Top PostgreSQL Database Free Tiers in 2024

Looking for a managed PostgreSQL database with a free tier? We've got you covered. In this article, we'll explore the top PostgreSQL databases with free tiers to use for your applications in 2024.

These free-tier options are perfect for side projects, MVPs, and learning how to use cloud databases. All these database solutions integrate with Koyeb, enabling you to seamlessly connect databases hosted by third-party providers to your applications running on the Koyeb platform. Additionally, Koyeb's Database Service provides PostgreSQL instances directly on the same platform as your applications, APIs, workers, and other services.

Our analysis is based on criteria most developers look for when choosing a managed PostgreSQL database:

• Versions supported
• Locations for global deployment capabilities
• Free Tier Details

After a detailed analysis of all of the databases, there is a summary table to compare the different databases.

A critical consideration in choosing a database is the availability of automated backups and the feasibility of rollback. While most database providers include these features, the frequency and flexibility may vary based on the selected plan. When selecting a managed PostgreSQL offering, we encourage you to check the backup frequency, retention period, and ease of rollback to ensure these aspects align with your project's needs.

Koyeb

Deploying full stack applications, APIs, and workers with Koyeb has long been possible. Since November 2023, you can also spin up databases. Easily start a resilient Database Service alongside your apps in mere seconds. With Koyeb, you can build, run, and scale your full stack apps and manage their databases on a single platform with a unified experience.

• Versions supported: 16, 15, and 14.
• Locations: Washington, D.C. (US), Frankfurt (Germany), and Singapore.
• Free Tier: Provides 1GB RAM, 0.25 CPU, and 50 active hours for free.

Koyeb's PostgreSQL databases auto-sleep after 5 minutes of inactivity, provide logical databases and role management, are fault-tolerant by design and available globally, and support over 40 popular PostgreSQL extensions including pgVector, PostGIS, and TimescaleDB. If you want to learn more about our databases, check out our public preview announcement and documentation.

Neon

Neon is being built by a highly experienced team specializing in PostgreSQL, database construction, and seamless developer experience. Striving to become a serverless, fault-tolerant, and branchable version of PostgreSQL, Neon is open source and cloud-native.

• Versions supported: 16, 15, and 14
• Locations: US East (N. Virginia), US East (Ohio), US West (Oregon), Europe (Frankfurt), Asia Pacific (Singapore), and Israel (Tel Aviv).
• Free Tier: Includes 1 project per user, 10 branches, 3 GiB of data per branch, and shared compute with 1 GB of RAM.

Neon plans to provide a fully managed PostgreSQL that separates storage and compute. Built-in features include bottomless storage, scale-to-zero, and branching for different environments.

Read the Neon integration guide to learn how to connect your Neon database to an application running on Koyeb.

Aiven

Aiven is a database cloud service provider with a wide variety of managed open-source database solutions for relational, NoSQL, stream, and graph databases. They are a true champion of open-source technology. In addition to PostgreSQL offerings, Aiven offers managed solutions for Apache Cassandra, Apache Kafka, Apache Kafka Connect, Apache Kafka MirrorMaker 2, Elasticsearch, Grafana, InfluxDB, M3, M3 Aggregator, MySQL, and Redis.

Aiven's free PostgreSQL plan comes with easy management via their web console, CLI, API, Terraform provider, or Kubernetes operator. Additionally, the free plan comes with out-of-the-box monitoring (metrics and logs), backups, and community support.

• Versions supported: 16, 15, 14, and 13.
• Locations: The free PostgreSQL plan is available on DigitalOcean only: San Francisco, New York City, Toronto, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, London, and Bangalore.
• Free Tier: Includes a single node with 1GB RAM, 5GB storage, and 1 CPU.

Read the Aiven integration guide to learn how to connect your Aiven database to an application running on Koyeb.

Crunchy Data

Crunchy Data offers a fully managed PostgreSQL on your choice of cloud provider with their Crunchy Bridge offering. Their free instance allows you to build an MVP and explore the product without being charged until you cross the $5 mininum threshold. You can use their API to automate deploying, managing, and scaling your databases.

• Versions supported: 16, 15, 14, and 13. PostgreSQL 12 is currently being phased out and is available on a limited basis to customers who were already using that version.
• Locations: The hobby-0 instance is available on AWS only: Oregon, USA; Ohio, USA; North Virginia, USA; N. California, USA; Toronto, Canada; São Paulo, Brazil; Paris, France; Dublin, Ireland; Frankfurt, Germany; Stockholm, Sweden; Milan; Italy; Sydney, Australia; Jurong, Singapore; Mumbai, India; and Tokyo, Japan.
• Free Tier: With the hobby-0 instance, you are not charged until you reach the $5 minimum threshold. Paid plans start at $10 per month.

