ElephantSQL alternative

# ElephantSQL is gone. Here is a Postgres that stays on.

ElephantSQL was one of the first hosted PostgreSQL services when it launched in 2013, and it has since been discontinued. If an app, a tutorial or a course project of yours still points at an ElephantSQL connection string, it needs a new home. Lathe runs PostgreSQL 17 for you on a dedicated machine of your own, from $15 a month with the storage and 20 TB of traffic included. [Start free - 14 days, no card needed ](https://app.lathe.live/login)[From $15 a month → ](https://lathe.live/pricing)

## What moving here looks like. Standard Postgres, a newer version PostgreSQL 17, the upstream build. Any driver, ORM or tool that connected to ElephantSQL connects here once it has the new connection string. One connection string to change A URL for the direct port 5432 and one for the pooled port 6432, TLS required on both. Put it where DATABASE_URL was and deploy. Pooling included PgBouncer on port 6432 serves many short connections from serverless functions and small web apps without running out of server connections. Backups that are tested A daily backup, 7 kept, restored in place with the same address, and the latest one restored and checked every month. pg_dump works against your instance whenever you want a copy of your own as well. A flat price From $15 a month for the machine, with storage and 20 TB of traffic a month included. Nothing is metered, so the bill is the number on the pricing page. What it is not Free. There is no free tier, and an idle instance costs the plan price. For a class exercise that needs a database for a week, a free tier elsewhere is the better fit, and this page will not pretend otherwise.

## Good for

- An app that ran on ElephantSQL and needs a new Postgres
- A tutorial or course project whose instructions still name ElephantSQL
- A small production database that should not depend on a free plan
- Moving to a newer Postgres version while you are moving anyway

## Questions

**I have a dump from ElephantSQL. How do I restore it? **

Create an instance, then run pg_restore --no-owner --no-privileges against the direct port with the connection string from the portal. A plain SQL dump restores with psql instead. Ownership moves to your owner role, which is what those two flags are for.

**My dump is from an older Postgres version. Will it restore? **

Yes. Restoring into a newer major version is the normal direction. If the old database used an extension that is not on the allowed list, the restore reports that one and carries on with the rest.

**What do I change in my app? **

The connection string, usually one DATABASE_URL. Keep sslmode=require: the instance accepts TLS connections only.

**Is there a free plan? **

No. The entry plan is $15 a month. If you need a database only for a short exercise, a free tier elsewhere will serve you better.

Every number on this page comes from the [pricing page ](https://lathe.live/pricing)'s facts. [Previous DigitalOcean Managed Postgres alternative ](https://docs.lathe.live/guides/digitalocean-postgres-alternative)[Next Move a Postgres database with pg_dump and pg_restore ](https://docs.lathe.live/guides/migrate-postgres)

## Related

- [A database for side projects, with no surprises ](https://docs.lathe.live/guides/database-for-side-projects)

One dedicated machine for all your small projects at $15 a month: never paused, never metered, storage and 20 TB of traffic included.

[All guides ](https://docs.lathe.live/guides)

## Postgres that stays on, from $15 a month.

Live about 5 minutes on average after checkout. Cancel any time; Mini starts with a 14-day free trial. [Start free - 14 days, no card needed ](https://app.lathe.live/login)