Managed Postgres · decision map · compiled 2026-07
Managed Postgres, mapped. Pick your workload — see who actually wins.
Any comparison written as a blog post is wrong within a quarter — three beloved Postgres companies were acquired in a year. This is a maintained decision map: 11 providers across 4 real workload scenarios, each cost normalized and itemized (compute + storage + HA) so the numbers are truly comparable, and anchor-tested against each vendor's own published price. This 4-scenario map is a free, open snapshot (CC-BY-4.0) — reuse it with attribution. Then watch the cheapest option flip across workloads — the thing no static table shows.
Why trust these numbers
Not a scrape, and not archetype math. A sourced, tested model.
Everyone maps service names — that part is a commodity and we give it away. What nobody keeps is a maintained decision map: an honest, apples-to-apples cost for a stated workload, with the caveats that make two services actually comparable. Providers bill in incompatible units (per-vCPU-hr vs serverless CU-hr vs ACU-hr vs flat tier); we store each one's native unit plus a sourced conversion to a canonical vCPU, and compute an itemized bill with a per-provider function — the architectural rules (does HA duplicate storage? does the replica scale to zero?) are sourced data, not buried code. Every hyperscaler config is anchor-tested against that vendor's own published price on each build, so a reprice fails loudly instead of shipping wrong. This 4-scenario map is an open snapshot under CC-BY-4.0; the maintained & re-verified feed, the append-only price history, and the keyed API for programmatic access are the commercial product.
Step 1 — your workload
A price is meaningless without the workload behind it.
Pick the scenario that matches what you're actually running. Every provider's cost renormalizes to it — that's the whole point. us-east, on-demand list, egress excluded unless noted.
“Hobby / spiky dev” — cheapest place to park a mostly-idle side project.
“Steady small SaaS” — predictable always-on for a real but small app.
“Bursty app” — traffic spikes — does serverless actually save you?
“Production HA” — SLA-grade, the enterprise question. This workload requires HA + PITR ≥ 7d + HIPAA, so a cheaper provider that can't offer them is disqualified.
Step 2 — the itemized map
Estimated monthly cost, broken down
Compute, storage and HA priced separately so the totals are truly comparable. Cheapest that meets the workload's required capabilities is highlighted — a cheaper option that fails a requirement is shown struck-through, never ranked #1.
| Provider | Compute | Storage | HA / replica | Total / mo | The honest caveat | Receipt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neonbest fit serverless · Databricks acq. Databricks 2025 | — | $0.18 | — | $0.18 | Superb DX and scale-to-zero make it the cheapest place to idle — the trap is always-on at size gets pricey. Decoupled storage means HA adds no storage and the standby scales to zero, so HA ≈ $0. | neon.tech retr. 2026-07-20 · list-price |
| Databricks Lakebase serverless · Databricks built on Neon (Databricks) | $14 | $0.35 | — | $14 as low as $12 | Same serverless economics as Neon (its engine): HA duplicates no storage and the standby scales to zero → HA ≈ $0. Wins when your data already lives in Databricks. | databricks.com retr. 2026-07-20 · modeled |
| Azure Database for PostgreSQL (Flexible Server) provisioned · Microsoft Azure | $15 | $0.13 | — | $15 as low as $6 | Burstable tier is the cheap always-on sleeper for small steady loads. Zone-redundant HA duplicates the server; reserved capacity cuts up to 60%. | azure.microsoft.com retr. 2026-07-20 · from-provider-calculator |
