Firebase vs Supabase

Comparing two backend as a service platforms on pricing, features, free tier, and trade-offs.

By Bilal Almukhtar Edited by Sofia DraganovLast updated April 20, 2026

Quick summary

Firebase — Google's app development platform. Firebase is Google's mobile and web app development platform offering realtime database, authentication, hosting, and serverless functions.

Supabase — The open source Firebase alternative. Supabase is an open-source backend-as-a-service built on PostgreSQL. It provides authentication, realtime subscriptions, storage, edge functions, and a hosted database.

Feature comparison

Feature	Firebase	Supabase
Pricing model	Freemium	Freemium
Starting price	Pay as you go	$25/mo
Free tier	Yes	Yes
Open source	No	Yes
Auth	Yes	Yes
Storage	Yes	Yes
Database	Firestore (NoSQL)	PostgreSQL
Realtime	Yes	Yes
Free Tier	Spark plan (generous)	500MB DB + 1GB storage
Self-hosted	No	Yes
Edge Functions	Yes	Yes
Row Level Security	No	Yes

Firebase

Google's app development platform

Pros

Battle-tested at massive scale
Excellent mobile SDKs
Deep Google Cloud integration

Cons

Vendor lock-in with Firestore
Costs can surprise you at scale
NoSQL-only data model

Visit Firebase →

Supabase

The open source Firebase alternative

Pros

Open source and self-hostable
Standard PostgreSQL — no vendor lock-in
Generous free tier
Great DX with auto-generated APIs

Cons

Cold starts on free tier
Edge function ecosystem still maturing

Visit Supabase →

Which should you choose?

Choose Firebase if a free tier is important for your stage. Choose Supabase if you value open source and want the option to self-host, and a free tier is important for your stage.

Frequently asked questions

Which is better, Firebase or Supabase?

There is no universal “better.” For most teams, Supabase is the safer default because Supabase is open source, which means you can self-host and avoid vendor lock-in. Firebase is proprietary. For edge cases, the comparison table above highlights where each tool wins.

Is Firebase cheaper than Supabase?

Firebase starts at Pay as you go, while Supabase starts at $25/mo. Exact costs depend on usage — check both vendors' calculators before committing.

Can I migrate from Firebase to Supabase?

Migration difficulty depends on how deeply Firebase-specific features (APIs, SDK conventions, data schemas) are baked into your app. Most backend as a service migrations take days to weeks. Both vendors typically publish migration guides — check their docs.

Is Firebase or Supabase open source?

Supabase is open source; Firebase is a proprietary managed service.

Does Firebase or Supabase have a free tier?

Both Firebase and Supabase offer a free tier.

Which is best for startups and indie hackers?

Startups usually optimize for the lowest friction to ship and the cheapest possible free tier. The one with the most generous free tier here is Supabase. For production workloads, revisit the trade-offs in the feature table above.

More Backend as a Service comparisons

All Firebase alternatives →All Supabase alternatives →