2026 Complete Free Cloud Database List

Want to build a side project but the database alone costs money? Don't worry—2026 still has plenty of free cloud databases available. But there have been notable changes this year—PlanetScale has completely removed its free plan, and Neon and Turso have shrunk their free quotas—so the list needed a refresh.

This article compiles 7 cloud databases that are still free in 2026, from MySQL to PostgreSQL to NoSQL, and the next section lists exactly which free plans were cancelled or cut this year. Each service comes with its latest free quota, limitations, and suitable scenarios, so you can start developing without spending a dime.

Further reading: Cloud Database Complete Guide | Understanding cloud database basics

---

Why Choose Free Cloud Databases?

Scenarios Suitable for Free Plans

Free cloud databases aren't just for playing around—many serious use cases are suitable:

Learning and Practice Just starting backend development? Free databases let you practice SQL and learn database design without spending money.

Side Projects and MVPs Validating product concepts doesn't require burning money first. Build an MVP with free plans, and upgrade when someone's willing to pay.

Personal Portfolio That demo website on your resume needs a database? Free plans are completely sufficient and show you know cloud services.

Small Tools and Internal Systems Small internal company tools, low-traffic form systems—free quotas are usually more than enough.

Prototype Development and POC Building a POC (Proof of Concept) for clients? Get it running on free plans first, confirm viability, then discuss budget.

Free Plan Limitations and Considerations

There's no free lunch—free plans have some limitations to know about:

Performance Limitations

• Shared compute resources, may slow during peak times
• Connection limits, usually 5-20 simultaneous connections
• No SLA guarantee

Feature Limitations

• Usually no automatic backups (or very short retention)
• No high availability configuration
• Some advanced features locked

Data Limitations

• Storage caps (varying from 512 MB to 10 GiB)
• Read/write count limits
• May not have cross-region replication

Commercial Limitations

• Some services prohibit free plans for commercial use
• Exceeding quota may stop service (not charge)

Bottom line: Free plans are suitable for development, testing, and small applications. For serious commercial systems, evaluate paid plans.

---

Major 2026 Free-Tier Changes: What's Cancelled, What Shrank?

Free cloud database plans have shifted quickly over the past year or two. Here's the summary before the list:

• PlanetScale: free plan completely removed. PlanetScale dropped its once-popular free Hobby plan in 2024. There's no free tier anymore; the cheapest paid option is a single-node Postgres instance (PS-5) starting around US$5/month. Many old "free MySQL" tutorials recommended it—those no longer apply.
• Neon: reduced free compute and storage. The free plan is now 0.5 GB storage per project, 100 CU-hours of compute per month, and a cap of 100 projects. (Older guides advertised accumulation up to 10 GB, 191 compute hours, and unlimited projects.)
• Turso: free quota roughly halved. Storage dropped from 9 GB to 5 GB, database count from 500 to 100, and monthly writes from 25 million to 10 million (reads stay at 500 million). The old 9 GB now requires the paid Developer plan (US$4.99/month).
• Still stable: Firebase (Spark), Supabase (500 MB), MongoDB Atlas (M0 512 MB), and CockroachDB Basic (10 GiB) are largely unchanged; Aiven fills the gap for free PostgreSQL/MySQL.

Providers can adjust anytime—always confirm the exact quota on the official pricing page (all references at the end of this article are official pages).

---

7 Best Free Cloud Database Recommendations

1. Firebase Realtime Database / Firestore

Google's Firebase is the first choice for mobile apps, with generous free quotas.

Firestore Free Quota:

• 1 GB storage
• 50,000 reads/day
• 20,000 writes/day
• 20,000 deletes/day

Realtime Database Free Quota:

• 1 GB storage
• 10 GB/month download traffic
• 100 simultaneous connections

Suitable Scenarios:

• Mobile apps (iOS, Android, Flutter)
• Real-time sync applications (chat rooms, collaboration tools)
• Rapid prototyping

Pros:

• Real-time sync is super convenient—data changes update frontend immediately
• Complete SDKs, almost all platforms supported
• Seamless integration with other Firebase services (Auth, Hosting)

Cons:

• Limited query functionality, complex queries need manual handling
• Data structure design has learning curve
• Leaving Firebase ecosystem requires significant code rewriting

Want to learn more? See: Google Cloud Database Complete Tutorial

2. Supabase (Open Source PostgreSQL Alternative)

Supabase is called the "open source Firebase" but uses PostgreSQL underneath.

