Comparison

Microsoft SQL Server vs Neon

On the evidence we track, Neon leads this comparison with a composite score of 72/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.

Machine formatsMarkdownJSONGraphQLMarkdown is open. JSON and GraphQL need a free key.
Microsoft SQL Server44
★Neon72
Score
vioscaleAI score
Microsoft SQL Server44 / 100low · 7%
Neon72 / 100medium · 70%
Pricing
Free tier
Microsoft SQL Server–
Neon✓
Model
Microsoft SQL Servercommercial
Price level
Microsoft SQL Server–
Neonlow
Transparent
Microsoft SQL Server–
Neon✗
Integrations
Count
Microsoft SQL Server3
Neon2
Security
Disclosure policy
Microsoft SQL Server✓
Neon–
Fedramp
Microsoft SQL Server–
Neon✓
Gdpr
Microsoft SQL Server✓
Neon✓
Hipaa
Microsoft SQL Server–
Neon✓
Iso27001
Microsoft SQL Server–
Neon✓
Pci
Microsoft SQL Server–
Neon✓
Soc2
Microsoft SQL Server–
Neon✓
Trust center
Neon–
Reliability
Sla pct
Microsoft SQL Server–
Neon99.95
Status page
Microsoft SQL Server–
Neon✓
Market
Availability
Neon–
Content
Faq
Microsoft SQL Server6 items

Capabilities

Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for relational databases. “-” means undocumented, not absent.

Core
SQL model
Microsoft SQL ServerFull SQL
NeonFull SQL
Transactions
ACID transactions
Microsoft SQL ServerFull
NeonFull
Highest isolation level
Microsoft SQL Server-
NeonSerializable
Consistency
Consistency
Microsoft SQL Server-
NeonStrong
Scale
Horizontal scale
Microsoft SQL Server-
NeonRead replicas
Replication
Replication
Microsoft SQL Server-
NeonAsync
Availability
Automatic failover / HA
Microsoft SQL Server-
Neon✓
Deployment
Deployment
Microsoft SQL Server-
NeonManaged
Serverless / scale-to-zero
Microsoft SQL Server-
Neon✓
Compatibility
Wire compatibility
Microsoft SQL Server-
NeonPostgres protocol
Extensibility
Extensions / plugins / UDFs
Microsoft SQL Server-
Neon-
Licensing
Licence class
Microsoft SQL ServerProprietary
NeonProprietary
Data types
JSON / document support
Microsoft SQL Server✓
Neon-
Geo / spatial
Microsoft SQL ServerNative
Neon-

What each one is

The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.

Microsoft SQL Server

SQL Server 2025 is Microsoft's enterprise database system built with strong security, high performance, and availability features. It includes native AI capabilities to help modernize data platforms and accelerate application development.

Independently observed

Neon

Leader

A fully-managed PostgreSQL database that automatically scales compute resources, supports Git-like environment branching, and includes built-in user authentication without additional licensing.

Independently observed

Pricing

List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.

Microsoft SQL Server

Pricing not documented yet.

Neon

Leader
from $0.00/moUsage-basedFree tier

Free tier with 100 CU-hours/mo. Usage-based: Launch plan $0.106/CU-hr + $0.35/GB-mo, Scale plan $0.222/CU-hr + $0.35/GB-mo. Typical $15–$701/mo.

  • FreeFree
    • 100 projects
    • 100 CU-hours monthly per project
    • 0.5 GB storage per project
    • Compute up to 2 CU (8 GB RAM)
    • Unlimited team members
    • +4 more
  • LaunchUsage-based, typical $15/mo (intermittent load, 1 GB)
    • Compute autoscaling up to 16 CU
    • Scale to zero when inactive
    • Database storage with 7-day instant restore history
    • 100 snapshots
    • Monitoring with 3-day retention
    • +4 more
  • ScaleUsage-based, typical $701/mo (high load, 100 GB)
    • Compute autoscaling up to 56 CU
    • Configurable scale-to-zero
    • Database storage with up to 30-day instant restore history
    • 100 snapshots
    • SLAs included
    • +8 more
as of verify ↗

Platform & deployment

Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.

Platforms
Windows
Microsoft SQL Server✓
Neon✗
CLI
Microsoft SQL Server✓
Neon✓
Deployment
Cloud / SaaS
Microsoft SQL Server✓
Neon✓
Self-hosted
Microsoft SQL Server✓
Neon✗

Integrations

What each product connects to. Counts come from the vendor's own integration directory where one exists.

Microsoft SQL Server

3 total
  • LangChain
  • Semantic Kernel
  • Entity Framework Core
Independently observed

Neon

Leader
2 total
  • Datadog
  • OpenTelemetry
Independently observed
Still deciding?

Microsoft SQL Server or Neon: which one depends on you

A composite score cannot know your constraints. Describe them and both get re-weighted against what you actually need, with the evidence behind every position.

Free to run, no account needed to start. How the evaluation works

Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.