| Supabase bundled-dx · Supabase | $25 | — | — | $25 as low as $23 | Postgres wrapped with auth, storage and realtime — the value is the bundle, not the DB price. Pro is $25 (8 GB, $10 compute credit); read replicas are physical, so HA duplicates compute AND storage. Free tier pauses when idle. | supabase.com retr. 2026-07-20 · from-provider-calculator |
| DigitalOcean Managed Postgres flat-tier · DigitalOcean | $28 | $0.08 | — | $28 as low as $25 | Dead-simple flat pricing from $15/mo — the predictable pick for a small always-on app. Less enterprise tooling at the top end. | digitalocean.com retr. 2026-07-20 · from-provider-calculator |
| Aurora Serverless v2 (PostgreSQL) serverless · Amazon Web Services compatible | $43 | $0.10 | — | $43 as low as $37 | Autoscaling ACUs floor at 0.5 and no longer force always-on — but per-ACU pricing gets expensive at steady size, and it's still Postgres-compatible, not native. I/O billed per request unless you pick I/O-Optimized. | aws.amazon.com retr. 2026-07-20 · modeled |
| Amazon Aurora (PostgreSQL) provisioned · Amazon Web Services compatible | $43 | $0.10 | — | $43 as low as $26 | Postgres-compatible, not native — some extensions & behaviors differ. Shared distributed storage means a Multi-AZ replica adds compute but no second storage copy. Watch per-request I/O charges. | aws.amazon.com retr. 2026-07-20 · modeled |
| PlanetScale Postgres flat-tier · PlanetScale | $48 | $0.10 | — | $48 as low as $41 | PS-5 is the cheapest paid Postgres anywhere ($5, tiny) and the top tiers are performance monsters — priced for performance, not idling. A MySQL/Vitess shop that entered Postgres in 2025. | planetscale.com retr. 2026-07-20 · modeled |
| TigerData (ex-Timescale) flat-tier · TigerData formerly Timescale | $50 | $0.09 | — | $50 as low as $45 | Worth it when time-series / analytics in Postgres (TimescaleDB) is the real workload — otherwise you're paying for a specialization you won't use. | tigerdata.com retr. 2026-07-20 · modeled |
| Google Cloud SQL (PostgreSQL) provisioned · Google Cloud | $50 | $0.22 | — | $50 as low as $24 | Native Postgres, production-grade — but no scale-to-zero, so you pay 24/7 even when idle. Committed-use discounts cut 25% (1yr) / 52% (3yr). HA runs a physical standby that duplicates storage. | cloud.google.com retr. 2026-07-20 · from-provider-calculator |
| Crunchy Bridge provisioned · Snowflake acq. Snowflake 2025 | $52 | $0.15 | — | $52 as low as $47 | Strong native-Postgres pedigree from the Crunchy team. The Snowflake acquisition is the wildcard — great engineering, uncertain roadmap. | crunchybridge.com retr. 2026-07-20 · modeled |
| DigitalOcean Managed Postgresbest fit flat-tier · DigitalOcean | $56 | $2 | — | $58 as low as $52 | Dead-simple flat pricing from $15/mo — the predictable pick for a small always-on app. Less enterprise tooling at the top end. | digitalocean.com retr. 2026-07-20 · from-provider-calculator |
| Supabase bundled-dx · Supabase | $85 | $2 | — | $95 as low as $86 | Postgres wrapped with auth, storage and realtime — the value is the bundle, not the DB price. Pro is $25 (8 GB, $10 compute credit); read replicas are physical, so HA duplicates compute AND storage. Free tier pauses when idle. | supabase.com retr. 2026-07-20 · from-provider-calculator |
| PlanetScale Postgres flat-tier · PlanetScale | $96 | $2 | — | $98 as low as $84 | PS-5 is the cheapest paid Postgres anywhere ($5, tiny) and the top tiers are performance monsters — priced for performance, not idling. A MySQL/Vitess shop that entered Postgres in 2025. | planetscale.com retr. 2026-07-20 · modeled |
