In Neon
You want raw serverless Postgres with instant branching and scale-to-zero.
Comparison
nlqdb vs Neon
Pick Neon if you want best-in-class serverless Postgres — instant branching, scale-to-zero, and an AI coding agent that manages the database for you. Pick nlqdb if you want the answer itself: one HTML element that turns an English question into validated SQL, in your product, for your users.
The same goal, two ways.
> signups per week for the last 8 weeks
In your HTML
<nlq-data goal="signups per week for the last 8 weeks"></nlq-data>The dashboard query you'd hand-write in Neon's SQL editor; nlqdb answers the English goal inline in one `<nlq-data>` element, SQL shown.
What's different
Four dimensions that decide it
| Dimension | nlqdb | Neon | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| In-product NL answer element (`<nlq-data>`) | Neon's natural language lives in an AI coding agent via MCP (dev-time DB management); it ships no runtime element answering an end-user question inside your app. | ||
| Natural-language → SQL | Neon's MCP server executes SQL + migrations from English inside a coding agent; nlqdb compiles NL→SQL as a product runtime with the compiled SQL shown. | ||
| Compiled SQL shown + fail-closed allow-list on every query | Neon verifies migrations on a copy-on-write branch before merge; nlqdb validates every runtime query against an allow-list fail-closed and shows the compiled SQL. | ||
| Destructive-op diff preview before apply | Neon's prepare/complete-migration flow verifies on a branch first; nlqdb diff-previews the write or DDL itself before it applies. |
Show 5 more rows
| Dimension | nlqdb | Neon | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Git-like database branching (copy-on-write) | Instant branching + scale-to-zero are Neon's core primitive; nlqdb provisions a single Postgres per database and exposes no branching today. | ||
| Scale-to-zero serverless compute + autoscaling | Neon separates storage from compute and scales to zero; nlqdb runs on managed Postgres without exposing autoscaling knobs. | ||
| MCP server (agent-callable) | Neon's remote MCP (mcp.neon.tech, OAuth) exposes ~20 DB-management tools; nlqdb's `nlqdb_query` materialises Postgres on first reference and answers in SQL. | ||
| Anonymous mode (try before sign-in) | |||
| Connection pooling, read replicas, point-in-time restore | Neon is a mature managed-Postgres platform; nlqdb is a natural-language query runtime on top of Postgres, not a DB-ops console. |
shipped · partial · not shipped
When to choose nlqdb
- You want one HTML element (`<nlq-data>`) that answers an English question inside your product.
- You want the compiled SQL shown and validated fail-closed on every runtime query.
- You want destructive writes and migrations diff-previewed before they apply.
- Anonymous visitors should try a query before signing in, no setup needed.
When to choose Neon
- You want raw serverless Postgres with instant branching and scale-to-zero.
- Your team writes its own SQL and prefers a console over a chat box.
- You need Git-like database branches for CI, previews, and safe migrations.
- An AI coding agent should manage your database at dev time (projects, branches, tuning).
Questions buyers ask
- Neon has an official MCP server too — how is nlqdb's different?
- Neon's MCP server (mcp.neon.tech) drives an AI coding agent to manage the database at dev time — create projects, branch, run and verify migrations, tune queries. nlqdb's MCP exposes `nlqdb_query`, `nlqdb_list_databases`, and `nlqdb_describe`; `nlqdb_query` materialises Postgres on first reference and returns the answer in SQL, so the tool answers a question rather than administering the database.
- Can I keep my Neon database and use nlqdb just for the NL queries?
- Not yet — nlqdb provisions and owns the Postgres it queries, and bring-your-own-connection is on the roadmap, not shipped. If you already run Neon and want NL over it today, Neon's own MCP server or a text-to-SQL layer like Vanna is the right shape. Use nlqdb when you want the answer element embedded in your product.
- Does nlqdb give me database branching like Neon?
- No. Instant copy-on-write branching and scale-to-zero are Neon's core primitives, and nlqdb exposes neither today. nlqdb provisions a single Postgres per database and focuses on the query runtime — the compiled SQL shown, fail-closed validation, and diff-previewed writes. If Git-like branches for CI and previews are central, Neon wins.
- What's the pricing model versus Neon's free and Launch tiers?
- Neon's free plan gives 100 CU-hours per project per month and 0.5 GB per project across up to 100 projects, no card; its Launch tier is pay-as-you-go with no minimum. nlqdb's free chain (Groq → Gemini) is rate-limited per principal with BYO-LLM at 0% markup; hosted premium adds a flat sub with an allowance. Until monetization ships, everything is free.
- Can my AI agent provision a database with nlqdb the way it can with Neon's MCP?
- Both can. Neon's MCP stands up a Neon project from your coding agent; nlqdb's `nlqdb_query` materialises a tenant-scoped Postgres plus schema on first reference, with no separate create step. The difference is what happens next — Neon's tools manage the database, while nlqdb's answer an English question in SQL and diff-preview any write.
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