Supabase vs Appwrite (2026)
A side-by-side comparison of features, pricing, licensing, and self-hosting.
Bottom line: Supabase is the stronger choice for teams that think in SQL and relational schemas; Appwrite wins for cross-platform SDK breadth and built-in messaging when NoSQL is acceptable.
Supabase's core advantage is Postgres. Row Level Security, foreign keys, complex JOINs, and the full extension ecosystem — pgvector, PostGIS, TimescaleDB — are available without abstraction. The REST and GraphQL APIs generate automatically from your actual schema via PostgREST and pg_graphql. Realtime taps Postgres logical replication. If your team writes SQL and thinks in relational terms, Supabase's tooling is unusually direct.
Appwrite takes a product-first approach. Multiple independent databases per project, a first-class messaging service for push notifications, email, and SMS, and consistent SDKs across Flutter, iOS, Android, React Native, and web under one API shape. Mobile-first cross-platform teams that also need push notifications avoid significant vendor-stitching work. The document-based data model means no SQL joins, which is a real constraint for relational workloads.
Both self-host cleanly via Docker Compose, are actively maintained, and carry open-source licenses permissive enough for commercial use. GitHub traction leans toward Supabase (~70k stars vs ~44k). The deciding factor is almost always the data layer: SQL-native teams lean Supabase, cross-platform mobile teams with messaging needs lean Appwrite.
Supabase
Open-source Firebase alternative built on Postgres with auth, storage, realtime, and edge functions.
Pros
- Full SQL and the entire Postgres extension ecosystem — no NoSQL trade-offs
- Apache-2.0 licensed and self-hostable with a single Docker Compose command
- Row Level Security moves authorization into the database, not scattered across API handlers
Cons
- Free tier pauses inactive projects after one week, breaking always-on demos
- Realtime and edge functions have a steeper learning curve than Firebase equivalents
Appwrite
Open-source BaaS with auth, databases, storage, functions, and messaging in a self-hosted package.
Pros
- Broad SDK coverage across mobile, web, and cross-platform frameworks under one consistent API
- Built-in messaging for push, email, and SMS removes a common third-party integration
- Multiple databases and granular permissions per project suit complex multi-tenant applications
Cons
- Managed cloud platform is newer and smaller than Supabase's with fewer global regions
- Full Docker Compose stack is heavier to self-host than a single-binary alternative
Supabase vs Appwrite: spec comparison
| Spec | Supabase | Appwrite |
|---|---|---|
| License | Apache-2.0 | BSD-3-Clause |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hostable | Yes | Yes |
| Starting price | Free / self-host | Free / self-host |
| Pricing model | open-core | open-core |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Platforms | web, self-hosted, docker | web, ios, android, self-hosted, docker |
| Founded | 2020 | 2019 |
| GitHub stars | 70,000 | 44,000 |
FAQ
Supabase vs Appwrite: which is better?
Neither is universally better. Supabase (Free / self-host) suits Teams migrating away from Firebase who want relational data, SQL power, self-hosting control, and a familiar BaaS feature set.; Appwrite (Free / self-host) suits Cross-platform app developers who want a self-hosted BaaS covering databases, auth, storage, functions, and messaging under one consistent API.. The spec table above breaks down the differences.
Is Supabase or Appwrite cheaper?
Both start at the same price (Free / self-host).