“Incredible serverless database with branching that scales to 100 and 0”
DatabaseMaker says so +1 · source ↗
Neon
Serverless Postgres with branching and scale-to-zero.
Works with AI agents:llms.txtMCPCLIBuilt into v0Neon is hosted Postgres whose databases are created by API, shut down when idle, and can be copied instantly for a test or preview deploy. It is now owned by Databricks, and around the database it adds S3-compatible object storage, long-running functions, managed auth, an AI gateway and an HTTP Data API, all declared in one neon.ts file.
The model to understand: Postgres is split into a stateless compute node and a separate storage layer that keeps every write-ahead log record. Because history lives in storage, a branch is a copy-on-write clone made in seconds, point-in-time restore is a metadata operation, and compute can resize or stop without losing data. You connect with any normal Postgres driver or ORM, or with @neondatabase/serverless, which sends queries over HTTP or WebSockets so they work from Vercel Edge and Cloudflare Workers.
For a small team: a branch per pull request preloaded with real data, a git-style schema diff between branches, a built-in PgBouncer pooler for serverless functions, standard Postgres extensions, and migration tools for moving in from Heroku, Supabase, RDS and others. Projects run in AWS regions in the US, Europe, Asia Pacific and South America.
Limits: an idle database scales to zero after five minutes and takes a few hundred milliseconds to wake (always-on requires a paid plan), the region is fixed once a project is created, and pooled connections run in transaction mode, so session features like SET and LISTEN need a direct connection.
Where it fits
How Neon itself is built
6 tools, from its own code, website and Product Hunt page.
Who uses it
95 makers' products, each linked to the source that shows it, and 16 open-source projects that declare it in their code.
“We use Neon for Superset's Postgres database and database branches when developing schema changes. It is part of the shared backend behind our desktop and mobile apps.”
DatabaseMaker says so +1 · source ↗“Needed a database that could handle variable workloads without paying for idle capacity. Neon's serverless Postgres scales with usage, which made it a perfect fit for a platform where brand generation sessions are intensive but unpredictable.”
DatabaseMaker says so +1 · source ↗“Neon’s serverless Postgres gives us elastic, managed databases with zero-downtime branching—perfect for rapid iteration.”
DatabaseMaker says so +1 · source ↗“Great service, flexibility, reliability”
DatabaseMaker says so +1 · source ↗“Postgres, the Apple way.”
DatabaseMaker says so +1 · source ↗“Serverless Postgres was a natural fit for our scale-as-you-go model. Neon handles our data layer without the overhead of managing database instances, letting us stay focused on building the product.”
DatabaseMaker says so +1 · source ↗“Neon gives Open Analytics a fast, scalable Postgres foundation without adding infrastructure complexity for our team.”
DatabaseMaker says so +1 · source ↗“Super easy to setup through the Vercel ecosystem!”
DatabaseMaker says so · source ↗“Serverless Postgres, accessed via Prisma ORM”
DatabaseMaker says so · source ↗“Neon gives us serverless Postgres that scales to zero — perfect for a startup watching costs. Branching for dev/staging environments is a game-changer, and the built-in auth saved us weeks of work. Sub-millisecond queries keep our security reports snappy. Best Postgres experience we've had.”
DatabaseMaker says so · source ↗“I've used Supabase for some time before but Neon works better for me as it's easier to use and more affordable.”
DatabaseMaker says so · source ↗“Every Anything app comes with a full Postgres database that scales”
DatabaseMaker says so · source ↗“Neon powers Git Pitcher’s Postgres database. It made it easy to use a production-ready database for generated artifacts, users, and usage tracking.”
DatabaseMaker says so · source ↗“My postgres database provider, easy to implement and to work with.”
DatabaseMaker says so · source ↗“Neon is serverless Postgres that takes the stress out of database migrations. It lets us test schema changes on a copy of our production DB before deploying.”
DatabaseMaker says so · source ↗“Neon is a serverless Postgres with autoscaling, branching, and point-in-time recovery, eliminating database management overhead.”
