5 Free PostgreSQL Database as a Service for Hobby Projects

Have you ever had a brilliant idea for an application but felt intimidated by the technical hurdles of setting it up? One of the biggest steps is choosing and managing a database. If you prefer open databases, PostgreSQL is the top choice for its power and reliability. But running your own database server involves complex setup, security, and maintenance — adding “too much” work.

Fortunately, there’s a much simpler way. PostgreSQL as a Service (PaaS) providers offer the full power of Postgres without the operational headaches. You can think of it like renting a fully serviced database instead of building one from scratch. You get a ready-to-use database, while the provider handles all the background maintenance including updates, server maintenance and more.

Some of these providers offer generous free plans, perfect for building, testing, and launching your hobby project without any cost. Let’s explore five of the best free PostgreSQL providers that can help you bring your vision to life or boot-up your database for experimenting or practising Postgres.

Why PostgreSQL as a Service (PaaS)?

Your most valuable resource is “time” – especially for a new or hobby project. Wasting it on server administration instead of building your app’s features is a common pitfall. A managed database service frees you from these tasks by providing you with a ready-to-use database in the cloud.

• Effortless Start: Get a new database running in minutes with just a few clicks.
• Peace of Mind: Backups, security updates, and maintenance are handled automatically.
• Room to Grow: Start with the free tier and easily scale up if your project takes off.
• Helpful Tools: Many providers include extra features like user authentication, file storage, and developer-friendly tools that can dramatically speed up your hobby project.

The result? You get to focus on the project’s fun part: coding, learning, and creating.

1. Supabase: The Complete Backend in a Box (inc. PostgreSQL)

Supabase isn’t just a database; it’s a full backend suite designed to get you building fast. It provides a dedicated Postgres database and wraps it with a collection of powerful, easy-to-use tools.

Free Tier Offerings

Supabase’s “$0/month” Free plan is tailored for hobby projects and experiments.

• Database: You receive a dedicated Postgres Database with 500 MB of storage included.
• User Authentication: The plan generously includes up to 50,000 monthly active users .
• File Storage: You get 1 GB of file storage .
• APIs: Supabase automatically creates APIs for you, with unlimited requests included in the free plan.
• Serverless Functions: The plan includes 500,000 Edge Function invocations to run your custom code.
• Bandwidth: Your project comes with 5 GB of bandwidth included.

What Makes It Great?

Supabase’s all-in-one nature is its superpower. You can build a complete, modern application with user accounts, data storage, and file uploads without writing a single line of backend code yourself. Its user-friendly dashboard makes managing your database simple, which is useful if you’re new.

Limitations to Keep in Mind

The most significant limitation for the free tier is that your project will be paused after one week of inactivity. It’s easy to get around this limitation: just open your project once every week.

2. CockroachDB: The Ultra-Resilient, Distributed Database

CockroachDB is a cloud-native database known for its incredible resilience. It automatically copies and distributes your data across multiple locations, meaning your application can survive outages without skipping a beat. Its free tier makes this powerful technology accessible to hobbyists too.

Free Tier Offerings

The “Basic” plan starts at $0 per month and is perfect for getting started with a distributed database.

• Compute: CockroachDB uses Request Units (RUs) instead of charging per hour – credits you spend when your app reads or writes data. The free plan includes 50 million RUs per month.
• Storage: You get the first 10 GB of storage free per month .
• Resilience: The plan includes automatic 3x data replication, providing high resilience.
• Cloud Availability: The free tier is available on both AWS and GCP clouds.

What Makes It Great?

CockroachDB offers a unique opportunity to learn about distributed systems, a valuable skill in today’s tech landscape. The scale-to-zero feature is ideal for hobby projects with inconsistent traffic, ensuring you won’t face unexpected costs. Also, you can build with the confidence that your data is automatically protected against failure, making it perfect for more-than-hobby projects as well.

Limitations to Keep in Mind

The Request Unit model for compute can take some getting used to compared to traditional flat pricing or per-hour pricing model. You will feet at home if you have worked with any cloud provider.