| TigerData (ex-Timescale) flat-tier · TigerData formerly Timescale | $100 | $2 | — | $102 as low as $92 | Worth it when time-series / analytics in Postgres (TimescaleDB) is the real workload — otherwise you're paying for a specialization you won't use. | tigerdata.com retr. 2026-07-20 · modeled |
| Google Cloud SQL (PostgreSQL) provisioned · Google Cloud | $100 | $4 | — | $104 as low as $52 | Native Postgres, production-grade — but no scale-to-zero, so you pay 24/7 even when idle. Committed-use discounts cut 25% (1yr) / 52% (3yr). HA runs a physical standby that duplicates storage. | cloud.google.com retr. 2026-07-20 · from-provider-calculator |
| Crunchy Bridge provisioned · Snowflake acq. Snowflake 2025 | $104 | $3 | — | $107 as low as $97 | Strong native-Postgres pedigree from the Crunchy team. The Snowflake acquisition is the wildcard — great engineering, uncertain roadmap. | crunchybridge.com retr. 2026-07-20 · modeled |
| Amazon Aurora (PostgreSQL) provisioned · Amazon Web Services compatible | $106 | $2 | — | $108 as low as $66 | Postgres-compatible, not native — some extensions & behaviors differ. Shared distributed storage means a Multi-AZ replica adds compute but no second storage copy. Watch per-request I/O charges. | aws.amazon.com retr. 2026-07-20 · modeled |
| Azure Database for PostgreSQL (Flexible Server) provisioned · Microsoft Azure | $116 | $3 | — | $119 as low as $49 | Burstable tier is the cheap always-on sleeper for small steady loads. Zone-redundant HA duplicates the server; reserved capacity cuts up to 60%. | azure.microsoft.com retr. 2026-07-20 · from-provider-calculator |
| Neon serverless · Databricks acq. Databricks 2025 | $188 | $7 | — | $194 as low as $166 | Superb DX and scale-to-zero make it the cheapest place to idle — the trap is always-on at size gets pricey. Decoupled storage means HA adds no storage and the standby scales to zero, so HA ≈ $0. | neon.tech retr. 2026-07-20 · list-price |
| Databricks Lakebase serverless · Databricks built on Neon (Databricks) | $216 | $7 | — | $223 as low as $191 | Same serverless economics as Neon (its engine): HA duplicates no storage and the standby scales to zero → HA ≈ $0. Wins when your data already lives in Databricks. | databricks.com retr. 2026-07-20 · modeled |
| Aurora Serverless v2 (PostgreSQL) serverless · Amazon Web Services compatible | $691 | $2 | — | $693 as low as $590 | Autoscaling ACUs floor at 0.5 and no longer force always-on — but per-ACU pricing gets expensive at steady size, and it's still Postgres-compatible, not native. I/O billed per request unless you pick I/O-Optimized. | aws.amazon.com retr. 2026-07-20 · modeled |
| Neonbest fit serverless · Databricks acq. Databricks 2025 | $87 | $17 | — | $104 as low as $91 | Superb DX and scale-to-zero make it the cheapest place to idle — the trap is always-on at size gets pricey. Decoupled storage means HA adds no storage and the standby scales to zero, so HA ≈ $0. | neon.tech retr. 2026-07-20 · list-price |
| DigitalOcean Managed Postgres flat-tier · DigitalOcean | $112 | $4 | — | $116 as low as $105 | Dead-simple flat pricing from $15/mo — the predictable pick for a small always-on app. Less enterprise tooling at the top end. | digitalocean.com retr. 2026-07-20 · from-provider-calculator |
| Databricks Lakebase serverless · Databricks built on Neon (Databricks) | $108 | $18 | — | $126 as low as $109 | Same serverless economics as Neon (its engine): HA duplicates no storage and the standby scales to zero → HA ≈ $0. Wins when your data already lives in Databricks. | databricks.com retr. 2026-07-20 · modeled |
| PlanetScale Postgres flat-tier · PlanetScale | $192 | $5 | — | $197 as low as $168 | PS-5 is the cheapest paid Postgres anywhere ($5, tiny) and the top tiers are performance monsters — priced for performance, not idling. A MySQL/Vitess shop that entered Postgres in 2025. | planetscale.com retr. 2026-07-20 · modeled |