DatabaseMaker says so · source ↗“Our backend is on Neon and we like using it so far”
DatabaseMaker says so · source ↗“The platform is using Neon for the database.”
DatabaseMaker says so · source ↗“Unabyss is Postgres-first - context docs, versioning, and vector search all run on Postgres with pgvector - so Postgres was never in question. What we wanted was managed, serverless Postgres that didn't make a small team babysit infra, plus real operational visibility (Neon surfaces slow-query insights right through MCP). It let us keep the database we'd already committed to and stop thinking about it.”
DatabaseMaker says so · source ↗“Neon made working with Postgres feel modern and simple. Its intuitive interface and fast performance were exactly what I needed for handling Cure AI’s data.”
DatabaseMaker says so · source ↗“The Postgres behind every account, subscription, and generation log. Branching makes schema changes painless. Serverless driver lets the Next.js routes talk to the DB without connection-pool drama. The free tier got EmailTemple from prototype to live with one config change.”
DatabaseMaker says so · source ↗“True serverless Postgres that scales to zero = massive cost savings. But the game-changer is database branching it's like Git for your database. We can test migrations on branches before production. Instant provisioning and generous free tier sealed the deal.”
DatabaseMaker says so · source ↗Open source: a project that declares Neon as a dependency in its public code — verifiable, but not necessarily a live product.
What makers say
65 makers on why they use Neon, in their own words on Product Hunt.
Neon is serverless Postgres without compromise. PlanetScale was the original plan, but they killed their free tier. And honestly, I wanted real Postgres — not MySQL with branching bolted on. Drizzle ORM plus Postgres is the cleanest DX I've worked with. Upstash is great for Redis and edge use cases, but DwellRecord needs relational data — homes, rooms, assets, improvements, photos, sessions, users. That's a relational schema, not key-value. Forcing that into Upstash would have been fighting the tool. Render's managed Postgres works fine, but it's always-on pricing and no serverless scaling. Neon scales to zero when nobody's using the app and wakes up instantly on the first query. For an early-stage SaaS where traffic is unpredictable, that's the difference between paying for idle compute and paying for actual usage. The killer feature for me was Neon's connection pooling out of the box. Railway runs Node containers, Cloudflare sits in front — I didn't want to think about connection limits. Neon just handles it. I pointed Drizzle at the connection string and never thought about the database layer again.
DwellRecordSep 2026 ↗Neon is serverless Postgres without compromise. PlanetScale was the original plan, but they killed their free tier. And honestly, I wanted real Postgres — not MySQL with branching bolted on. Drizzle ORM plus Postgres is the cleanest DX I've worked with. Upstash is great for Redis and edge use cases, but DwellRecord needs relational data — homes, rooms, assets, improvements, photos, sessions, users. That's a relational schema, not key-value. Forcing that into Upstash would have been fighting the tool. Render's managed Postgres works fine, but it's always-on pricing and no serverless scaling. Neon scales to zero when nobody's using the app and wakes up instantly on the first query. For an early-stage SaaS where traffic is unpredictable, that's the difference between paying for idle compute and paying for actual usage. The killer feature for me was Neon's connection pooling out of the box. Railway runs Node containers, Cloudflare sits in front — I didn't want to think about connection limits. Neon just handles it. I pointed Drizzle at the connection string and never thought about the database layer again.
DwellRecordMar 2026 ↗Waldium is multi-tenant, thousands of blogs and posts posts, all in one Postgres database. Neon's serverless Postgres scales instantly without us thinking about it. We like the Database branching. Every time we test a migration or new feature, we branch production data and test safely. No more "hope this migration works in prod." Connection pooling is built-in. Cold starts are sub-100ms. The free tier is absurdly generous for early stage. If you're building on Postgres and haven't tried Neon, you're missing out
WaldiumSep 2026 ↗Waldium is multi-tenant, thousands of blogs and posts posts, all in one Postgres database. Neon's serverless Postgres scales instantly without us thinking about it. We like the Database branching. Every time we test a migration or new feature, we branch production data and test safely. No more "hope this migration works in prod." Connection pooling is built-in. Cold starts are sub-100ms. The free tier is absurdly generous for early stage. If you're building on Postgres and haven't tried Neon, you're missing out
WaldiumNov 2025 ↗I knew I needed a robust Postgres database for WriteRush's user accounts and subscription data. As a solo dev, the idea of managing a traditional database was daunting. Neon's serverless Postgres was great! The setup took literally 5 minutes. It scales automatically, the developer experience is fantastic, and the ability to branch my database like I branch my code is awesome. Neon gave WriteRush a production-grade database with zero overhead, letting me focus on building the app itself.