Free Quota:

• 500 MB database storage
• 1 GB file storage
• 50,000 monthly active users (Auth)
• 500,000 Edge Function calls/month
• 2 projects

Suitable Scenarios:

• Developers who prefer PostgreSQL
• Need complete SQL functionality
• Want Firebase-like real-time features without lock-in

Pros:

• Full PostgreSQL—supports JOINs, foreign keys, stored procedures
• Built-in real-time subscriptions (Realtime)
• Open source project, no lock-in fears
• Built-in Auth, Storage, Edge Functions

Cons:

• Free plan projects pause after 1 week of inactivity
• 500 MB storage relatively small
• Relatively new, fewer community resources than Firebase

3. MongoDB Atlas Free Plan

MongoDB's official cloud service, the first choice for document databases.

Free Quota (M0 Shared Cluster):

• 512 MB storage
• Shared RAM/vCPU
• ~100 operations per second cap
• 100 connections

Suitable Scenarios:

• Projects already using MongoDB
• Applications with flexible data structures
• Node.js or Python backends

Pros:

• Official MongoDB service, best compatibility
• Multiple global regions available
• Built-in Charts visualization
• Permanently free, doesn't expire

Cons:

• 512 MB storage is a bit small
• Shared cluster, unstable performance
• No automatic backups

4. Neon (Serverless PostgreSQL)

Neon is a new generation serverless PostgreSQL, featuring auto-scaling and branching. Note: Neon adjusted its free quota in 2025, so the numbers are smaller than in older tutorials.

Free Quota (2026):

• 0.5 GB storage per project
• 100 CU-hours compute time/month
• Up to 100 projects, 10 branches per project
• 5 GB network egress, database branching

Suitable Scenarios:

• Serverless architecture
• Teams needing database branching
• Test environments needing production data copies

Pros:

• True serverless, auto-pauses when not in use
• Powerful branching, deep Vercel integration
• Fast cold start
• Free tier includes Auth for 60,000 monthly active users

Cons:

• Compute (CU-hours) and storage quotas are smaller than before—watch usage
• Free plan has no high availability
• Only 0.5 GB storage per project on the free tier

5. Turso (Edge SQLite)

Turso brings SQLite to the Edge, suitable for latency-sensitive applications. Note: Turso has lowered its free quota—both storage and writes are smaller than before.

Free Quota (2026):

• 5 GB storage (was 9 GB)
• 100 databases (was 500)
• 500 million reads/month
• 10 million writes/month (was 25 million)

Suitable Scenarios:

• Latency-sensitive applications
• Static websites needing a database
• Personal projects and small applications

Pros:

• Edge deployment, ultra-low latency
• SQLite compatible, lightweight and easy to use
• Free quota is still usable (5 GB / 500 million reads)
• Embedded database experience

Cons:

• SQLite features are limited
• Not suitable for complex transaction processing
• Free storage and write quotas are smaller than before

6. CockroachDB Basic

CockroachDB is a distributed SQL database. Its free Basic plan (formerly Serverless) has a generous quota.

Free Quota:

• 10 GiB storage
• 50 million Request Units (RU)/month
• Auto-scaling, usage-based billing

Suitable Scenarios:

• Applications needing global distribution
• High availability requirements
• PostgreSQL compatibility needs

Pros:

• Born distributed, high availability
• PostgreSQL wire protocol compatible
• Large free quota (10 GiB + 50 million RU)
• Serverless, pay per use

Cons:

• Request Units billing model takes adjustment
• Steeper learning curve
• May be overkill for small projects

7. Aiven (Free PostgreSQL/MySQL)

After PlanetScale removed its free plan, Aiven is one of the few managed services still offering free PostgreSQL and MySQL—a good fit if you specifically need "free MySQL" or "free PostgreSQL."

