Overview
Xata is a PostgreSQL platform built around branching. Its storage layer uses copy-on-write, so a branch of a 100 GB database is ready in a few seconds and only stores the pages that change. Branches that are not being queried hibernate and wake in about a second, which makes it practical to give every pull request, preview deployment or AI coding agent its own database. PII can be anonymized as data is cloned, using Xata's open-source pgstream.
You can run production on Xata (with read replicas, high availability and point-in-time recovery) or keep production on another Postgres host and let Xata maintain a synced, anonymized clone to branch from. The engine is upstream PostgreSQL without a fork, so extensions and tools behave as usual.
Pricing is by instance size per hour while awake, from $0.012/hr for a micro instance, plus $0.28 per GB-month of storage. There is a 14-day trial but no permanent free cloud tier; the core platform is open source under Apache 2.0 and can be self-hosted for free, without the managed storage engine, multi-region or SLAs. BYOC runs the platform in your own AWS, GCP or Azure account for a management fee.
Pricing and plans
checked 28 Sept 2026| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Open Source | Free | Self-hosted, Apache 2.0; branching and scale-to-zero (~10 s wake-up), community support, no multi-region |
| Xata Cloud micro | $0.012/hr (~$9/mo) | Up to 2 vCPU, 1 GB RAM, plus $0.28/GB-month storage |
| Xata Cloud small | $0.024/hr (~$18/mo) | Up to 2 vCPU, 2 GB RAM |
| Xata Cloud large | $0.096/hr (~$70/mo) | 2 vCPU, 8 GB RAM |
| Xata Cloud xlarge | $0.192/hr (~$140/mo) | 4 vCPU, 16 GB RAM; sizes run up to 32 vCPU / 128 GB at $1.536/hr |
| BYOC | Custom | Percentage of Xata-managed cloud spend in your AWS, GCP or Azure account; HIPAA BAA, 24/7 support |
What it does
- Copy-on-write branching
- Branches share storage with their parent and store only changes, so creating one takes seconds regardless of database size.
- Scale to zero
- Idle branches hibernate and use no compute; they wake on the first query in about a second on Xata Cloud.
- Anonymized production clones
- Built-in PII anonymization (pgstream) lets branches carry production-like data without real personal data.
- Zero-downtime schema changes
- pgroll, Xata's open-source migration tool, is included in every plan.
- Production features
- Read replicas, high availability, point-in-time restore and NVMe-backed storage for databases run on Xata.
- Open source and BYOC
- The core is Apache 2.0 for self-hosting; BYOC deploys the managed platform into your own cloud account.
Strengths and limitations
Strengths
- Fast, storage-efficient branches suited to per-PR and per-agent databases
- Unmodified PostgreSQL, so extensions and tooling work as normal
- No per-branch or per-seat fees; idle branches cost only storage
- Open-source core that can be self-hosted
- EU region (AWS eu-central-1) available
Limitations
- No permanent free cloud tier: a 14-day trial, then a card is required
- A branch's region is fixed at creation and child branches stay in the parent's region
- Branch storage can be increased but not decreased, up to 1 TB
- Multi-region, the Xatastor engine, SLAs and dedicated support are not in the self-hosted edition
Who it suits
Good for
- Teams that want a database per pull request or preview deployment
- AI coding agents that need isolated Postgres with realistic data
- Platforms provisioning a database per customer or generated app
- Teams that want branching but keep production on another Postgres host
Look elsewhere if
- Hobby projects looking for a free hosted database
- Non-PostgreSQL workloads
Pricing history
-
Search and file APIs removed from the free tier
Effective 2025-01-10: search and file APIs left the free plan. The old free platform was later replaced by the trial-only Xata Cloud. Source ↗
Alternatives to Xata
| Tool | From | Free option | Stages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aiven Managed open-source data platform (PostgreSQL, MySQL, Kafka, Valkey, OpenSearch, ClickHouse) | $5/mo | Free tier | |
| Clever Cloud European managed PaaS | €6/mo | ||
| Convex Reactive backend and document database | $25/mo | Free tier | |
| Crunchy Bridge Managed PostgreSQL on AWS, Azure and GCP | $9/mo | ||
| Dragonfly Cloud Managed Redis-compatible in-memory data store | $36/mo | ||
| Firebase Backend platform with document and realtime databases | Usage-based | Free tier |
Questions
Does Xata still have a free tier?
Not on Xata Cloud: it has a 14-day trial, then pay as you go. The open-source edition is free to self-host.
How much does Xata cost?
From $0.012 per hour for a micro instance (about $9/mo if always on) plus $0.28 per GB-month of storage; idle branches are not billed for compute.
Is Xata real PostgreSQL?
Yes. Xata says it runs upstream PostgreSQL without significant modifications, so any Postgres client connects.
Can I use Xata branching without moving my production database?
Yes. Xata can keep a continuously synced, anonymized clone of a production database hosted elsewhere and branch from it.
Does Xata charge per branch?
No. You pay for compute while branches are awake and for storage used; branches share unchanged data with their parent.
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