| TigerData (ex-Timescale) flat-tier · TigerData formerly Timescale | $200 | $5 | — | $205 as low as $185 | Worth it when time-series / analytics in Postgres (TimescaleDB) is the real workload — otherwise you're paying for a specialization you won't use. | tigerdata.com retr. 2026-07-20 · modeled |
| Supabase bundled-dx · Supabase | $205 | $5 | — | $210 as low as $190 | Postgres wrapped with auth, storage and realtime — the value is the bundle, not the DB price. Pro is $25 (8 GB, $10 compute credit); read replicas are physical, so HA duplicates compute AND storage. Free tier pauses when idle. | supabase.com retr. 2026-07-20 · from-provider-calculator |
| Google Cloud SQL (PostgreSQL) provisioned · Google Cloud | $200 | $11 | — | $211 as low as $107 | Native Postgres, production-grade — but no scale-to-zero, so you pay 24/7 even when idle. Committed-use discounts cut 25% (1yr) / 52% (3yr). HA runs a physical standby that duplicates storage. | cloud.google.com retr. 2026-07-20 · from-provider-calculator |
| Crunchy Bridge provisioned · Snowflake acq. Snowflake 2025 | $208 | $8 | — | $216 as low as $195 | Strong native-Postgres pedigree from the Crunchy team. The Snowflake acquisition is the wildcard — great engineering, uncertain roadmap. | crunchybridge.com retr. 2026-07-20 · modeled |
| Azure Database for PostgreSQL (Flexible Server) provisioned · Microsoft Azure | $232 | $7 | — | $239 as low as $99 | Burstable tier is the cheap always-on sleeper for small steady loads. Zone-redundant HA duplicates the server; reserved capacity cuts up to 60%. | azure.microsoft.com retr. 2026-07-20 · from-provider-calculator |
| Aurora Serverless v2 (PostgreSQL) serverless · Amazon Web Services compatible | $346 | $5 | — | $351 as low as $299 | Autoscaling ACUs floor at 0.5 and no longer force always-on — but per-ACU pricing gets expensive at steady size, and it's still Postgres-compatible, not native. I/O billed per request unless you pick I/O-Optimized. | aws.amazon.com retr. 2026-07-20 · modeled |
| Amazon Aurora (PostgreSQL) provisioned · Amazon Web Services compatible | $346 | $5 | — | $352 as low as $213 | Postgres-compatible, not native — some extensions & behaviors differ. Shared distributed storage means a Multi-AZ replica adds compute but no second storage copy. Watch per-request I/O charges. | aws.amazon.com retr. 2026-07-20 · modeled |
| DigitalOcean Managed Postgres flat-tier · DigitalOcean | $112 | $8 | $120 | $240 as low as $217 excluded: no HIPAA | Dead-simple flat pricing from $15/mo — the predictable pick for a small always-on app. Less enterprise tooling at the top end. | digitalocean.com retr. 2026-07-20 · from-provider-calculator |
| PlanetScale Postgresbest fit flat-tier · PlanetScale | $192 | $10 | $202 | $404 as low as $345 | PS-5 is the cheapest paid Postgres anywhere ($5, tiny) and the top tiers are performance monsters — priced for performance, not idling. A MySQL/Vitess shop that entered Postgres in 2025. | planetscale.com retr. 2026-07-20 · modeled |
| TigerData (ex-Timescale) flat-tier · TigerData formerly Timescale | $200 | $9 | $209 | $418 as low as $377 | Worth it when time-series / analytics in Postgres (TimescaleDB) is the real workload — otherwise you're paying for a specialization you won't use. | tigerdata.com retr. 2026-07-20 · modeled |
| Supabase bundled-dx · Supabase | $205 | $12 | $196 | $421 as low as $380 excluded: PITR add-on only | Postgres wrapped with auth, storage and realtime — the value is the bundle, not the DB price. Pro is $25 (8 GB, $10 compute credit); read replicas are physical, so HA duplicates compute AND storage. Free tier pauses when idle. | supabase.com retr. 2026-07-20 · from-provider-calculator |
