Neon
Stackby
| Feature | Neon | Stackby |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $19/mo | Free / from $5/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.5 / 5 | 4.1 / 5 |
| Best For | startups, jamstack-developers, serverless-apps, side-projects | small-businesses, solopreneurs, budget-conscious-teams, non-technical-users |
| Founded | 2021 | 2019 |
| Serverless Postgres | ✓ | ✗ |
| Branching | ✓ | ✗ |
| Autoscaling | ✓ | ✗ |
| Scale To Zero | ✓ | ✗ |
| Point In Time Recovery | ✓ | ✗ |
| Connection Pooling | ✓ | ✗ |
| Logical Replication | ✓ | ✗ |
| Api Columns | ✗ | ✓ |
| Column Types | ✗ | ✓ |
| Views | ✗ | ✓ |
| Forms | ✗ | ✓ |
| Automations | ✗ | ✓ |
| Pre Built Templates | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Neon Pros
- Generous free tier with autoscaling
- Database branching for development workflows
- Scale-to-zero reduces costs for low-traffic apps
- Full PostgreSQL compatibility
- Instant database provisioning
✗ Neon Cons
- Relatively new platform (less battle-tested)
- Cold starts when scaling from zero
- Some PostgreSQL extensions not yet supported
✓ Stackby Pros
- Very affordable pricing
- API column type for live data
- Pre-built templates for common use cases
- Good Airtable alternative
✗ Stackby Cons
- Smaller user community
- UI less polished than competitors
- Limited automation capabilities
The Verdict
Neon is built for startups and jamstack developers, with a focus on serverless-postgres and branching. Stackby targets small businesses and solopreneurs and leads with api-columns and column-types.
On pricing, Stackby is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $5/mo compared to $19/mo for Neon. That $14/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
Neon edges out on user ratings (4.5 vs 4.1). While both are well-regarded, that gap reflects real differences in user satisfaction worth considering.
Feature-wise, Neon offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while Stackby takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
Bottom line: Neon has a slight overall edge — but if very affordable pricing matters most to you, Stackby may still be the right call.