Free Postgres Hosting
Where a startup can host a Postgres database for free today, how much storage and compute the free tier covers, whether it pauses when idle, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs, read from each host's own page.
Free allowances read on each provider's own pages, all checked on or after . Database hosts change their free tiers often, and some expire free databases: confirm the terms on the host's page before you store data you need.
Postgres hosts with a free database today include Neon (100 CU-hours of compute a month), Render Postgres (1 GB storage, one database per workspace), Supabase (500 MB database, 1 GB file storage), Prisma Postgres (200k operations a month, 2 GB storage), and Aiven for PostgreSQL (1 CPU, 1 GB RAM, 1 GB storage). Each of the 9 free tiers below links to the host's page that states it, with its main limit, what happens when the database is idle, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs.
Postgres is the default database for most new products, and several hosts run it for you on a free tier: serverless Postgres that scales to zero, backend platforms with a database included, and app platforms that add a small database to your app.
The headline rarely tells you how far it goes. A free database can pause after a week without use, expire after a month, cap storage at a gigabyte or limit compute hours. Each host below shows what is free, its main limit, what happens when the database is idle, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs, quoted from the host's own page with the date we read it.
Which hosts we picked and the order they appear in are our editorial choices; the terms are the hosts'. Some of these hosts pay us a referral commission when someone signs up through our link: those links are labeled, and they play no part in which hosts are listed or where.
Managed and serverless Postgres with a free tier
Database services that run Postgres for you, many of them scaling to zero, with a free tier for a first project.
- 1
Neon
A Postgres database per project with no time limit
Neon's Free plan gives each project 100 CU-hours of database compute a month and 1 GB of storage, with no time limit and no card needed. Compute scales to zero when idle. Launch is usage-based at $0.106 per CU-hour.
- Payment card
- No card needed (source: neon.com)
- First paid plan
- Launch: usage-based, $0.106 per CU-hour (source: neon.com)
- 2
Supabase
Postgres with auth and file storage in one place
Supabase's Free plan includes a 500 MB database size and 1 GB of file storage, with a limit of 2 active projects. Free projects are paused after 1 week of inactivity. The Pro plan starts at $25 a month.
- First paid plan
- Pro: from $25 a month (source: supabase.com)
Start free at SupabaseTerms read on supabase.com on Supabase: the free allowance and how to start Supabase Free plan: what startups get - 3
Prisma Postgres
Postgres with a spend limit and no card to start
Prisma Postgres's Free plan includes 200k operations a month and 2 GB of storage, free forever with no credit card required. The database scales to zero when idle. Starter is $10 a month.
- Payment card
- No card needed (source: prisma.io)
- First paid plan
- Starter: $10 a month (source: prisma.io)
Start free at PrismaTerms read on prisma.io on Prisma Postgres: the free allowance and how to start Prisma for Startups: what startups get - 4
Aiven for PostgreSQL
A small PostgreSQL service with no time limit
Aiven's Free plan for PostgreSQL has no time limit, with 1 CPU, 1 GB RAM and 1 GB of total storage. It cannot select a specific cloud or region and has no connection pooling. Developer is $5 a month.
- First paid plan
- Developer: $5 a month, 8 GB storage (source: aiven.io)
- 5
Nile
Multi-tenant Postgres that never pauses
Nile's Free plan is for prototyping or side projects. It gives 1 GB of storage and 50 million query tokens, and the database never pauses. Pro is $15 a month.
- First paid plan
- Pro: $15 a month (source: thenile.dev)
- 6
Xata Cloud
A branchable Postgres to try for two weeks
Xata Cloud starts with a 14-day free trial. No credit card is required to start, but one is needed after the trial to keep using Xata on Pay As You Go, starting at $0.012 an hour.
- Payment card
- No card needed to start (source: xata.io)
- First paid plan
- Pay as you go from $0.012 an hour (source: xata.io)
- 7
CockroachDB
A managed SQL database to try with $400 of credit
New Cloud organizations get a 30-day free trial with $400 in credit. No credit card is required to try Standard, and the trial ends after 30 days or once the $400 is used. Standard is $0.092 per vCPU-hour.
- Payment card
- No card for Standard (source: cockroachlabs.com)
- First paid plan
- Standard: $0.092 per vCPU-hour (source: cockroachlabs.com)
Start free at Cockroach LabsTerms read on cockroachlabs.com on CockroachDB: the free allowance and how to start CockroachDB Cloud free trial credits: what startups get - 8
Tiger Cloud (Tiger Data)
Postgres for time-series and real-time analytics
Tiger Data offers new users a free, 30-day trial period of its Performance plan, with no credit card required. Performance allows up to 8 CPU and 32 GB of memory per service. Compute starts at $30 a month.
- Payment card
- No card needed (source: tigerdata.com)
- First paid plan
- Performance: from $30 a month (source: tigerdata.com)
App platforms with a free Postgres database
Platforms that host your app and include a small Postgres database on their free tier.
- 1
Render Postgres
A free database for an app on Render, for 30 days
Render's Free compute plans include a Render Postgres database with a fixed 1 GB of storage. Free databases expire 30 days after creation and do not support backups. The first paid Postgres plan is $6 a month.
- First paid plan
- Paid Postgres from $6 a month (source: render.com)
Start free at RenderTerms read on render.com on Render Postgres: the free allowance and how to start
Database startup programs
Programs from database companies that give startups credits on paid plans, largest tracked value first. Most ask for an application.
Also useful for databases and data infrastructure
Referral links, picked for fit and ordered by fit (70%) and what a signup earns us (30%), at no cost to you. They never change this page's ranking.
Compare the top options
How this comparison is built
The list covers managed Postgres services and app platforms with a free Postgres database a founder can use for free today without applying to a program. The order and the "best for" notes are our editorial reading of each host's terms. Every term comes from the host's own pricing or help page on the date shown, never from a third-party list; follow each link for the full conditions. Storage, compute hours, a database that pauses or expires, and backups can matter more than the headline, so the comparison quotes them wherever the host states them. Some of these hosts pay StartupPerks a referral commission, and their links are labeled as referral links; that decides neither whether nor where a host appears, and no host pays for a placement on this page.
Read the full methodologyCommon questions
Where can I host Postgres for free?
Several hosts give a standing free tier. By the terms each states, Neon's free plan includes 100 compute hours a month and 1 GB of storage per project and scales to zero when idle, Supabase's free plan a 500 MB database across up to 2 active projects, Prisma Postgres 200,000 operations a month with 2 GB of storage, Aiven 1 CPU, 1 GB of RAM and 1 GB of storage, and Nile 1 GB of storage that is always on.
What are Neon's free tier limits?
Neon's free plan includes 100 CU-hours of compute a month and 1 GB of storage per project, scales to zero when idle and needs no card. Past it, the Launch plan is usage-based at $0.106 per CU-hour.
Does Supabase's free database pause?
Yes. Supabase pauses free projects after a week of inactivity and allows up to 2 active free projects, each with a 500 MB database. Pro starts from $25 a month.
Which free Postgres database never pauses?
Nile states that its free database is always on, with no pausing and no cold start. Render's free Postgres expires 30 days after it is created, so plan to move or upgrade before then.
More best-of guides
New startup perks, in your inbox
Get an email when a new credit, discount, or deal for founders is added. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.