Direct answer: serverless Postgres pricing in 2026 comes in two models: Neon bills CU-hours + storage (Launch 0.106/CU-hr, 0.35/GB-month; Scale 0.222/CU-hr, 0.35/GB-month, with no fixed platform fee); Supabase bills a plan + compute (Pro 25/month with a $10 compute credit; Micro 10, Small 15, Medium 60, Large 110, XL 210/month; 8GB disk, 250GB egress and 100k MAU included). At Neon’s four official workload profiles: intermittent (140 CU-h, 1GB) Neon 15.19 vs Supabase Pro+Micro 25; low (190 CU-h, 5GB) 21.89 vs 25; medium (720 CU-h, 10GB) 79.82 vs 75.25; high (3,000 CU-h, 100GB) 353.00 vs 236.50 (Supabase at the 16GB XL tier plus disk overage). Bottom line: intermittent/spiky, scale-to-zero and branching favor Neon; sustained/always-on and bundled Auth/Storage/Functions/egress favor Supabase; medium load is the crossover, within tens of dollars — calibrate with real connections/memory/egress.
This guide is for developers, platform engineering and procurement teams building SaaS, AI apps, internal tools and prototype backends. Data cut-off: 7 November 2026; prices come from Neon Pricing, Supabase Pricing and PlanetScale Pricing, in USD, excluding tax; all TCOs are editorial calculations, not vendor quotes. “CU/memory/disk/egress/MAU” differ, so official facts, editorial assumptions and non-comparable items are kept separate.
Neon: usage-based, Launch 0.106/CU-hr, Scale 0.222/CU-hr, storage 0.35/GB-month; 1 CU ≈ 4GB RAM; scale-to-zero means no compute charge when idle; Launch/Scale include 500GB egress per project, then 0.10/GB. Supabase: Pro 25/month with a $10 compute credit (covers Micro 10), 8GB disk, 250GB egress, 100k MAU; compute from Micro 10 to 16XL 3,730/month, disk overage 0.125/GB, egress overage 0.09/GB. Intermittent → Neon; always-on → Supabase; medium load is close.
Two meters: CU-hours + storage vs plan + compute
Neon: Free 0 (100 projects, 100 CU-hr/project/month, 1GB storage, 5GB egress, scale-to-zero); Launch usage-based, 0.106/CU-hr, 0.35/GB-month, 0.002/branch-hour, up to 16 CU (64GB RAM), 500GB egress/project then 0.10/GB; Scale usage-based, 0.222/CU-hr, 0.35/GB-month, up to 56 CU (224GB RAM), with SLA/HIPAA/private networking. 1 CU is about 4GB RAM plus associated CPU; idle databases can drop to zero, so you pay only for CU-hours actually used. Supabase: Free 0 (500MB database, 5GB egress, 1GB file, 50k MAU, 2 projects); Pro 25/month (first project, $10 compute credit; 100k MAU then 0.00325/MAU; 8GB disk then 0.125/GB; 250GB egress then 0.09/GB; 100GB file then 0.0213/GB); Team 599/month (SSO, SOC2/ISO, HIPAA add-on); compute add-ons Micro 10, Small 15, Medium 60, Large 110, XL 210, 2XL 410, 4XL 960, 8XL 1,870, 12XL 2,800, 16XL 3,730/month.
