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Supabase vs Firebase: backends by data model?

By Official AppDuo editorial team · Updated

Supabase logoSupabase7.8/10Freemium · $25.00/moFirebase logoFirebase7.5/10Freemium · Free

Quick verdict

Supabase vs Firebase: backends by data model.

Supabase: Startups and solo developers who want Postgres with auth and ready-made APIs.

Firebase: Teams building mobile or web apps that need auth, a realtime database and push notifications without building a backend.

Choose for your main task, existing devices and plan limits; the overall score cannot replace your requirements.

Head-to-head

Supabase leads on 4, Firebase on 1, 4 even

FeatureSupabaseFirebase
Paid plan for individuals[2],[13]Pro from 25 USD a month per organisation, with 10 USD in compute credits; costs rise with compute, egress and add-ons.No paid plan for individuals found. The only paid plan, Blaze, is a business plan: pay as you go with no flat fee; keeps Spark's no-cost quotas and bills usage beyond them.
→ Supabase offers a flat-priced Pro plan for individuals, while Firebase only has the usage-billed Blaze plan for businesses, so the prices are not directly comparable.
Spending control[2],[13],[16]Pro has a spend cap on by default; you must turn it off in the dashboard to allow overages.Blaze budget alerts do not cap charges; per-service spend caps cover only four services.
→ Teams on a tight budget face fewer billing surprises with Supabase's default spend cap.
What the free plan really allows[2],[13]Up to 2 active projects, 50,000 MAUs, 500 MB database; projects pause after 1 week of inactivity.No payment method needed; Firestore 1 GiB, Auth 50K MAUs; no Cloud Functions/Storage; exceeding a quota shuts the product off for the month.
→ Supabase Free includes more services but idle projects pause, while Firebase Spark stays on but lacks Functions and Storage.
Open source and self-hosting[1],[8]Open source under Apache-2.0 and self-hostable; each project is a standard Postgres database.Not open source or self-hostable; tightly coupled to Google's ecosystem.
→ Teams avoiding vendor lock-in can move data or self-run more easily with Supabase.
Mobile app tooling[13],[15]Web and API platforms; no information on push notifications or crash reporting.iOS and Android SDKs; Cloud Messaging, Crashlytics, Analytics and App Check free on both plans.
→ Mobile teams needing push and crash tracking get it built in and free on Firebase.
Data location[1],[6],[14]You choose the AWS region at project setup; 17 regions available.Authentication processes data only in the US; other services may use any Google data center, some let you pick.
→ Projects with data-residency requirements get more control with Supabase.
Security certifications[4],[14]SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA (with BAA); SOC 2 report only on Team (599 USD a month) and above.All services have completed ISO 27001 and SOC 1, 2 and 3.
→ Healthcare apps needing HIPAA should look at Supabase; both cover ISO 27001 and SOC 2.
Service longevity[10],[18],[17]No services reported as shutting down; raised 500 million USD in 2026-06.Shutdowns scheduled: Firebase Studio (Mar 22, 2027), Extensions (Mar 31, 2027), Firebase ML (Jun 15, 2027), Test Lab (Sep 30, 2027).
→ Anyone relying on Firebase Extensions, ML or Test Lab must plan for migration.
User ratings[11],[12]Trustpilot 2.3/5 (76 reviews); Product Hunt 5/5 (933 reviews).No public information found.
→ There is no basis to compare, though support-minded readers should note Supabase's Trustpilot complaints.

Choose Supabase if…

  • Startups and solo developers who want Postgres with auth and ready-made APIs
  • AI projects that need vector embeddings (pgvector) next to transactional data
  • Teams that want to limit lock-in through open source and self-hosting

Choose Firebase if…

  • Teams building mobile or web apps that need auth, a realtime database and push notifications without building a backend
  • New projects prototyping quickly on the Spark plan with no payment method
  • Teams already on Google Cloud or Google Analytics who want built-in integration

How the products differ

Supabase: A fit for teams that want a full backend (database, auth, storage, realtime, serverless functions) while keeping standard Postgres and the option to self-host. The trade-offs are that Free projects pause after a week of inactivity, and costs grow with compute, egress and add-ons at scale.

Firebase: Firebase suits small teams and startups that want a working backend without managing servers, thanks to generous Spark quotas and services such as Authentication, Firestore and Cloud Messaging. The trade-offs are hard-to-predict costs on Blaze (budget alerts do not cap spending), tight coupling to Google's ecosystem, and several services scheduled for shutdown.