Free Quota (PostgreSQL, verified):

• 1 dedicated VM, 1 CPU, 1 GB RAM
• 1 GB storage
• The free plan also offers one free MySQL and one free Valkey service (see the official page)

Suitable Scenarios:

• Small projects needing free MySQL or PostgreSQL
• Avoiding single-ecosystem lock-in
• Learning and prototyping

Pros:

• Covers PostgreSQL, MySQL, and Valkey
• Standard-compatible, smooth upgrade to paid plans
• Managed service, no ops overhead

Cons:

• Small free-tier resources (1 CPU / 1 GB RAM / 1 GB storage)
• Free tier can't pick a specific cloud or region
• Free tier has no connection pooling or integrations

---

Free Cloud Database Comparison Table

Free Quota Comparison (Storage, Read/Write, Connections)

Service	Storage	Read Limit	Write Limit	Connections
Firebase Firestore	1 GB	50K/day	20K/day	-
Supabase	500 MB	Unlimited	Unlimited	60
MongoDB Atlas	512 MB	Shared (~100 ops/sec)	Shared	100
Neon	0.5 GB/project	Unlimited	Unlimited	-
Turso	5 GB	500M/month	10M/month	-
CockroachDB Basic	10 GiB	50M RU/month	50M RU/month	-
Aiven (PostgreSQL)	1 GB	Compute-based	Compute-based	-

Feature Comparison

Service	Database Type	Real-time Sync	Branching	Auto Backup
Firebase	NoSQL	✅	❌	❌
Supabase	PostgreSQL	✅	❌	❌
MongoDB Atlas	Document	✅	❌	❌
Neon	PostgreSQL	❌	✅	✅
Turso	SQLite	❌	❌	❌
CockroachDB Basic	PostgreSQL	❌	❌	✅
Aiven	PostgreSQL/MySQL	❌	❌	❌

Upgrade Plans and Pricing

Service	Cheapest Paid Plan	Features
Firebase	Blaze (Pay as you go)	Only charged when exceeding free quota
Supabase	Pro $25/month	8GB storage + no pausing
MongoDB Atlas	Flex (usage-based)	Dedicated resources + backup
Neon	Launch (usage-based, no monthly minimum)	More compute and storage
Turso	Developer $4.99/month	9GB storage, more read/writes
CockroachDB	Standard (from $0.18/hr)	Steady workloads, provisioned compute
Aiven	Usage-based per service	Unlocks region choice and integrations

---

Major Cloud Platform Free Tiers

Besides the specialized services above, major cloud platforms also have free tiers. Detailed comparison: AWS vs GCP vs Azure Database Complete Comparison

AWS Free Tier Database Services

AWS offers 12 months of free trial:

RDS (Relational Database):

• 750 hours/month of db.t2.micro or db.t3.micro
• 20 GB general purpose SSD storage
• 20 GB backup storage

DynamoDB (NoSQL):

• 25 GB storage (permanently free)
• 25 read capacity units
• 25 write capacity units

Note: After 12-month trial ends, RDS will charge. DynamoDB free quota is permanent.

GCP Free Tier

GCP's free options:

Cloud SQL:

• No permanently free tier
• New users get $300 credit (90 days)

Firestore:

• 1 GB storage (permanently free)
• 50,000 reads/day
• 20,000 writes/day

GCP's database free quota is relatively conservative, but the $300 credit can last a while.

Azure Free Account

Azure offers:

Azure SQL Database:

• 12 months free (250 GB S0 instance)

Cosmos DB:

• 1,000 RU/s free (permanent)
• 25 GB storage

Azure's free SQL Database quota is generous, suitable for .NET developers.

---

How to Choose the Right Free Plan?