| Platform/tier | Fixed fee (USD/month) | Compute | Storage/egress | Boundary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neon Free | 0 | 100 CU-hr/project/month | 1GB storage; 5GB egress | Up to 2 CU; scale-to-zero |
| Neon Launch | No fixed fee | 0.106/CU-hr | 0.35/GB-month; 500GB egress then 0.10/GB | Up to 16 CU; branch 0.002/hour |
| Neon Scale | No fixed fee | 0.222/CU-hr | 0.35/GB-month; 500GB egress then 0.10/GB | Up to 56 CU; SLA/HIPAA/private network |
| Supabase Free | 0 | Shared | 500MB database; 5GB egress | 2 projects; pause when idle |
| Supabase Pro | 25 | $10 credit included; Micro from 10 | 8GB disk; 250GB egress | 100k MAU; compute add-ons |
| Supabase Team | 599 | Same as Pro + compute | Same as Pro | SSO/SOC2/ISO; HIPAA add-on |
| PlanetScale Postgres | From 5 (single node) | By compute/topology | By storage/backup/egress | Metal from 50; HA 1 primary + 2 replicas |
Sources: Neon Pricing, Supabase Pricing and PlanetScale Pricing (US/USD, accessed 7 November 2026). Excludes tax, discounts, commitments, support, migration and overages; Neon Launch/Scale show no fixed platform fee and are usage-based; Supabase Pro includes a $10 compute credit, so the actual fee = 25 + compute − 10 (floor 0); PlanetScale is a “from” price and depends on the calculator/resources.
TCO: four workload profiles, Neon vs Supabase
Using Neon’s four official profiles (intermittent 140 CU-h/1GB, low 190/5GB, medium 720/10GB, high 3,000/100GB), Launch costs 15.19/21.89/79.82/353.00. Supabase by memory: intermittent and low use Micro (1GB, 25/month); medium uses Medium (4GB, 25+60−10+0.25=75.25); high uses XL (16GB, 25+210−10+11.50=236.50, with 100GB disk, 8GB included and 92GB overage). Result: Neon is about $3–10 cheaper at intermittent/low; Supabase is about $4.6 cheaper at medium; Supabase is about $116 cheaper at high. Neon Scale on the same profiles is 31.43/43.93/163.34/701.00, for SLA/HIPAA/private networking, not a direct Pro comparison.
| Workload (monthly) | Neon Launch | Neon Scale | Supabase Pro | Lowest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intermittent 140 CU-h / 1GB | 15.19 | 31.43 | 25.00 (Micro) | Neon |
| Low 190 CU-h / 5GB | 21.89 | 43.93 | 25.00 (Micro) | Neon |
| Medium 720 CU-h / 10GB | 79.82 | 163.34 | 75.25 (Medium) | Supabase |
| High 3,000 CU-h / 100GB | 353.00 | 701.00 | 236.50 (XL) | Supabase |
Editorial calculation, not a quote. Neon = CU-hr × price + storage GB × 0.35; Supabase = 25 + compute add-on − 10 credit + disk overage 0.125/GB (8GB included). Neon 1 CU ≈ 4GB RAM, Supabase tiers by memory; the mapping is approximate, not a performance benchmark. Excludes tax, discounts, egress/MAU/file/log/backup overages, support and migration.
Why intermittent workloads favor Neon: scale-to-zero
Neon’s core is “pay for what you use”: idle databases can drop to zero with no compute charge; intermittent 140 CU-h is about a 0.19 CU monthly average, 14.84 at 0.106/CU-hr, plus 0.35 for 1GB, total 15.19. Supabase compute is an always-on instance price: Micro 10/month, Small 15, Medium 60, Large 110, XL 210, and it does not drop to zero automatically (Free pauses; Pro requires manual/policy). So at low load you pay for “always-on”. Conversely, at sustained medium/high load Supabase’s bundle (8GB disk, 250GB egress, 100k MAU) is better value, while Neon’s CU-hours scale linearly with load.
| Item | Neon | Supabase |
|---|---|---|
| Cost driver | CU-hours + storage + egress | Plan + compute tier + overages |
| Idle | Scale-to-zero, no compute charge | Always-on billing; Free pauses |
| 1 CU / memory | About 4GB RAM | Micro–16XL tiers by memory |
| Disk | 0.35/GB-month | 8GB included, then 0.125/GB |
| Egress | 500GB/project, then 0.10/GB | 250GB, then 0.09/GB |
| Branching | 0.002/branch-hour | Branching by tier |
| Typical advantage | Intermittent/spiky/preview branches | Always-on/Auth+Storage+Functions bundle |
Sources: Neon Pricing and Supabase Pricing (accessed 7 November 2026). This is a public pricing overview; connections, IOPS, backup/PITR, logs, read replicas, private networking, SLA and support depend on tier/contract.
