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Neon vs Nhost
Side-by-side comparison of Neon and Nhost.
Quick summary
Neon — Serverless Postgres. Neon is a serverless Postgres platform with branching, autoscaling, and a generous free tier.
Nhost — Open source Firebase alternative with GraphQL. Nhost is an open-source backend platform combining PostgreSQL, Hasura GraphQL, authentication, and storage.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Neon | Nhost |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | $19/mo | $25/mo |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Engine | PostgreSQL | — |
| Branching | Yes | — |
| Free Tier | 0.5GB storage | Yes |
| Serverless | Yes | — |
| Scale-to-zero | Yes | — |
| Point-in-time Recovery | Yes | — |
| Auth | — | Yes |
| Storage | — | Yes |
| Database | — | PostgreSQL |
| Realtime | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Edge Functions | — | Yes |
| Row Level Security | — | Yes |
Neon
Serverless Postgres
Pros
- Git-like branching for databases
- Scale-to-zero saves money
- Standard Postgres
Cons
- Cold starts after scale-to-zero
- Younger platform vs RDS
Nhost
Open source Firebase alternative with GraphQL
Pros
- GraphQL-first via Hasura
- Postgres + open source
- Good developer experience
Cons
- Smaller community
- GraphQL learning curve
Which should you choose?
Choose Neon if you value open source and want the option to self-host, and a free tier is important for your stage. Choose Nhost if you value open source and want the option to self-host, and a free tier is important for your stage.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better, Neon or Nhost?
There is no universal “better.” For most teams, Neon is the safer default because Neon has a larger community and more third-party integrations, which often translates to better long-term support. For edge cases, the comparison table above highlights where each tool wins.
Is Neon cheaper than Nhost?
Neon starts at $19/mo, while Nhost starts at $25/mo. Exact costs depend on usage — check both vendors' calculators before committing.
Can I migrate from Neon to Nhost?
Migration difficulty depends on how deeply Neon-specific features (APIs, SDK conventions, data schemas) are baked into your app. Most database migrations take days to weeks. Both vendors typically publish migration guides — check their docs.
Is Neon or Nhost open source?
Yes, both Neon and Nhost are open source and can be self-hosted.
Does Neon or Nhost have a free tier?
Both Neon and Nhost offer a free tier.
Which is best for startups and indie hackers?
Startups usually optimize for the lowest friction to ship and the cheapest possible free tier. The one with the most generous free tier here is Neon. For production workloads, revisit the trade-offs in the feature table above.