Serverless Postgres with branching—delivered in your cloud with enterprise RBAC, instant storage‑level cloning, and predictable pricing.
Need definitions while evaluating platforms? Start with the Glossary.
Neon is an open-source serverless PostgreSQL platform that separates compute and storage using a custom page server, enabling copy-on-write database branching. The managed cloud service (neon.tech) starts free at $0/month with 512 MB storage and 190 compute-unit hours. Paid plans range from $19/month (Launch, 10 GB) to $69/month (Scale, 50 GB with read replicas) to $700/month (Business, 500 GB with SLA and SSO). The open-source version (github.com/neondatabase/neon) can be self-hosted on Kubernetes, though it requires substantial infrastructure expertise to operate.
Teams look for Neon alternatives when they hit one of three constraints: (1) data residency — Neon's managed cloud stores data in Neon's infrastructure, which doesn't satisfy GDPR/HIPAA or internal compliance requirements; (2) self-hosting complexity — Neon OSS requires managing a storage layer, compute nodes, and the Neon Console, which is operationally demanding; (3) developer workflow gaps — while Neon supports branching, teams at scale often need org-wide RBAC, SSO integration, and audit logging that Neon's OSS tier doesn't provide.
Vela's BYOC model deploys a managed control plane directly into your AWS, GCP, or Azure account. You get instant copy-on-write database cloning (any database size), Git-style branching for CI/CD pipelines, and organization-wide RBAC with SSO/SAML — without moving your data out of your cloud. See the full Neon pricing comparison and all PostgreSQL comparisons below. Learn how Vela's branching works: database branching overview · branch-per-PR CI/CD workflow.
What changes when serverless Postgres runs in your cloud
Keep data in your account and region. Simplify residency and compliance.
Copy‑on‑write clones let CI & QA test on production‑like data in seconds.
Org‑wide roles, SSO, quotas, and guardrails for large teams.
See how Vela compares across what matters
Current pricing for Neon's managed cloud service — and what you get at each tier
| Plan | Price | Storage | Compute | Projects | Branches | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/mo | 512 MB | 190 CU-hrs/mo · 0.25 vCPU · 1 GB RAM | 1 | 10 | Suspends after 5 min idle; ~1 s cold-start |
| Launch | $19/mo | 10 GB | 300 CU-hrs/mo · $0.16/extra CU-hr | 10 | 500 | Good for small production apps |
| Scale | $69/mo | 50 GB | 750 CU-hrs/mo · read replicas | 50 | Unlimited | IP allowlist · larger compute sizes |
| Business | $700/mo | 500 GB | Unlimited CU-hrs · dedicated | Unlimited | Unlimited | SLA · SSO/SCIM · priority support |
Neon free tier limits: 512 MB storage · 190 compute-unit hours/month · 1 project · 10 branches · compute suspends after 5 minutes idle (causes ~1 second cold-start). Not suitable for production without upgrading to Launch ($19/mo) or above.
Encourage more testing without surprise bills
| Scenario | Vela (BYOC) | Neon OSS | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 developers, 10 test DBs | Predictable $/vCPU (no seat tax) | Infra costs based on your stack | Heavy CI favors BYOC predictability |
| 20 developers, CI clones per PR | Flat infra cost in your cloud | Ops costs scale with usage | Large datasets benefit from storage‑level clones |
| 100+ developers, strict residency | Keep data in‑region, in‑account | Choose your own regions | Compliance simplified with BYOC |
A quick guide for choosing
Clear answers for platform teams and developers
Neon's managed cloud service (neon.tech) has four tiers: Free ($0/mo), Launch ($19/mo), Scale ($69/mo), and Business ($700/mo). Extra compute on paid plans is billed at approximately $0.16 per compute-unit hour. Storage overages are charged separately per GB per month. See neon.tech/pricing for current rates.
Neon's free tier includes 512 MB (0.5 GB) of storage, 190 compute-unit hours per month, 1 project, and up to 10 branches. Compute runs on a shared 0.25 vCPU with 1 GB RAM and auto-suspends after 5 minutes of inactivity, causing a ~1 second cold-start on the next connection. The free tier is suitable for development and prototyping but is not recommended for production workloads.
No. Neon's free tier suspends compute after 5 minutes of inactivity, causing cold-start delays of approximately 1 second. This behavior can cause timeouts in production environments. Neon recommends upgrading to the Launch plan ($19/mo) for production workloads requiring always-on availability.
If you need BYOC/on‑prem deployment, strict data residency, enterprise RBAC, or frequent large-dataset cloning for CI/QA with predictable $/vCPU pricing, Vela fits better. If you want a managed cloud Postgres service with a simple free tier, Neon's managed cloud is strong. If you want to self-host the open-source stack, both Neon OSS and Vela support that.
Yes. Vela emphasizes storage‑level copy‑on‑write clones suited to large, production‑like datasets inside your cloud. Neon's managed cloud and Neon OSS both provide branching with autosuspend, optimized for smaller-to-medium datasets and ephemeral dev environments.
Yes. You can export your Postgres data from Neon using standard pg_dump and restore it into Vela in your own cloud. Run both in parallel, validate, then cut over with minimal downtime.
Beyond branching and BYOC, here’s what makes Vela stand out
| Benefit | Vela | Neon OSS | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Support | ��� | – | Direct support from the Vela team in BYOC/on‑prem setups. |
| Enhanced Deployment Options | ✓ | – | Run in your cloud, on‑prem, or hybrid; Neon OSS is self-hosted. |
| Cloud‑Native Design | ✓ | – | Kubernetes‑native with enterprise RBAC and observability. |
| Predictable Pricing | ✓ | – | Flat $/vCPU pricing; unlimited seats encourage more branches. |
| Live Migration & Resizing | ✓ | – | Scale vCPU/RAM/IOPS online; migrate workloads with minimal disruption. |
| Data Residency Control | ✓ | Depends | Keep data in‑account and in‑region for compliance. |
See how Vela’s BYOC model, instant cloning, and enterprise RBAC reduce production mistakes and speed up releases.