Neon vs Turso for Solo Developers

Quick Comparison

Neon Overview

Neon is serverless PostgreSQL done right. You get a full Postgres database that scales to zero when nobody is using it and wakes up in milliseconds when they are. Database branching lets you create instant copies of your data for testing. And the free tier is genuinely generous for solo developers.

I've been impressed with Neon every time I've used it. The connection experience is smooth, it works with every Postgres tool and ORM out there, and the branching feature is something I wish every database had. Need to test a migration against real data? Branch your database, run the migration, verify it works, then apply it to production. It takes seconds.

The Postgres compatibility means your existing knowledge transfers directly. Prisma, Drizzle, Django, Rails, any tool that speaks Postgres works with Neon without changes. That's a massive advantage for a solo developer who doesn't want to learn a new database system.

Turso Overview

Turso takes SQLite and puts it at the edge. Built on libSQL (their fork of SQLite), Turso replicates your database to multiple locations globally so your reads are fast no matter where your users are. The killer feature is embedded replicas, where you embed a read replica directly in your application, making reads essentially local.

SQLite is one of my favorite pieces of technology. It's simple, reliable, and needs no server. Turso extends that simplicity with managed replication and global distribution. Your application talks to what feels like a local SQLite file, but behind the scenes, writes go to a primary and replicate everywhere.

The free tier is solid. You get databases, locations, and enough storage to build real projects. The developer experience is clean, and the CLI works well. If you're building something that needs low latency globally and you appreciate SQLite's simplicity, Turso is genuinely interesting.

Key Differences

Postgres vs SQLite is the core tradeoff. Neon gives you full PostgreSQL with all its features: JSONB, full-text search, advanced indexing, stored procedures, extensions. Turso gives you SQLite with its simplicity but also its limitations: no stored procedures, limited concurrent write throughput, fewer data types. For most web applications, Postgres offers more flexibility.

Edge distribution is Turso's advantage. Neon runs in specific regions. Turso replicates globally. If your users are spread across continents and read latency matters, Turso's edge replicas deliver faster reads. But for most solo developer projects where users are concentrated in one or two regions, Neon's single-region Postgres is fast enough.

Ecosystem support is massively different. PostgreSQL has decades of tooling, ORMs, extensions, and community knowledge. Every framework, every ORM, every deployment platform supports Postgres natively. SQLite/libSQL support is growing but it's still a fraction of what Postgres offers. Drizzle supports Turso well, but some tools just don't support it yet.

Pricing favors Neon slightly. Neon's Pro plan is $19/mo. Turso's Scaler is $29/mo. Both have free tiers. For a solo developer counting every dollar, Neon's paid tier is cheaper when you need to upgrade.

Branching exists on both, but Neon's is more mature. Neon pioneered database branching and it shows. The implementation is polished and the workflow is well-documented. Turso offers branching too, but Neon's has been production-tested longer.

Write patterns matter. SQLite (and by extension Turso) uses a single-writer model. One write at a time. For most web apps this is fine, but if you have high write concurrency, Postgres handles it better with its multi-writer architecture.

When to Choose Neon

• You want full PostgreSQL compatibility without managing servers
• Your project uses frameworks that default to Postgres (Django, Rails, etc.)
• You need JSONB, full-text search, or advanced SQL features
• You prefer the larger Postgres ecosystem and tooling
• Database branching for safe migrations is important to you

When to Choose Turso

• You love SQLite's simplicity and want it in production
• Your application needs low-latency reads globally
• Embedded replicas for local-speed reads excite you
• You're building with a framework that supports libSQL (Drizzle, etc.)
• You want edge-first architecture without complexity

The Verdict

Neon wins for most solo developers. PostgreSQL is simply more capable, more widely supported, and the tooling ecosystem is unmatched. The free tier is generous, the DX is excellent, and every ORM and framework works with it out of the box.

Turso is genuinely compelling if you're building edge-first applications or if you love SQLite's philosophy. The embedded replicas feature is clever, and for read-heavy, globally distributed apps, it's a real advantage. But for the typical solo developer building a SaaS or side project? Postgres on Neon is the safer, more versatile choice. Start there, and explore Turso when you have a specific edge computing use case that demands it.