Which option fits which scenario?
Intermittent/spiky, many dev preview branches, pay for actual CU: Neon Launch; SLA/HIPAA/private networking and high load, accepting 0.222/CU-hr: Neon Scale; always-on and wanting Auth/Storage/Edge Functions/egress/MAU bundled with a predictable budget: Supabase Pro (Micro–Medium to start); team/compliance needing SSO/SOC2/ISO: Supabase Team; just want “single node from $5” with a calculator: PlanetScale Postgres (Metal from 50, HA 1 primary + 2 replicas); already on AWS/GCP and wanting RDS/Aurora/Cloud SQL: go back to managed PostgreSQL. Include payment/egress/MAU overages; do not compare only “25 vs 15”.
| Scenario | First choice | Monthly (example) | Check first |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intermittent/spiky/preview branches | Neon Launch | 15.19 (140 CU-h/1GB) | Cold start/connections/egress |
| Always-on small | Supabase Pro+Micro | 25.00 | 1GB memory/2 connections |
| Always-on medium | Supabase Pro+Medium | 75.25 | 4GB/10GB disk |
| Always-on large | Supabase Pro+XL | 236.50 | 16GB/100GB disk |
| SLA/HIPAA/private network | Neon Scale or Supabase Team | Usage/from 599 | Compliance/audit/SLA |
| Single node from $5 | PlanetScale Postgres | From 5 + resources | Calculator/HA/backups |
Sources: the three official pricing pages (accessed 7 November 2026). This is an editorial decision matrix, not vendor advice; connections, latency, cold start, IOPS, backup recovery, SLA and migration cost were not tested.
What should procurement and acceptance specify?
At least ten things: databases/projects, peak connections, memory/CPU, storage and growth, egress, MAU/auth, branching/preview environments, backup/PITR, read replicas/HA, SLA/compliance. Run a 2–4 week POC on real traffic and record CU/connections/latency, cold start, storage, egress, backup recovery and the bill; do not compare only “15/25 per month”.
- Databases: project count, environments (dev/staging/prod), database size.
- Connections: peak connections, pooling, serverless driver.
- Memory/CPU: resident memory, peaks, autoscaling.
- Storage: total/growth, IOPS, snapshots/PITR.
- Egress: monthly traffic, cross-region, CDN/cache.
- Auth: MAU, SSO, social login, row-level permissions.
- Branching: preview environments/hours, data isolation.
- Backup: retention, recovery time, cross-region.
- Compliance: SOC2/ISO, HIPAA, residency, audit.
- Contract: usage/annual, commitments, renewal, exit/export.
FAQ
Is Neon or Supabase cheaper?
Depends on load: intermittent/low Neon is 15.19/21.89 vs Supabase 25; medium Supabase 75.25 is slightly below Neon 79.82; high Supabase 236.50 is well below Neon 353.00. Calibrate with real memory/connections/egress, not the entry price.
What is a Neon CU-hour?
1 CU is about 4GB RAM plus associated CPU; you pay for CU-hours actually used, and idle databases can scale to zero. Neon’s profiles are 140/190/720/3,000 CU-h; Launch 0.106/CU-hr, Scale 0.222/CU-hr.
How does Supabase compute work?
Pro 25/month includes a $10 compute credit: Micro 10 (covered, total 25), Small 15 (total 30), Medium 60 (total 75), Large 110 (total 125), XL 210 (total 225); disk 8GB included then 0.125/GB; egress 250GB included then 0.09/GB.
Why does Supabase Pro 25 include compute?
25 is the plan fee and includes a $10 compute credit that exactly covers Micro 10; so one Micro project is effectively 25/month. Larger compute adds the difference (Small +5, Medium +50, XL +200), plus disk/egress overages.
Who wins for intermittent workloads?