Choose around your use case

Supabase: Fits Startups and solo developers who want Postgres with auth and ready-made APIs; AI projects that need vector embeddings (pgvector) next to transactional data. Strengths: Every project is a dedicated Postgres database usable on its own; the other products are optional; Broad product set: Auth (20+ sign-in providers), Storage, Edge Functions, Realtime, Vector.

Firebase: Fits Teams building mobile or web apps that need auth, a realtime database and push notifications without building a backend; New projects prototyping quickly on the Spark plan with no payment method. Strengths: Spark needs no payment method and includes free quotas for Firestore, Authentication (50K MAUs), Hosting and Realtime Database; Many services on one platform: build (Firestore, Auth, Hosting, Functions, Storage), run (Crashlytics, Cloud Messaging, Remote Config, A/B Testing) and AI (Firebase AI Logic with Gemini).

Costs and limits to check

Supabase: Pro: 25 USD/month, as recorded in the review. Trade-off: Costs are harder to predict at scale: compute, disk, egress and add-ons are billed separately (for example PITR at 100 USD a month).

Firebase: Paid prices depend on plan and purchase channel; see the product review. Trade-off: Cloud Functions, Cloud Storage and App Hosting require Blaze and a Cloud Billing account; budget alerts do not cap spending, and per-service spend caps cover only four services. Prices retain the currency and billing units recorded in the source profiles; no currency conversion or plan equivalence is assumed. Check official prices, limits and terms before payment.

When to consider another option

Supabase is not aimed at: Anyone who needs an always-on free project: Free projects pause after 1 week of inactivity; Those who need a document-style NoSQL database as the core store.

Consider alternatives to Firebase if you are: Projects that need tight cost control: on Blaze, budget alerts do not cap charges; Teams that want to avoid vendor lock-in or keep data entirely outside Google. Read these limitations alongside the feature table before deciding; a single strength cannot compensate for a missing requirement.

Frequently asked questions

Should I choose Supabase or Firebase?

Supabase vs Firebase: backends by data model. Supabase: Startups and solo developers who want Postgres with auth and ready-made APIs. Firebase: Teams building mobile or web apps that need auth, a realtime database and push notifications without building a backend. Choose for your main task, existing devices and plan limits; the overall score cannot replace your requirements.

Does a higher score always mean a better fit?

No. Overall scores are editorial judgements across several criteria. Your task, allowance and existing ecosystem may matter more; the table separates those differences so you can decide.

Where do prices and limits come from?

From each product’s researched profile, with source links and check dates in the review. This comparison reuses that evidence; its compilation date does not mean every price was rechecked that day.

Sources

Numbers in the table refer to these sources, read on the dates shown.

  1. 1.Official homepage · Vendor-provided · Nov 10, 2026
  2. 2.Official pricing page · Vendor-provided · Nov 10, 2026
  3. 3.Official privacy policy · Vendor-provided · Nov 10, 2026
  4. 4.Official security page · Vendor-provided · Nov 10, 2026
  5. 5.Docs: compute and disk · Vendor-provided · Nov 10, 2026
  6. 6.Docs: regions · Vendor-provided · Nov 10, 2026
  7. 7.Supabase blog: acquiring Turso (2026-10-02) · Vendor-provided · Nov 10, 2026
  8. 8.Supabase GitHub repository · Community-reported · Nov 10, 2026
  9. 9.TechCrunch: Series C (2024-09-25) · press · Nov 10, 2026
  10. 10.TechCrunch: Series F (2026-06-05) · press · Nov 10, 2026
  11. 11.Trustpilot: Supabase · review-site · Nov 10, 2026
  12. 12.Product Hunt reviews · review-site · Nov 10, 2026
  13. 13.Official pricing page · Vendor-provided · Nov 10, 2026
  14. 14.Official privacy and security page · Vendor-provided · Nov 10, 2026
  15. 15.Official product list · Vendor-provided · Nov 10, 2026
  16. 16.Firebase docs: pricing plans and billing · Vendor-provided · Nov 10, 2026
  17. 17.Firebase release notes · Vendor-provided · Nov 10, 2026
  18. 18.Firebase Studio sunset and migration · Vendor-provided · Nov 10, 2026
  19. 19.Wikipedia: Firebase · Community-reported · Nov 10, 2026

Prepared by the AppDuo Editorial Team from the sources cited in this article. AI assists with organising and cross-checking data; editorial responsibility remains with AppDuo.

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