WriteRushSep 2026 ↗Loved and watch-outs
Themes that recur in makers' words and Hacker News comments, each linked to what it summarises, with how Product Hunt tags its reviews.
- Postgres scales to zero when idle, so early products and staging databases cost almost nothing until traffic arrives. PHHN
- Branching copies the production database in seconds, so migrations and preview environments are tested against real data. PHPH 2HNHN 2
- The serverless HTTP and WebSocket driver fits Cloudflare Workers and Next.js routes without connection-pool trouble. PHHN
- Running a separate database per tenant or per user stays cheap. HNPHHN 2
- Separating compute from storage costs latency and performance compared with Postgres on local NVMe. HNHN 2
- Parts of the stack, like autoscaling and some tooling, are not supported or openly licensed for self-hosting. HNHN 2
- With no built-in caching, crawler traffic can burn through the data transfer allowance quickly. HN
Who switches
Public pull requests on GitHub since Oct 2024 whose title says "X to Y" — real code changes moving a project from one tool to another, by developers in general. Open a row to see the pull requests.
Supabase → Neon170 PRs
- feat(auth): cut over Supabase Auth to Neon Managed AuthMarcelo-teets/Motor-originac-srm · 2026-10-02
- Move backend from Supabase to Neon Postgres with Better Authsaadibnainan/edu-tracker · 2026-10-02
- Migrate CRM data layer from Supabase to NeonOverclock-Accelerator/Medline · 2026-10-01
- Migrate CRM routes from Supabase to Neon PostgresOverclock-Accelerator/overclock-tool-calling · 2026-10-01
- Migrate snapshot storage from Supabase to Neon Postgresafhaque/MeridianHealth-App · 2026-10-01
- Migrate LandmarketThai from Supabase to Neonlandmarketthai/landmarketthai · 2026-09-29
- Migrate from Supabase to Neon + host on Cloudflare Workersyannsalvo/nicophoto · 2026-09-28
- Migrate SpendWise from Supabase to Neon and Clerkderlinromero/SpendWise · 2026-09-28
- Migrate database from Supabase to NeonAakash22010/myPortfolio · 2026-09-27
- Migrate WakeMyWay accounts from Supabase to Neonyotamon/WakeMyWay · 2026-09-26
PostgreSQL → Neon41 PRs
- Switch Phase 0 Postgres from Compose to Neonthomasnoe/fulfillment-exception-triage · 2026-09-19
- fix(render): move dev Postgres to external NeonMemoFlow/memoflow-api · 2026-09-14
- infra: move local Postgres to Neon, add staged startup for resource-c…pranav2004-bit/DECENTRALISED-SLOT-BOOKING-SYSTEM-USING-BECKN-PROTOCOLS · 2026-09-01
- feat(infra): cut Postgres over to Neon (CAL-152, Teams-only)caseyluna/hoop-brain · 2026-08-30
- Move production Postgres from Render free tier to Neonadab-tech/globalopportunities · 2026-08-25
- Port Postgres from Fly to Neonjeffko77/learn2drive · 2026-08-21
- Move DB hosting from Render Postgres to Neonconorlum/ValoMaths · 2026-08-17
- CI builds its own Postgres instead of talking to NeonDantheMan1991/superapp · 2026-08-15
- Move the database off Render's expiring free Postgres to Neon, and back it upradim-zhor/mini-ground-station · 2026-08-03
- feat(infra): migrate Postgres to Neon and object storage to Cloudflare R2AlaskanTuna/SolarSim · 2026-07-30
MongoDB → Neon7 PRs
- Migrate ROI calculator from MongoDB Atlas to Neon PostgresAONIQQ/fastrackwebsite · 2026-08-06
- imp: migrate mongodb to neondphearom/projectIvy · 2026-06-24
- chore(db): migrate from MongoDB to Neon Postgressamspoerl/todays-dollars · 2026-06-18
