbackups includedeu datacenterus datacenterapi access | free tierhourly billingnvme storageipv6ddos protectionbackups includedsnapshotsmanaged optioneu datacenterus datacenterapac datacenterapi accesskubernetes support |
| Visit PlanetScale → | Visit Linode (Akamai) → | |
PlanetScale
Pros
- + Non-blocking schema changes — no downtime migrations
- + Database branching like git
- + Auto-scales to handle traffic spikes
Cons
- - No foreign keys (Vitess architecture limitation)
- - Read replicas only on higher plans
Linode (Akamai)
Pros
- + DDoS protection included on all plans — not an add-on
- + Akamai CDN integration for content delivery
- + Strong managed databases offering
Cons
- - Slightly fewer datacenter locations than Vultr
- - UI feels dated compared to DigitalOcean
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