Fauna
Serverless document-relational database with native GraphQL and global replication.
Best for apps that want a serverless database with native GraphQL and no schema migrations.
Use Cases
Free Tier
100MB storage, 100K read ops/day, 50K write ops/day
How to Maximize the Free Tier
Fauna's free tier (100MB, 100K reads/day) is tight — use it only for prototypes and hackathon projects. The 100MB storage fills fastest on document size, not document count — keep your documents lean. The native GraphQL support means you can prototype a full-stack app without writing backend resolvers. Be aware of Fauna's pricing instability — use it for non-critical projects and have a migration plan ready.
Getting Started
Sign up → create database → import schema (auto-generates GraphQL) → copy API key → query from frontend via GraphQL or FQL SDK. No tables or migrations to manage.
Pros
- Native GraphQL: Query your database directly from the frontend with auto-generated GraphQL schema from your collections
- No migrations: Schema-less document model with relational capabilities — add fields on the fly without migrations
- Zero ops: No server management, connection pooling, or capacity planning — the database scales automatically
Cons
- Storage limit: 100MB storage is very restrictive compared to competitors' free tiers — fills up rapidly
- Read ops: 100,000 reads/day is less generous than PlanetScale or Supabase for read-heavy applications
- FQL learning curve: Proprietary FQL query language requires learning — not standard SQL like most databases
- Pricing changes: Fauna has changed its pricing model multiple times — trust concerns among the developer community