top10.dev / Databases / PostgreSQL / alternatives

9 PostgreSQL alternatives, ranked

Picked from the top10.dev Databases rankings. Each option includes why a developer would choose it over PostgreSQL.

#1
Neon score 10.0/10 · RISING

Serverless Postgres that scales to zero. Branching for dev/preview environments. The future of Postgres hosting.

  • Strong on: True serverless — scales to zero
  • Addresses PostgreSQL's tradeoff: Can be complex to tune
  • Also: Git-like branching for databases
→ full review → compare with PostgreSQL
#2
Supabase score 10.0/10

The open source Firebase alternative. Postgres under the hood with auth, storage, and realtime built in.

  • Strong on: Full backend-as-a-service
  • Addresses PostgreSQL's tradeoff: Can be complex to tune
  • Also: Great developer experience
→ full review → compare with PostgreSQL
#3
PlanetScale score 10.0/10

MySQL-compatible serverless database with non-blocking schema changes. Built on Vitess.

  • Strong on: Non-blocking schema migrations
  • Addresses PostgreSQL's tradeoff: Can be complex to tune
  • Also: Horizontal scaling built-in
→ full review → compare with PostgreSQL
#4
MongoDB score 10.0/10

The original document database. Flexible schema, horizontal scaling, and a massive ecosystem.

  • Strong on: Flexible document model
  • Addresses PostgreSQL's tradeoff: Can be complex to tune
  • Also: Easy to get started
→ full review → compare with PostgreSQL
#5
Redis score 10.0/10

In-memory data store used for caching, sessions, queues, and real-time features. Incredibly fast.

  • Strong on: Sub-millisecond latency
  • Addresses PostgreSQL's tradeoff: Can be complex to tune
  • Also: Versatile data structures
→ full review → compare with PostgreSQL
#6
SQLite score 10.0/10 · RISING

The most deployed database in the world. Zero-config, serverless, single-file. Perfect for edge and embedded.

  • Strong on: Zero configuration
  • Addresses PostgreSQL's tradeoff: Can be complex to tune
  • Also: Single file — easy backup
→ full review → compare with PostgreSQL
#7
DynamoDB score 10.0/10

AWS's fully managed NoSQL database. Infinite scale, single-digit millisecond performance at any scale.

  • Strong on: Infinite horizontal scale
  • Addresses PostgreSQL's tradeoff: Can be complex to tune
  • Also: Fully managed
→ full review → compare with PostgreSQL
#8
Turso score 8.9/10 · NEW

SQLite for production. Edge-replicated, embedded database powered by libSQL. Incredibly low latency.

  • Strong on: SQLite at the edge
  • Addresses PostgreSQL's tradeoff: Can be complex to tune
  • Also: Embedded replicas
→ full review → compare with PostgreSQL
#9
CockroachDB score 8.4/10

Distributed SQL database that survives anything. PostgreSQL wire-compatible with global scale.

  • Strong on: Survives node failures
  • Addresses PostgreSQL's tradeoff: Can be complex to tune
  • Also: Global distribution
→ full review → compare with PostgreSQL
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