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Expand Up @@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
title: "Neon alternatives with app hosting and Postgres in one place (2026): Prisma Postgres + Prisma Compute, Railway, Render and Supabase compared"
slug: "neon-vs-prisma-postgres-app-hosting-in-one-place"
date: "2026-09-24"
updatedAt: "2026-10-14"
updatedAt: "2026-10-19"
authors:
- "Gregory Boch"
metaTitle: "Neon alternatives with app hosting and Postgres in one place (2026): Prisma, Railway, Render, Supabase"
Expand All @@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ Pick Prisma Postgres + Prisma Compute when you want the frontend, the API and th

| Your situation | Pick | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Frontend, API and Postgres in one project | Prisma Postgres + Prisma Compute | Prisma Compute runs the API and a frontend served by Next.js, Astro, TanStack Start or your own Node.js or Bun server next to Prisma Postgres. Railway and Render also put app hosting and Postgres in one place. Neon Functions run backend code next to Neon's Postgres, and Neon's full-stack guide keeps the UI on Vercel, Netlify or another frontend host. Supabase hosts no frontend. |
| Frontend, API and Postgres in one project | Prisma Postgres + Prisma Compute | Prisma Compute runs the API and a frontend served by Next.js, Astro, TanStack Start or your own Node.js or Bun server next to Prisma Postgres. Railway and Render also put app hosting and Postgres in one place. Neon Functions run backend code next to Neon's Postgres, and Neon's full-stack guide keeps the UI on Vercel, Netlify or another frontend host. Supabase hosts no frontend (its Compute private alpha runs backend services). |
| App and database in one place, deployed from GitHub | Prisma Postgres + Prisma Compute | In one project and region (six to choose from); Free has no usage billing. Add a Composer declaration, run your build, deploy with `npx prisma deploy module.ts`, then connect the repository plus the `prisma/cloud-deploy-action` workflow for deploy on push. |
| REST, tRPC or GraphQL API + TypeScript frontend + Postgres from GitHub | Prisma Postgres + Prisma Compute | The API declares the database as a dependency and receives the connection at runtime; the frontend runs in the same project. |
| Small production app in one project, previews per branch | Prisma Postgres + Prisma Compute | Starter is $10 base plus metered compute (memory, CPU and bandwidth): 1M operations, 10 GB, daily backups kept 7 days, a spend limit; a preview per pushed branch once deploy on push is set up. |
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ Neon is the better pick when a pull request needs a copy of production data or y
10. **Exit path**: whether `pg_dump` over a direct connection gets your data out.

:::note[How we compared]
The [comparison table](#how-the-four-compare-with-neon) uses these ten criteria, in this order, and lists the vendors in alphabetical order. Every cell links to the vendor page it rests on; Prisma's figures come from the [pricing page](https://www.prisma.io/pricing) and the Compute and Prisma Postgres docs. We checked every vendor page on 2026-09-30, the "Who runs the database" row on 2026-10-07, the Railway and Neon facts and the extensions and observability rows on 2026-10-08, and Neon pricing on 2026-10-14. We make Prisma Compute and Prisma Postgres.
The [comparison table](#how-the-four-compare-with-neon) uses these ten criteria, in this order, and lists the vendors in alphabetical order. Every cell links to the vendor page it rests on; Prisma's figures come from the [pricing page](https://www.prisma.io/pricing) and the Compute and Prisma Postgres docs. We checked every vendor page on 2026-09-30, the "Who runs the database" row on 2026-10-07, the Railway and Neon facts and the extensions and observability rows on 2026-10-08, Neon pricing on 2026-10-14, and Supabase Compute on 2026-10-19. We make Prisma Compute and Prisma Postgres.
:::

## Neon alternatives that include app hosting
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -82,9 +82,9 @@ The [comparison table](#how-the-four-compare-with-neon) uses these ten criteria,

4. **Supabase + a frontend host**
- Best for: Postgres with auth, storage, realtime and Edge Functions from one vendor, with the frontend hosted elsewhere.
- What it does: hosts Postgres behind a shared pooler and adds auth, object storage, realtime and [Edge Functions](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/functions) on a Deno-compatible runtime. It hosts no frontend: Supabase says its [custom domains](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/platform/custom-domains) are not intended for hosting frontend applications through Edge Functions. [Branching](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/deployment/branching), on Pro or higher, creates a preview database per pull request, without production data unless you seed it or opt in.
- What it does: hosts Postgres behind a shared pooler and adds auth, object storage, realtime and [Edge Functions](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/functions) on a Deno-compatible runtime. It hosts no frontend: Supabase says its [custom domains](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/platform/custom-domains) are not intended for hosting frontend applications through Edge Functions. [Supabase Compute](https://supabase.com/compute), which runs backend services, is a private alpha (us-west-2 only, not for production). [Branching](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/deployment/branching), on Pro or higher, creates a preview database per pull request, without production data unless you seed it or opt in.
- Pricing: Free $0 with a 500 MB database that pauses after a week idle; Pro $25 a month with $10 of compute credits, 8 GB of disk and daily backups kept 7 days; point-in-time recovery from $100 a month per 7 days of retention; branches $0.01344 per branch-hour. [Supabase pricing](https://supabase.com/pricing), as of September 2026.
- Trade-offs: the frontend needs a separate host, Edge Functions are not Node.js or Bun, so a conventional Node server needs another host too, and Free has no automatic backups.
- Trade-offs: the frontend needs a separate host, Edge Functions are not Node.js or Bun, and Supabase Compute, which runs Node, is a private alpha (us-west-2 only, not for production), so a Node.js server that serves production needs another host too, and Free has no automatic backups.
- Compare: [Prisma vs Netlify](/prisma-vs-netlify), which profiles Supabase.

