Supabase vs Firebase (2026)
A side-by-side comparison of features, pricing, licensing, and self-hosting.
Bottom line: Supabase is the open-source, Postgres-native choice with self-hosting and SQL; Firebase is Google's fully managed, mobile-first platform with tighter real-time developer experience but significant lock-in.
Firebase's strengths are maturity, convenience, and mobile SDK depth. Offline sync is built into the iOS and Android SDKs with no configuration. Cloud Functions deploy in seconds. The entire platform is managed by Google, removing all operational overhead. For greenfield mobile apps where the team wants zero infrastructure concern, Firebase has the lowest friction.
Supabase trades some managed convenience for fundamentally better data primitives. Postgres means real SQL, relational joins, foreign key constraints, and every extension the ecosystem has produced — including pgvector for ML workloads and PostGIS for geospatial queries. Row Level Security moves authorization into the database layer. Under Apache-2.0 with a documented Docker Compose setup, the entire stack runs on your own infrastructure with no dependency on any external vendor.
The free tier differences matter in practice: Firebase's Spark plan never pauses; Supabase pauses inactive free-tier projects after one week.
The inflection points are predictable: once your data model needs relational queries, or once your compliance team asks where the data lives, Firebase's NoSQL lock-in and no-self-hosting constraint become blocking issues. At either threshold, Supabase is the rational move.
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
Firebase
Google's all-in-one BaaS platform with Firestore, Auth, hosting, and serverless functions.
Pros
- Generous Spark free tier covers most prototype and small-app needs with no credit card
- Native iOS and Android SDKs handle offline caching and sync automatically
- Real-time data listeners built into Firestore push changes to every connected client instantly
Cons
- Vendor lock-in to Google infrastructure with no self-hosting or data export path
- Firestore's NoSQL document model is a poor fit for relational data and complex queries
Supabase vs Firebase: spec comparison
| Spec | Supabase | Firebase |
|---|---|---|
| License | Apache-2.0 | Proprietary |
| Open source | Yes | No |
| Self-hostable | Yes | No |
| Starting price | Free / self-host | Free / self-host |
| Pricing model | open-core | freemium |
| Language | TypeScript | — |
| Platforms | web, self-hosted, docker | web, ios, android |
| Founded | 2020 | 2011 |
| GitHub stars | 70,000 | — |
FAQ
Supabase vs Firebase: 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.; Firebase (Free / self-host) suits Mobile and web apps that need a fully managed backend with real-time sync and are comfortable within Google's ecosystem.. The spec table above breaks down the differences.
Is Supabase or Firebase cheaper?
Both start at the same price (Free / self-host).