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Supabase alternatives

Compare Firebase, Appwrite, Convex, PocketBase, and Neon as Supabase alternatives by data model, hosting, free-plan limits, and billing.

What do you need to change?

Teams look beyond Supabase for three main reasons. Free projects pause after a week of inactivity and only two can be active; some teams want a different data model, such as documents or reactive TypeScript functions rather than SQL; and others want a backend that is simpler to self-host. Neon keeps Postgres with more free projects, Firebase and Convex offer different data models, and Appwrite and PocketBase are the simpler self-hosted routes.

A focused editorial selection based on the linked official documentation. Fit notes are our judgment, rather than firsthand benchmark results or a universal ranking. How we select and verify information.

Supabase alternatives at a glance

Supabase and its alternatives: main focus and free option
ToolBest forFree option
Supabase (current)An app backend built on a full Postgres database, so you can use SQL and row-level security directly.Free plan, 2 active projects
FirebaseMobile and web backends built on NoSQL document databases with real-time sync and SDKs for iOS, Android, Flutter, and the web.Spark plan, no card needed
AppwriteOne backend toolkit you can run in the cloud or self-host with Docker or Kubernetes, with the same features in both.Free Cloud plan; free to self-host
ConvexReal-time apps written end to end in TypeScript, without writing SQL or managing subscriptions by hand.Free plan, pay as you go
PocketBaseSmall and mid-sized apps that can run on one server, with custom logic added through Go or JavaScript hooks.Free, self-hosted only
NeonPostgres projects you can branch for previews and tests, with users and sessions stored in your own database.Free plan, 100 projects

Five alternatives to consider

Backend platforms

Firebase

Consider Firebase for mobile-first apps that suit NoSQL documents with real-time sync, and when your team is already on Google Cloud.

Google's app development platform with Firestore and Realtime Database, authentication, storage, Cloud Functions, hosting, and a managed Postgres option.

Pricing model
The no-cost Spark plan needs no payment method and has daily and monthly quotas, such as 50,000 Firestore document reads a day. The Blaze plan is pay as you go and is required for Cloud Functions. SQL Connect runs on Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL with a three-month no-cost trial.
Before choosing
Firestore is billed per document read, write, and delete; model reads for your busiest screen, including real-time listeners, before launch.
Backend platforms

Appwrite

Consider Appwrite when you want an all-in-one backend with auth, databases, storage, functions, and hosting that is equally at home in its cloud or on your own servers.

An open-source backend platform, licensed BSD 3-Clause, with auth, databases, storage, functions, and site hosting, on Appwrite Cloud or your own servers.

Pricing model
A free Cloud plan whose projects freeze when they hit a resource limit, and a Pro plan that keeps running and charges for extra usage, with an optional budget cap. Databases run on serverless or dedicated compute. Self-hosting is free.
Before choosing
On the free Cloud plan a project freezes at its limit until the next cycle; decide whether production should start on Pro with a budget cap.
Backend platforms

Convex

Consider Convex when your app is real-time and your team would rather write the whole backend as TypeScript functions than SQL and policies.

A reactive backend where queries, mutations, and actions are TypeScript functions, and clients update automatically when the data they read changes.

Pricing model
A Free & Starter plan for up to six developers, free within its included resources and pay as you go beyond them. Professional is priced per developer with larger allowances; Business has a monthly minimum. The backend can also be self-hosted.
Before choosing
The self-hosted backend uses the FSL Apache 2.0 licence, which forbids building a competing hosted service; check that suits your plans.
Backend platforms

PocketBase

Consider PocketBase for small and mid-sized apps that can run on one server, when a single self-hosted file is more appealing than a managed platform.

An MIT-licensed open-source backend in a single file, with an embedded SQLite database, realtime subscriptions, auth, file storage, and an admin dashboard.

Pricing model
Free and open source. There is no hosted service, so you pay only for the server you run it on.
Before choosing
It scales on a single server only, is maintained by volunteers, and does not guarantee backward compatibility before version 1.0.
Backend platforms

Neon

Consider Neon when you want to stay on Postgres but need many free projects that scale to zero, database branching, and auth stored in your own database.

Serverless Postgres with branching, autoscaling, and scale to zero, now with managed authentication, object storage, and functions alongside the database.

Pricing model
A free plan with up to 100 projects, a monthly compute-hour allowance, and 1 GB of storage per project, with compute that scales to zero when idle. Paid plans are usage-based, billed per compute-unit hour and per GB-month of storage.
Before choosing
Compute is billed by the hour while active; check how often your app wakes the database and how long it stays up.

When Supabase may still fit

Keep Supabase on the shortlist when you want a full Postgres database with SQL and row-level security, plus auth, storage, and realtime in one project, and the option to self-host the same stack with Docker.

Free projects pause after a week without activity, and each extra paid project adds compute cost; count your projects and environments.

Before you switch

  1. Write down your data model, auth providers, and file needs, then check each candidate supports them without a workaround.
  2. Estimate cost from your own numbers: monthly active users, database size, egress, and reads or function calls, under each candidate's billing unit.
  3. Rebuild one feature with access rules and a realtime update, and test exporting your data before you commit.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a free alternative to Supabase?

PocketBase is free and open source and runs on your own server. Appwrite can be self-hosted for free and has a free Cloud plan. Firebase's Spark plan, Convex's Free & Starter plan, and Neon's free plan all have no-cost allowances, and Neon's allows up to 100 projects.

Which Supabase alternative can I self-host?

Appwrite, under the BSD 3-Clause licence, with Docker or Kubernetes; PocketBase, a single MIT-licensed file; and Convex, whose backend uses the FSL Apache 2.0 licence. Firebase and Neon run as hosted services. Supabase itself can also be self-hosted with Docker.

Which Supabase alternative does not pause free projects?

On Neon's free plan, compute scales to zero when idle and starts again when your app connects, rather than pausing the project. Firebase's Spark plan works within daily and monthly quotas. On Appwrite's free Cloud plan, projects freeze only when they reach a resource limit.

Should I choose Supabase or Firebase for a new app?

In our judgment, it depends on the data. Choose Supabase when your data is relational and you want SQL and Postgres; choose Firebase when a document model with real-time sync fits, especially for mobile apps. Firebase now also offers Postgres through SQL Connect, so check its current trial terms.

Supabase vs Firebase

Supabase vs Firebase: compare Postgres and NoSQL backends by data model, self-hosting, free-plan limits, and how usage is billed.

Read the guide

Supabase vs Convex

Supabase vs Convex: compare a Postgres platform with a reactive TypeScript backend by data access, realtime, self-hosting, and pricing.

Read the guide

Sources and check dates

Provider documentation supports the product and billing descriptions. Confirm current limits and terms before choosing a plan.

Supabase

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Firebase

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Appwrite

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Convex

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PocketBase

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Neon

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ShowMeYourSaaS also offers commercial product coverage. These guides follow our editorial selection criteria; placement is not a purchased ranking. Send a correction with the page and a supporting source.