PostgreSQL vs Turso for Solo Developers

Quick Comparison

PostgreSQL Overview

PostgreSQL is the relational database that handles everything. Complex joins, JSONB documents, full-text search, geospatial queries, array columns, window functions. It is the most feature-complete open-source database available, and every serious backend framework treats it as the default choice.

For a solo developer, Postgres is the safe bet that scales. You start with a free Supabase or Neon instance, and if your project grows to millions of users, Postgres handles it. The skills you learn transfer to every job, every project, and every framework. The ecosystem of managed providers means you never have to babysit a database server.

Turso Overview

Turso takes SQLite and puts it on the edge. It is built on libSQL, a fork of SQLite, and distributes your database to edge locations worldwide. The standout feature is embedded replicas, where a read-only copy of your database runs inside your application for near-zero latency reads.

The concept is compelling: SQLite's simplicity (no server, SQL standard, single-file mentality) combined with global distribution and replication. For applications deployed to edge runtimes like Cloudflare Workers or Fly.io, Turso puts your data physically close to your users.

The free tier gives you 500 databases, 9 GB storage, and 500 million row reads per month. That is generous enough for multiple projects. The Scaler plan at $29/mo expands limits for production workloads.

Key Differences

Feature set is vastly different. PostgreSQL supports JSONB, full-text search, custom types, stored procedures, triggers, materialized views, PostGIS, and hundreds of extensions. Turso inherits SQLite's feature set, which is intentionally minimal. No stored procedures, no custom types, limited ALTER TABLE support. For simple CRUD operations, this does not matter. For complex data needs, it matters a lot.

Edge distribution is Turso's strength. With Postgres, your database lives in one region. A user on the other side of the world adds 100-200ms of latency for every query. Turso replicates your data to edge locations, and embedded replicas read data locally with near-zero latency. If your app serves a global audience and latency matters, this is a real advantage.

Write patterns differ significantly. Turso routes all writes to a primary database in one region, then replicates to edge locations. For read-heavy applications, this works beautifully. For write-heavy applications, you still have single-region write latency. PostgreSQL with a single-region deployment has the same limitation, but its write performance on a dedicated server is typically better.

Ecosystem maturity is not comparable. PostgreSQL has decades of tooling, ORMs, migration tools, monitoring solutions, and hosting providers. Turso is new. ORM support exists through Drizzle and some others, but the ecosystem is a fraction of what Postgres offers. When you hit an edge case, Postgres has a Stack Overflow answer. Turso might not.

SQLite limitations apply. Turso inherits SQLite's single-writer model. Concurrent writes queue up. ALTER TABLE has restrictions. There are no ENUM types, no native arrays, and limited date/time functions. These are fine for many applications but limiting for others.

When to Choose PostgreSQL

• You need advanced features like JSONB, full-text search, or PostGIS
• Your application has complex data relationships and joins
• You want the largest ecosystem of tools, ORMs, and hosting providers
• Write-heavy workloads are a significant part of your application
• You want the safest, most proven database choice

When to Choose Turso

• You are deploying to edge runtimes (Cloudflare Workers, Fly.io)
• Your application is read-heavy and serves a global audience
• You want SQLite simplicity with replication and distribution
• You value embedded replicas for near-zero read latency
• You are building a lightweight app that does not need Postgres-level features

The Verdict

PostgreSQL is the better default choice for solo developers. The 9/10 vs 8/10 ratings reflect the reality that Postgres handles more use cases, has a deeper ecosystem, and costs nothing with providers like Neon and Supabase.

Turso is not trying to replace Postgres. It is carving out a niche for edge-first applications where read latency matters and SQLite's simplicity is a feature. If you are deploying to Cloudflare Workers and want your data at the edge, Turso is genuinely compelling. For everything else, Postgres remains the foundation I recommend. Start there, and if you specifically need edge data distribution, evaluate Turso for that use case.