3. Neon: Serverless PostgreSQL with Revolutionary Branching

Neon reimagines PostgreSQL for a serverless world, separating computing power from data storage. Its most talked-about feature is “branching,” which lets you create instant, isolated copies of your database, just like you would branch code with Git – similar to Zero Copy Cloning in Snowflake .

Free Tier Offerings

Neon’s Free Plan is packed with developer-friendly features as described below.

• Storage: You get 0.5 GB-month of storage included.
• Compute: The plan comes with 190 compute hours per month.
• Data Protection: Includes Point-in-time Restore, allowing you to recover your database to any point within the last 24 hours, which should be enough for hobby projects.

What Makes It Great?

Branching is a game-changer that removes the fear of making mistakes. Want to test a new feature? Create a branch. Need to try out a risky database change? Create a branch. You can experiment freely on a perfect copy of your data without any danger to your main application. This encourages experimenting, learning and safe development practices – making it useful for hobbyists.

Limitations to Keep in Mind

The 0.5 GB storage allowance is smaller than some competitors, making it best for apps that aren’t heavily data-intensive. It’s not a deal-breaker if you are hosting a hobby project though.

4. Koyeb: The Integrated Serverless Platform for Global Apps

Koyeb is a serverless platform where you can deploy your applications and databases together with incredible ease. Its goal is to provide a fast, simple path to getting your code running on a global network.

Free Tier Offerings

Koyeb provides a free “Free 5h” instance to run a serverless Postgres database.

• Database Instance: The free instance includes a 0.25 vCPU, 1 GB of RAM, and 1GB of storage.
• Serverless By Design: The database can scale-to-zero when it’s not being used, saving resources.
• Platform-Wide Features: The Starter Plan also includes free allowances for deploying your application, including automatic CI/CD, autoscaling, a global network, custom domains and a lot more.
• Networking: You get 100GB of free bandwidth per month .

What Makes It Great?

Koyeb is perfect for those who want a single, unified platform for their entire project. You can deploy your frontend, backend, and database in one place, which simplifies management. The scale-to-zero feature on the database is a huge benefit for hobby projects that may sit idle for periods.

Limitations to Keep in Mind

The free database instance is small and primarily intended for development or very light applications. In comparison, Supabase , a similar all-in-one platform offers more resources in its free plan.

5. Xata: The Serverless Database with Built-in Superpowers

Xata offers a unique serverless database built on the solid foundation of PostgreSQL and Elasticsearch. This combination gives you the reliability of a traditional database plus the incredible power of a modern search engine, all in one package.

Free Tier Offerings

Xata’s free-to-try model provides free allowances for most of its powerful features.

• Storage: The plan includes 15 GB of storage for your database .
• Postgres Access: Xata provides direct access, so you can connect with your favorite SQL tools.
• Search: Data can be automatically replicated to Elasticsearch, enabling advanced full-text search without any extra setup, allowing you to experiment with Elasticsearch as well. Requires a paid plan.

What Makes It Great?

Xata is a fantastic choice for content-rich applications. If you’re building a blog, a knowledge base, or an e-commerce site, the built-in search functionality is a massive advantage. You get sophisticated search capabilities that would normally be very complex to set up – all in a single.

Limitations to Keep in Mind

Xata’s pricing model is different from the others. While it has generous free allowances, it is structured around paid plans. For example, adding branches comes with a cost. This means you may transition from free to paid usage more quickly if your project’s needs grow in specific areas.

Final Thoughts: Your Next Project Awaits

The barrier to entry for building a powerful, data-driven application has never been lower. With these free, managed PostgreSQL services, you have access to industry-grade technology without the cost or the complexity. They provide the perfect sandbox to learn, experiment, and turn your creative ideas into working projects. Afterall, the best way to learn is by doing. Start building today!

PostgreSQL as a Service Quick Comparison

References

1. Awesome Free PostgreSQL as a Service [ alexeyfv @ GitHub (original) (archived) ]

2. CockroachDB Pricing [ Cockroach Labs (original) (archived) ]

3. Pricing for intensive infrastructure [ Koyeb (original) (archived) ]

4. Pricing [ Neon (original) (archived) ]

5. Pricing & Fees [ Supabase (original) (archived) ]

6. Pricing [ Xata Lite (original) (archived) ]