| Neon serverless · Databricks acq. Databricks 2025 | $389 | $35 | — | $424 as low as $366 | Superb DX and scale-to-zero make it the cheapest place to idle — the trap is always-on at size gets pricey. Decoupled storage means HA adds no storage and the standby scales to zero, so HA ≈ $0. | neon.tech retr. 2026-07-20 · list-price |
| Amazon Aurora (PostgreSQL) provisioned · Amazon Web Services compatible | $212 | $10 | $212 | $436 as low as $266 | Postgres-compatible, not native — some extensions & behaviors differ. Shared distributed storage means a Multi-AZ replica adds compute but no second storage copy. Watch per-request I/O charges. | aws.amazon.com retr. 2026-07-20 · modeled |
| Google Cloud SQL (PostgreSQL) provisioned · Google Cloud | $200 | $22 | $222 | $444 as low as $225 | Native Postgres, production-grade — but no scale-to-zero, so you pay 24/7 even when idle. Committed-use discounts cut 25% (1yr) / 52% (3yr). HA runs a physical standby that duplicates storage. | cloud.google.com retr. 2026-07-20 · from-provider-calculator |
| Crunchy Bridge provisioned · Snowflake acq. Snowflake 2025 | $208 | $15 | $223 | $446 as low as $403 | Strong native-Postgres pedigree from the Crunchy team. The Snowflake acquisition is the wildcard — great engineering, uncertain roadmap. | crunchybridge.com retr. 2026-07-20 · modeled |
| Databricks Lakebase serverless · Databricks built on Neon (Databricks) | $432 | $35 | — | $467 as low as $402 | Same serverless economics as Neon (its engine): HA duplicates no storage and the standby scales to zero → HA ≈ $0. Wins when your data already lives in Databricks. | databricks.com retr. 2026-07-20 · modeled |
| Azure Database for PostgreSQL (Flexible Server) provisioned · Microsoft Azure | $232 | $13 | $245 | $490 as low as $204 | Burstable tier is the cheap always-on sleeper for small steady loads. Zone-redundant HA duplicates the server; reserved capacity cuts up to 60%. | azure.microsoft.com retr. 2026-07-20 · from-provider-calculator |
| Aurora Serverless v2 (PostgreSQL) serverless · Amazon Web Services compatible | $1,382 | $10 | — | $1,392 as low as $1,185 | Autoscaling ACUs floor at 0.5 and no longer force always-on — but per-ACU pricing gets expensive at steady size, and it's still Postgres-compatible, not native. I/O billed per request unless you pick I/O-Optimized. | aws.amazon.com retr. 2026-07-20 · modeled |
Ranges show the committed/reserved low end. Every number is a first-party compilation of public vendor pricing, normalized per provider and anchor-tested against the vendor's own published price — cost_method flags how firm each is (list-price / from-provider-calculator / modeled).
The insight — not in any static table
The cheapest provider flips across workloads.
Serverless bills for busy time; provisioned bills 24/7; flat tiers win the predictable middle. Sweep the workload and the winner changes — that crossover is the whole decision, and it's un-Google-able from a blog post.
Cheapest that clears each workload's bar: Hobby / spiky dev → Neon ($0.18) · Steady small SaaS → DigitalOcean ($58) · Bursty app → Neon ($104) · Production HA → PlanetScale ($404). A dimmed dot is a provider that's cheaper but disqualified by the scenario's required capabilities.
The map is being redrawn in real time
Three beloved independent Postgres companies were absorbed inside ~12 months — which is exactly why a maintained map beats a blog post that rots by next quarter. Freshness is the moat; honest normalization is the product.
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