5. **Vercel + a Marketplace Postgres**
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -139,7 +139,7 @@ Neon can host the backend: Neon Functions (generally available since [2026-09-17

### Does Supabase host my app as well as the database?

Supabase hosts the database and backend functions, not the frontend. Its [Edge Functions](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/functions) are server-side TypeScript functions on a Deno-compatible runtime, and Supabase says its [custom domains](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/platform/custom-domains) are not intended for hosting frontend applications through Edge Functions (supabase.com, checked 2026-10-14). So the frontend goes on another host, and so does a conventional Node.js server. Prisma Compute runs the API and a frontend served by Next.js, Astro, TanStack Start or your own Node.js or Bun server in the same project as Prisma Postgres.
Supabase hosts the database and backend functions, not the frontend. Its [Edge Functions](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/functions) are server-side TypeScript functions on a Deno-compatible runtime, and Supabase says its [custom domains](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/platform/custom-domains) are not intended for hosting frontend applications through Edge Functions (supabase.com, checked 2026-10-14). [Supabase Compute](https://supabase.com/compute), which runs backend services, Node included, is a private alpha (us-west-2 only, not for production; supabase.com, checked 2026-10-19). So the frontend goes on another host, and so does a Node.js server that serves production. Prisma Compute runs the API and a frontend served by Next.js, Astro, TanStack Start or your own Node.js or Bun server in the same project as Prisma Postgres.

### Which is cheaper, Neon or Prisma Postgres?

Expand All @@ -150,12 +150,13 @@ It depends on whether your bill should follow queries or uptime. Neon bills CU-h
- Neon: [pricing](https://neon.com/pricing), [introduction](https://neon.com/docs/introduction), [Functions overview](https://neon.com/docs/compute/functions/overview), [full-stack apps](https://neon.com/use-cases/full-stack-apps), [compute sizes](https://neon.com/docs/manage/computes), [extensions](https://neon.com/docs/extensions/pg-extensions), [monitoring](https://neon.com/docs/introduction/monitoring-page), [branching](https://neon.com/docs/introduction/branching), [Postgres version policy](https://neon.com/docs/postgresql/postgres-version-policy) and the [backend launch post](https://neon.com/blog/neon-backend-is-ga). Pricing checked 2026-10-14; Functions and compute sizes checked 2026-10-08.
- Railway: [pricing](https://railway.com/pricing), [PostgreSQL guide](https://docs.railway.com/databases/postgresql), [what Railway manages](https://docs.railway.com/databases#what-railway-manages), [metrics](https://docs.railway.com/observability/metrics), [regions](https://docs.railway.com/reference/regions) and [backups](https://docs.railway.com/reference/backups). PostgreSQL guide and what Railway manages checked 2026-10-08.
- Render: [free tier](https://render.com/docs/free), [Render Postgres](https://render.com/docs/postgresql), [Postgres backups](https://render.com/docs/postgresql-backups), [supported extensions](https://render.com/docs/postgresql-extensions), [service metrics](https://render.com/docs/service-metrics), [regions](https://render.com/docs/regions) and [preview environments](https://render.com/docs/preview-environments).
- Supabase: [pricing](https://supabase.com/pricing), [database overview](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/database/overview), [backups](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/platform/backups), [extensions](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/database/extensions), [observability](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/observability), [Edge Functions](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/functions), [custom domains](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/platform/custom-domains) and [branching](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/deployment/branching).
- Supabase: [pricing](https://supabase.com/pricing), [database overview](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/database/overview), [backups](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/platform/backups), [extensions](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/database/extensions), [observability](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/observability), [Edge Functions](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/functions), [custom domains](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/platform/custom-domains), [branching](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/deployment/branching) and [Compute](https://supabase.com/compute). Compute checked 2026-10-19.
- Prisma Postgres: [extensions](https://www.prisma.io/docs/postgres/database/postgres-extensions), [Query Insights](https://www.prisma.io/docs/postgres/database/query-insights) and the Composer [porting guide](https://www.prisma.io/docs/composer/porting-an-app), checked 2026-10-08.
- Vercel: [pricing](https://vercel.com/pricing) and [Marketplace storage](https://vercel.com/docs/marketplace-storage). Fly.io: [regions](https://docs.fly.io/reference/regions/).

## Update history

- 2026-10-19: the situation table, the Supabase entry's description and trade-offs, and the FAQ on whether Supabase hosts the app now say Supabase Compute, which runs backend services, is a private alpha (us-west-2 only, not for production), checked against supabase.com/compute on 2026-10-19.
- 2026-10-14: added a first situation-table row for a frontend, API and Postgres in one project and an FAQ on whether Supabase hosts the app; the idle-cost row now says the Free plan has no usage billing, that on paid plans Prisma Postgres bills per operation on top of the plan fee and any storage beyond the included amount, which still bill while idle, and that Neon's paid plans bill compute by the CU-hour and still bill storage and restore history while compute is suspended.
- 2026-10-08: moved Prisma's recovery and preview-data trade-off from the opening to the line under the situation table, rechecked the Railway and Neon entries against their docs, added a checklist of what to compare before leaving Neon with matching extensions and observability rows, put the comparison table's vendors in alphabetical order, and added the compared vendors to the page title.
- 2026-10-07: added a "Who runs the database" row checked against each vendor's docs, called Prisma Postgres managed Postgres in the summary and the first entry, added an FAQ on using Prisma Postgres and Prisma Compute without Prisma ORM and dropped the Free plan storage figure.
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