By Project Type

Building a Mobile App? → Firebase is the first choice—complete SDKs, great real-time sync

Building a Web Application? → Supabase or Neon—complete PostgreSQL functionality

Building an API Backend? → Neon (PostgreSQL); for free MySQL, use Aiven

Static Website + Database? → Turso—Edge deployment, low latency

AI/ML Project? → MongoDB Atlas—JSON format is flexible

By Tech Stack (MySQL, PostgreSQL, NoSQL)

Team Familiar with MySQL: → Aiven (free MySQL; PlanetScale's free tier is gone) → Or use major-platform MySQL services like the AWS RDS free trial (12 months)

Team Familiar with PostgreSQL: → Supabase (most complete features) → Neon (great serverless experience) → Aiven (if you want plain managed hosting) → CockroachDB (need distributed)

Detailed MySQL cloud integration tutorial: MySQL Cloud Integration Guide

Need NoSQL: → Firebase (real-time sync) → MongoDB Atlas (document database)

Not Sure What to Use: → Start with Supabase—PostgreSQL has the most complete features, easy to switch later

---

Still not sure which to choose after reading this? Every project has different needs, and choosing wrong makes migration troublesome. Schedule a free consultation and let us analyze the best solution for you.

---

FAQ

Are Free Cloud Databases Really Free?

Really free, but with quota limits. As long as your usage is within the free quota, you won't be charged. Some services stop automatically when quota is exceeded, others start charging—read the terms carefully before registering.

Can Free Plans Be Used in Production?

Technically yes, but not recommended. Free plans usually have no SLA guarantee, no automatic backups, and unstable performance. For money-making production products, recommend upgrading to paid plans—a few dozen dollars monthly saves a lot of trouble.

What Happens When Free Quota Is Exceeded?

Different services handle it differently:

• Firebase: Blaze plan automatically charges
• Neon/Turso: Compute is throttled or paused once you exceed the quota; upgrade to restore it
• Supabase: Project pauses
• MongoDB Atlas: Continues running but performance limited

Recommend setting usage alerts to get notified when approaching quota.

Is Data Safe in Free Plans?

Mainstream services' security is fine—all have encryption, access control, and other basic protections. But free plans usually have no automatic backups, you need to export data regularly yourself. Also, free plans may reserve the right to delete inactive accounts in their terms—keep your own backups of important data.

---

Conclusion

2026 still has many free cloud database options, from MySQL to PostgreSQL to NoSQL. But the changes this year are significant: PlanetScale removed its free plan, and Neon and Turso shrank their free quotas—check the latest terms before you choose.

Quick Recommendations:

• Building Apps → Firebase
• Need free MySQL → Aiven (PlanetScale's free tier is gone)
• Need PostgreSQL → Supabase or Neon
• Need NoSQL → MongoDB Atlas
• Need Maximum Free Space → CockroachDB Basic (10 GiB) or Turso (5 GB)

Free plans are suitable for learning, development, and small projects. When traffic grows and you need stability and backups, upgrading to paid plans isn't too late.

---

Need Professional Advice?

Free plans have their limitations. As your project grows, you'll face these issues:

• Free quota almost used up—which plan should you upgrade to?
• Need to migrate from free service to enterprise solution—what's the smoothest way?
• How to choose between multiple services for best value?

CloudInsight Free Cloud Consultation can help you:

✅ Assess Current State: Analyze your usage, predict when you'll exceed free quota ✅ Compare Plans: Compare paid plans across services, find the best value ✅ Migration Planning: If service change needed, plan lowest-risk migration path ✅ Cost Optimization: Ensure you don't pay for features you don't use

Schedule Free Consultation

Click to Schedule 30-Minute Free Consultation

No matter which free plan you're currently using, we can give you objective advice.

---

Further Reading

• Cloud Database Complete Guide
• AWS vs GCP vs Azure Database Complete Comparison
• MySQL Cloud Database Integration Guide
• Google Cloud Database Detailed Tutorial

---

References

1. Firebase Pricing (Spark free plan) - https://firebase.google.com/pricing
2. Supabase Pricing - https://supabase.com/pricing
3. MongoDB Atlas Pricing - https://www.mongodb.com/pricing
4. Neon Pricing - https://neon.com/pricing
5. Turso Pricing - https://turso.tech/pricing
6. CockroachDB Pricing - https://www.cockroachlabs.com/pricing/
7. Aiven Pricing - https://aiven.io/pricing
8. PlanetScale Pricing (free plan discontinued) - https://planetscale.com/pricing