Read the Crunchy Data integration guide to learn how to connect your Crunchy Bridge database to an application running on Koyeb.

Supabase

Supabase is an open-source alternative to GCP's Firebase that provides all the backend features you need to build a project. With Superbase, you can create projects that come with their own PostgreSQL databases. Running on top of AWS, Supabase lets users create their database in one of 12 regions located around the world. Their free tier is a good option for hobby projects and is a great way to explore the platform.

• Versions supported: 15, 14, and 13.
• Locations: North California (US), North Virginia (US), Central Canada, London (UK), Ireland, Frankfurt (Germany), Mumbai (India), Tokyo (Japan), Seoul (Korea), Singapore, Sydney (Australia), and São Paulo (Brazil).
• Free Tier: 2 free projects, 500MB database and 1GB file storage, up to 5GB bandwidth, 50,000 monthly active users, and 1-day log retention.

ElephantSQL

ElephantSQL is a managed Postgres provider that takes care of the heavy-lifting that occurs under the hood like installation, upgrades to the latest stable version, and backup management. All ElephantSQL plans are billed on a per-second basis, providing you the flexibility to experiment with different instance types.

• Versions supported: 15, 14, and 13.
• Locations: Northern California, Central US, Iowa, Ireland, France, Stockholm, London, Hong Kong, Seoul, Tokyo, Mumbai, and Sao Paulo.
• Free Tier: Tiny Turtle lets you start for free. Includes 20MB storage and 5 concurrent connections.

Timescale - Free Trial Only

Timescale is a database platform designed to optimize performance and scalability for resource-intensive workloads, making it well-suited for applications such as time series, event, and analytics data. Timescale is built on PostgreSQL, giving you access to the entire PostgreSQL ecosystem. The platform features a user-friendly interface that streamlines database deployment and management.

• Versions supported: 16, 15, and 14. Versions 13 and 12 are being phased out.
• Locations: Oregon (US), Ohio (US), North Virginia (US), Frankfurt (Germany), Ireland, Singapore, and Sydney (Australia).
• Free Trial: 30 days free trial for hosting on AWS, GCP, or Azure.

Managed Postgres Comparison Table

Provider	Supported Versions	Locations	Free Tier Details
Koyeb	16, 15, 14	Washington, D.C. (US), Frankfurt (Germany), and Singapore	1GB RAM, 0.25 CPU, and 50 active hours
Neon	16, 15, 14	US East (N. Virginia), US East (Ohio), US West (Oregon), Europe (Frankfurt), Asia Pacific (Singapore), and Israel (Tel Aviv)	Includes 1 project per user, 10 branches, 3 GiB of data per branch, and shared compute with 1 GB of RAM
Aiven	16, 15, 14, 13	San Francisco, New York City, Toronto, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, London, Bangalore	Single node, 1GB RAM, 5GB storage, and 1 CPU
Crunchy Data	16, 15, 14, 13	Oregon, USA; Ohio, USA; North Virginia, USA; N. California, USA; Toronto, Canada; São Paulo, Brazil; Paris, France; Dublin, Ireland; Frankfurt, Germany; Stockholm, Sweden; Milan; Italy; Sydney, Australia; Jurong, Singapore; Mumbai, India; Tokyo, Japan	hobby-0 instance is free until you reach the $5 minimum threshold
Supabase	15, 14, 13	North California (US), North Virginia (US), Central Canada, London (UK), Ireland, Frankfurt (Germany), Mumbai (India), Tokyo (Japan), Seoul (Korea), Singapore, Sydney (Australia), and São Paulo (Brazil)	2 free projects, 500MB database and 1GB file storage, up to 5GB bandwidth, 50,000 monthly active users, and 1-day log retention
ElephantSQL	15, 14, 13	Northern California, Central US, Iowa, Ireland, France, Stockholm, London, Hong Kong, Seoul, Tokyo, Mumbai, and Sao Paulo	Tiny Turtle lets you start for free. Includes 20MB storage and 5 concurrent connections
Timescale	16, 15, 14	Oregon (US), Ohio (US), North Virginia (US), Frankfurt (Germany), Ireland, Singapore, and Sydney (Australia)	No free tier - only free trial for 30 days. For hosting managed Postgres on AWS, GCP, or Azure

Deploy a Managed Postgres Database next to your Service with Koyeb

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Here are some useful resources to get you started:

• Koyeb Documentation: Learn everything you need to know about using Koyeb.
• Koyeb One-Click Apps: Deploy apps with a click to get started with Koyeb in seconds.
• Koyeb Tutorials: Discover guides and tutorials on common Koyeb use cases and get inspired to create your own!
• Join the friendliest serverless community: Stay in the loop about our latest feature announcements, exchange ideas with other developers, and ask our engineering teams whatever questions you may have about using Koyeb.

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