Neon Launch. Scale-to-zero means no compute charge when idle; 140 CU-h/1GB is 15.19, while Supabase Pro+Micro is 25 with always-on compute. Many branches/previews and spiky traffic favor Neon.
Who wins for sustained workloads?
Supabase Pro. Always-on Medium is 75.25 and XL 236.50, including 8GB disk/250GB egress/100k MAU; Neon on the same profiles is 79.82/353.00. If you need Neon Scale’s SLA/HIPAA/private network, compare separately.
What hidden costs should we expect?
Egress, storage/disk overages, MAU, file storage, logs/Log Drains, backup/PITR, read replicas, private networking, support/compliance, migration/export and tax. Neon egress is 500GB/project then 0.10/GB; Supabase 250GB then 0.09/GB, file 100GB then 0.0213/GB, Log Drains 60 each/project.
How do we choose and accept?
Intermittent/many branches: Neon Launch; always-on/all-in-one: Supabase Pro; compliance: Neon Scale/Supabase Team; single-node low price: PlanetScale. A 2–4 week POC on real traffic records CU/connections/latency, cold start, storage, egress, backup recovery and the bill.
Research method and limitations
This article separates “official facts” from “editorial modelling”: Neon’s Free/Launch/Scale, 0.106/0.222 CU-hr, 0.35/GB-month, 500GB egress then 0.10/GB, 1 CU≈4GB RAM and the four profiles (140/190/720/3,000 CU-h) come from Neon Pricing; Supabase’s Free/Pro 25/Team 599, $10 compute credit, Micro–16XL 10–3,730/month, 8GB disk, 250GB egress, 100k MAU, 0.125/GB disk, 0.09/GB egress and 0.00325/MAU come from Supabase Pricing; PlanetScale’s from 5/50 entry prices come from PlanetScale Pricing. The four TCOs are arithmetic on those assumptions, not vendor quotes.
Eight limitations: (1) only US public list prices are used, excluding tax, discounts, commitments, support and regional differences; (2) only compute+storage (Supabase includes plan/disk overage) are counted, excluding egress/MAU/file/logs/backup/read replicas/private networking/migration; (3) Neon 1 CU≈4GB RAM and Supabase tiers by memory, so the mapping is approximate, not a performance benchmark; (4) Neon Launch has no SLA and Supabase Pro has no SLA; Scale/Team compliance/SLA are not equivalent; (5) connections, latency, cold start, IOPS, backup recovery and failover were not tested; (6) PlanetScale’s full calculator, RDS/Aurora/Cloud SQL, CockroachDB and Timescale are excluded; (7) migration, re-engineering, training and dual-run costs are excluded; (8) prices and terms can change by contract, region and exchange rate. Treat this as a pricing-conversion template and replace assumptions with a 2–4 week real-traffic POC.
Sources and basis
- Neon, Pricing: neon.com/pricing. Free 0; Launch 0.106/CU-hr, Scale 0.222/CU-hr; storage 0.35/GB-month; branching 0.002/hour; Launch/Scale 500GB egress/project then 0.10/GB; 1 CU≈4GB RAM; profiles 140/190/720/3,000 CU-h. Accessed 7 November 2026.
- Supabase, Pricing: supabase.com/pricing. Free 0; Pro 25/month ($10 compute credit); Team 599/month; 100k MAU then 0.00325/MAU; 8GB disk then 0.125/GB; 250GB egress then 0.09/GB; 100GB file then 0.0213/GB; compute Micro 10, Small 15, Medium 60, Large 110, XL 210, 2XL 410, 4XL 960, 8XL 1,870, 12XL 2,800, 16XL 3,730/month. Accessed 7 November 2026.
- PlanetScale, Pricing: planetscale.com/pricing. Postgres single node from 5/month; Metal from 50/month; HA 1 primary + 2 replicas; calculator by compute/topology/storage/backup/egress. Accessed 7 November 2026.
Data cut-off 7 November 2026; prices are public list prices excluding tax; all models are editorial calculations. This is not procurement advice.