- feat(backend): migrate from MongoDB to Neon Postgres via DrizzleTheAuthorsGrimm/orbi · 2026-06-13
- changed mongodb to neonsaihanhtet/saihanhtet · 2026-06-02
- feat(migration): migrate MongoDB to Neon, swagger and frontend should…timothyhioe/LostLink · 2025-12-03
- Migrate chat application from MongoDB to PostgreSQL with Neon supportbbj4t/chat-ui · 2025-11-16
Turso → Neon7 PRs
- feat(api): move the database from Turso to Neon Postgres (JEF-342)mankatcheung/trakwyn · 2026-09-18
- Port DB from SQLite/Turso to Postgres on Neon (#96, #97, #98)zachradtka/nextopp · 2026-05-27
- fix: migrate hosted DB from libSQL/Turso to Neon Postgresjoerickson/Wallet-Scanner · 2026-04-25
- feat: migrate database from Turso to Neon Postgresrlfarman/rej-studio · 2026-04-05
- feat(db): migrate from turso to neonkapishdima/shadcn-rss · 2026-01-19
- Migrate from Turso to Neonmetaideas/init · 2025-05-15
- Migrate from Turso to neontechulus/manage · 2025-04-05
Firebase → Neon6 PRs
- Migrate from Firebase to Neon + Cloudflare Workersdivitkej/gradlink · 2026-09-25
- Migrate from Firebase Firestore to Neon Postgresfreelancing15081997/expense-tracker · 2026-09-10
- Migrate from Firebase to Neon Postgreslauregit/conges-equipe · 2026-07-01
- Migrate backend from Firebase to Neon Postgres + Dart shelf REST APIAnis-Dje/ProLink · 2026-04-25
- Migrate Firebase Database to Neon PostgreSQLipadyptab-byte/DEVIWEbsite · 2025-09-26
- feat: migrate backend from Firebase to NeonPlumind/pimpo-don-simplifi · 2025-09-21
Neon → Supabase64 PRs
- chore(db): migrate database config from Neon to Supabasekurtlewis-ui/V-and-Sound-Inventory-System · 2026-09-30
- fix(db): move production Postgres from Neon to Supabase (v1.21.2)batashof/JobRadar · 2026-09-30
- Figma Make redesign + move sign-in and data off Neon to SupabaseGeorgeAkai/Lets_Carpool · 2026-09-29
- Switch the database from Neon to Supabase.opensourcepundits/cafe-food-hoppers · 2026-09-20
- Move the board's database from Neon to Supabaseyko79135/holyguide-test-board · 2026-09-19
- feat(db): migrate from Neon to self-hosted Supabasesebascm-dev/sebascm-dev.me · 2026-09-14
- Switch DB client from Neon HTTP to postgres.js for Supabasedoommir/novapath-website · 2026-09-10
- feat: migrate database from Neon to Supabase with updated Prisma conf…codebreakers-gcek/codebreakersgcek · 2026-09-07
- Move email signups from Neon to Supabase; drop the dead routing proxyalpline-labs/alpline-web · 2026-09-06
- feat: move lead storage from Neon to SupabaseCorranForce/throughline-marketing · 2026-09-03
Neon → PostgreSQL29 PRs
- fix(db): migrate off Neon (402 quota) to DO Managed PostgresCitrateNetwork/citrate-explorer · 2026-09-30
- Switch local DB setup from Neon to Docker Compose Postgreshenrilhos/compasso · 2026-09-21
- infra: migrate production database from Neon to Railway Postgreskayibabe/qwantej · 2026-09-19
- Switch DB client from Neon HTTP to postgres.js for Supabasedoommir/novapath-website · 2026-09-10
- fix(ops): bump backup-neon to postgres:18-alpine, add pipefailj00su3/DMC_Proyecto · 2026-09-05
- Migrate database from Neon to self-hosted Postgres on k3sLeadKitchen/platform · 2026-09-04
- Migrate database connectivity from Neon to PlanetScale PostgresRocktown-Labs/chewbuu · 2026-08-24
- Migrate analytics DB from Neon to Railway Postgresckrohg/a2w-control · 2026-08-23
- docs(plan): move Postgres off Neon to Render Postgres (Plan 26)hh2110/thandkoi-clinics · 2026-08-17
