Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

PlanetScale vs SQL Server 2014 Express comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

PlanetScale
Ranking in Relational Databases Tools
18th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
8.3
Number of Reviews
6
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
SQL Server 2014 Express
Ranking in Relational Databases Tools
30th
Average Rating
7.0
Reviews Sentiment
5.8
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Featured Reviews

Arpita Bahedia - PeerSpot reviewer
Software Engineer at Bit & Binary
Database management becomes seamless with automatic command execution
One feature I appreciate about PlanetScale is its ability to handle migrations and commands without the need to run them manually in the database. I can enter commands locally, connect with the database, and the changes will automatically be applied to the server, making debugging easier. Additionally, I use PlanetScale with Prisma, and it integrates well for my needs.
Rajneesh Prajapati - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Rpa Consultant at Accely Consulting
Reliable data storage has boosted automation logs and now needs fewer limits for growing workloads
The best features SQL Server 2014 Express offers are that it is free and reliable. The biggest advantage is that it is free and very stable, which makes it ideal for small scale and non-critical workloads. It integrates easily with .NET applications, automation tools, and reporting solutions. Setting up the installation and basic configuration is straightforward even for a small team. The integration with .NET applications and automation tools helps my team and projects by allowing me to record and store large amounts of data quickly. It processes very fast, stores very fast, reads the data, searches the data, and executes queries very quickly. However, in Excel, it does not work when the data is large. SQL Server 2014 Express has impacted my organization positively because it is time-saving. When I try to read Excel with a large amount of data, it is slow and sometimes it does not open because there is a lot of data. Sometimes Excel crashes. When I use SQL Server 2014 Express, it is very quick and time-saving, properly visible, and I can track where the data is breaking. It is reliable and cost-efficient for small use cases, but scalability and feature limitations prevent a higher rating.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"I like the solution's developer experience. When you deploy changes to the database in the portal, you can use different deployment strategies and see how things work. You can put changes into different branches, like deployment and staging. This is built into the product, allowing you to navigate changes through different branches."
"The database is accessible 24/7, ensuring my project runs smoothly without interruptions."
"The solution is beginner-friendly. Like any new platform, it can be a bit confusing at first. But after spending about an hour with it, you can get a clear idea of what everything is for. It's not very confusing; I think they've improved it recently."
"One feature I appreciate about PlanetScale is its ability to handle migrations and commands without the need to run them manually in the database."
"I did not face any downtime when using the product."
"The branching feature is also good for developer experience."
"SQL Server 2014 Express has impacted my organization positively because it is time-saving."
"SQL Server 2014 Express has positively impacted my organization by improving my knowledge in SQL coding and making my work faster."
 

Cons

"The main thing I didn't like about PlanetScale was that we couldn't run analytical queries on it."
"We encountered some initial issues during the product deployment, which required me to search for solutions on forums."
"I used PlanetScale for hobby projects, so my perspective differs from someone using it commercially. Unfortunately, they've removed the free tier in recent months and pivoted to a business-to-business model. This is sad for hobby developers like me because it's a great product, but I understand they have costs to cover."
"I am not sure, but I think recently, the tool removed the free version."
"When I tried to integrate the solution with Firebase for authentication, I faced some interruptions. Also, when using it with Next.js and NextAuth.js for Google and social logins, I had some troubles."
"SQL Server 2014 Express can be improved by increasing the maximum 10 gigabytes for a database, as it would be better if this limit were increased."
"SQL Server 2014 Express can be improved as there are some resource limits. There are limitations on database size, memory, and CPU usage which restrict scalability."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Last time, when I wanted to use the tool in a project, I could see it was only paid, so I didn't use the service."
"The solution is expensive for beginners. That's why I wasn't motivated to use it more. But they were already providing many features for free for beginners, which was great."
"I am currently using the product's free version, which has been sufficient for my portfolio project."
Information not available
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Relational Databases Tools solutions are best for your needs.
881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business7
Large Enterprise2
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for PlanetScale?
I am currently using the product's free version, which has been sufficient for my portfolio project. The paid version ranges from $39 to $1,000, depending on the features and scale required.
What needs improvement with PlanetScale?
I would like PlanetScale to have a feature where the database can be accessed in the cloud with a link, allowing for a more user-friendly interface compared to the terminal. This would make it easi...
What is your primary use case for PlanetScale?
I have used PlanetScale as it is an advanced version of MySQL. It functions as a platform where MySQL is live, similar to AWS. I use PlanetScale to store data in a live environment where queries ca...
What needs improvement with SQL Server 2014 Express?
SQL Server 2014 Express can be improved by increasing the maximum 10 gigabytes for a database, as it would be better if this limit were increased.
What is your primary use case for SQL Server 2014 Express?
My main use case for SQL Server 2014 Express is querying with SQL code. I use SQL Server 2014 Express in my work for analyzing the data set, so I can learn how to use SQL code and how to correctly ...
What advice do you have for others considering SQL Server 2014 Express?
The advice I would give to others looking into using SQL Server 2014 Express is to be careful about the size of the database. I would rate this product a 7.
 

Comparisons

No data available
 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft, Oracle, SAP and others in Relational Databases Tools. Updated: January 2026.
881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.