Neon is a serverless PostgreSQL platform optimized for scalability with generous free tier limits (3GB storage), while Turso is a SQLite-based distributed database focused on edge performance with lower latency globally. Neon suits PostgreSQL users needing traditional relational features, while Turso excels for edge applications requiring minimal latency.
Neon vs Turso — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Serverless PostgreSQL platform with autoscaling and branch/rollback capabilities.
Distributed SQLite database with native edge replication and millisecond latency globally.
Database Engine. Free Tier Storage. Primary Use Case. Global Edge Replication. Pricing Model. Query Latency (p99). Free Tier Monthly Compute
Choose Neon if you're building traditional server-side applications that require PostgreSQL's advanced features (full-text search, JSON operators, complex transactions) and need a generous free tier for prototyping. Choose Turso if you're building edge-first applications, serverless functions, or distributed systems where sub-50ms latency is critical and you prefer SQLite's simplicity with global replication.
Neon: Free (with paid tiers from $15) | Turso: N/A
Neon: 5-30 seconds on cold start | Turso: N/A
Neon: Variable (depends on backup interval) | Turso: N/A
Neon: Serverless with automatic scale-to-zero | Turso: N/A
Neon: <15 minutes (managed service) | Turso: N/A
Production Cost (100GB Storage, 1 Month)
Neon: 500+ PostgreSQL extensions | Turso: N/A
Neon: Not supported; polling only | Turso: No
Neon: Automatic compute scaling 0 to unlimited | Turso: N/A
Neon: 20 concurrent connections | Turso: N/A
Neon: All tiers; includes time-travel recovery | Turso: N/A
Neon: $29/month (pay-per-use after free tier) | Turso: N/A
Neon: 90-180 minutes (requires 3-5 integrations) | Turso: N/A
Neon: PostgreSQL (15+) | Turso: SQLite 3
Neon: Yes (Git-like branches) | Turso: N/A
Neon: Yes (up to 80% savings) | Turso: N/A
Neon: 150 ms (US to EU) | Turso: 8 ms (edge replicas)
Neon: Unlimited | Turso: 0 (not available)
Neon: 1 region per database | Turso: 30+ global locations
Neon: 10,000 | Turso: Limited by SQLite architecture
Neon: Unmetered (generous free tier) | Turso: 9 billion reads
Neon: Full (serializable isolation) | Turso: Partial (single-writer only)
Neon: 30 days (Pro plan) | Turso: Not available
Neon: Unlimited (per usage) | Turso: N/A
Neon: 10-15 minutes (manual) | Turso: N/A
Neon: 8-12ms (avg connection) | Turso: N/A
Neon: 3GB compute credits (~5 hours/month) | Turso: N/A
Neon: No | Turso: No (external required)
Neon: No (third-party required) | Turso: N/A
Neon: $0 (free tier available) | Turso: N/A
Neon: Native instant branching | Turso: N/A
Neon: Native automatic scaling | Turso: N/A
Neon: $150-400 (Neon compute + storage) | Turso: N/A
Neon: 15-30 seconds (automatic) | Turso: N/A
Neon: Up to 1000+ (configurable per plan) | Turso: N/A
Neon: Moderate (standard PostgreSQL dump format) | Turso: N/A
Neon: 50+ (limited selection, approved by Neon) | Turso: N/A
Neon: 10-15 seconds (after compute suspension) | Turso: N/A
Neon: 50,000+ active users (2026) | Turso: N/A
Neon: External setup required | Turso: N/A
Neon: Included in compute | Turso: $0.25
Neon: Single region by default; cross-region via standbys costs extra | Turso: Built-in multi-region replication included
Neon: N/A | Turso: SQLite-based (libSQL)
Neon: N/A | Turso: Custom (not published)
Neon: N/A | Turso: Unlimited via HTTP connections
Neon: N/A | Turso: Horizontal via sharding
Neon: N/A | Turso: SQLite (libSQL extended)
Neon: N/A | Turso: HTTP/REST API with authentication
Neon: N/A | Turso: 1TB per database (with scaling options)
Neon: N/A | Turso: Multi-region with LTR protocol
Neon: N/A | Turso: 10–50ms (200+ global edges)
Neon: N/A | Turso: 4 (JS, Python, Go, Rust)
Neon: N/A | Turso: Unlimited (automatic)
Neon: N/A | Turso: 50-100 (via HTTP API)
Neon vs Turso — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Neon vs Turso. Contains 124 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Neon vs Turso — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Neon vs Turso.
How does branching work in Neon vs Turso?
Neon has built-in branching for creating isolated development/staging databases from production snapshots, useful for CI/CD. Turso doesn't offer native branching—you must manually manage separate databases. This gives Neon an advantage for teams with complex deployment workflows.
Which has better community support and integrations?
PostgreSQL/Neon has a massive ecosystem with tools for migration, monitoring, and ORMs. SQLite/Turso is gaining traction but has fewer specialized tools. Turso's TypeScript SDK and Next.js integration are modern, while Neon supports every major framework. For legacy systems, Neon is safer.
Which is cheaper for production workloads?
It depends on your workload pattern. Neon charges $0.30/GB storage + compute hours, making it cheaper for write-heavy workloads. Turso's pay-per-read model ($0.25/M reads) is more economical for read-heavy applications. For a typical SaaS with 100GB storage and 10M monthly reads, Neon costs ~$30-50/month while Turso costs ~$2.50/month in read costs plus storage.
Can I use Neon for edge/serverless applications?
Neon works with serverless functions but isn't optimized for edge. Each serverless invocation connects to Neon's centralized compute region, adding 50-100ms latency. Turso is purpose-built for this with native edge replication, delivering 10-30ms latency from edge locations globally.
Does Turso support complex queries like PostgreSQL?
No. Turso uses SQLite, which lacks PostgreSQL's advanced features like full-text search operators, JSON operators, window functions, and CTEs (though SQLite added JSON1 and window functions in recent versions). For complex relational logic or analytics queries, PostgreSQL/Neon is more suitable.
Database Engine: Neon has PostgreSQL, while Turso has SQLite.
Free Tier Storage: Neon has 3 GB, while Turso has 500 MB.
Primary Use Case: Neon has Server-side & traditional applications, while Turso has Edge & distributed applications.
Global Edge Replication: Neon has Limited to single region, while Turso has Multi-region replication built-in.
Pricing Model: Neon has $0.30/GB storage + compute hours, while Turso has $0.25/million row reads + $5/million writes.
Query Latency (p99): Neon has 50-100ms (single region), while Turso has 10-30ms (edge locations).
Free Tier Monthly Compute: Neon has 100 compute hours, while Turso has No compute hours limit.