- feat(db): move off the Neon driver to plain Postgresbeydemirfurkan/todox · 2026-08-15
Neon → Turso7 PRs
- Migrate from Neon PostgreSQL to Turso SQLiteharshi79/vibebin · 2026-08-29
- feat: migrate production database from Neon to Tursottizze/digital-buddhism · 2026-08-29
- feat(repo): migrate database from Neon Postgres to Turso (libSQL)johinsDev/loyalty-app · 2026-05-27
- Migrate database from Supabase/Neon to Turso (libSQL + Drizzle)heaventree/flowbase-productive-ai-app · 2026-05-21
- Claude/migrate neon to turso e ms motobipch/CubeFeed · 2026-05-13
- Claude/migrate neon to turso e ms motobipch/CubeFeed · 2026-05-13
- feat(database): migrate database from Neon to Tursophantanhoancuong/wordest · 2026-03-09
Alternatives to Neon
All alternatives by situation →On Product Hunt, people weigh it against: Supabase, PlanetScale, Xata, Render, Prisma, Upstash, Turso, Convex, Xano.
Questions makers ask about Neon
What happens when my database is idle?
After five minutes without activity the compute suspends and restarts within a few hundred milliseconds on the next query. Free plan users cannot turn this off; paid plans can keep compute always on, and computes larger than 16 CU never suspend. source ↗
Can I query Neon from Vercel Edge or Cloudflare Workers?
Yes. The @neondatabase/serverless driver replaces TCP with HTTP for single or batched queries, or WebSockets when you need sessions and interactive transactions. source ↗
Which regions are available, and can I move later?
Projects run in AWS regions in Virginia, Ohio, Oregon, Frankfurt, London, Singapore, Sydney and São Paulo. The region is fixed when the project is created, so moving means creating a new project and migrating the data. source ↗
Is Neon SOC 2, GDPR and HIPAA compliant?
Neon has SOC 2 Type 1 and Type 2, SOC 3, ISO 27001 and ISO 27701 audits and adheres to GDPR and CCPA. HIPAA compliance is offered on the Scale plan. source ↗
How do I migrate an existing database to Neon?
For Postgres under 10 GB there is an automated Import Data Assistant; larger databases can use pg_dump/restore, pgcopydb or logical replication for near-zero downtime. pgloader covers MySQL, SQL Server and SQLite, and there are provider guides for Heroku, Supabase, PlanetScale, RDS and Cloud SQL. source ↗
Should I use the pooled or direct connection string?
Use the pooled string (hostname ending in -pooler) for serverless and per-request connections; it runs PgBouncer in transaction mode with up to 10,000 client connections. Use a direct connection for migrations, pg_dump, logical replication and anything relying on SET, LISTEN/NOTIFY or session state. source ↗
Do branches slow down my production database?
No. Branches are copy-on-write clones that store their writes as deltas, so the parent sees no added load. You can also roll back to any point within your history window. source ↗
Is Neon free?
Yes — there is a free tier a small product can run on; paid use starts at $0.106 per CU-hour. source ↗
Is Neon open source or self-hostable?
Open source, and you can self-host it. source ↗
Can AI coding agents work with Neon?
It serves an llms.txt docs index; it has an official MCP server (com.neon/mcp); it has an official CLI (neon); v0 set it up natively.
Who uses Neon?
95 makers' products we track, each with a source, and 16 open-source projects declare it in their code. source ↗