Supabase vs Firebase: which backend-as-a-service should you choose?

Quick Answer: Supabase is an open-source Firebase alternative built on PostgreSQL with relational queries, row-level security, and SQL-based querying; it suits developers who prefer SQL and relational data. Firebase (by Google) uses Firestore (NoSQL document database) with real-time listeners and tight integration with Google Cloud; it suits mobile-first and real-time apps. Supabase wins on SQL and open-source; Firebase wins on ecosystem and real-time features.

Supabase vs Firebase

Both are backend-as-a-service (BaaS) platforms that provide authentication, database, storage, and serverless functions. The fundamental difference is relational (Supabase) vs NoSQL document (Firebase).

Supabase

  • Open-source, launched 2020
  • Built on PostgreSQL
  • Row-level security (RLS)
  • Realtime via PostgreSQL replication
  • Edge Functions (Deno runtime)
  • Self-hostable
  • Pricing: Free (2 projects); Pro $25/month; Team $599/month

Firebase

  • Google-owned, launched 2011 (acquired 2014)
  • Firestore (NoSQL document) and Realtime Database
  • Tight Google Cloud integration
  • Cloud Functions (Node.js, Python, Go)
  • Not self-hostable
  • Pricing: Spark free plan; Blaze plan pay-as-you-go

Feature Comparison

Feature Supabase Firebase
Database PostgreSQL (SQL) Firestore (NoSQL)
Query model SQL, joins, views NoSQL queries, limited joins
Realtime PostgreSQL changes Native real-time listeners
Auth Yes (with OAuth providers) Yes (with OAuth providers)
Storage Yes (S3-compatible) Cloud Storage
Serverless functions Edge Functions (Deno) Cloud Functions
Self-hosting Yes No
Mobile SDKs JS, Flutter, Swift, Kotlin JS, iOS, Android, Flutter, Unity
Open-source Yes No

When Supabase Wins

  • SQL-native teams
  • Relational data with joins
  • Open-source or self-hosting requirement
  • PostgreSQL ecosystem (extensions, tooling)

When Firebase Wins

  • Mobile-first applications
  • Real-time collaborative features (chat, presence)
  • Deep Google Cloud integration
  • Existing AdMob, Analytics, or Crashlytics usage

Cost at Scale

Cost comparisons are workload-dependent:

  • Supabase: predictable per-project tier
  • Firebase: usage-based across reads, writes, storage, functions

For read-heavy apps at scale, Firebase can become expensive without careful read optimization; Supabase's flat tiers are often more predictable.

Migration Considerations

  • Migrating from Firebase to Supabase requires data model redesign (document → relational)
  • Migrating auth and storage requires re-issuing user tokens and re-uploading files
  • Tools like supabase-firebase-migrator exist but handle simple cases only

Related Questions

Written & reviewed by Rafal Fila · Last updated:

Related Tools

Related Rankings

Best Human-in-the-Loop Automation Platforms 2026

Eight platforms are ranked here on a single mechanism: how a person enters an automated path, and what the system can prove afterward about the decision they made. Moxo scores 7.7 and ranks first; Camunda 8 scores 7.2, Microsoft Power Automate 7.1, Pega 6.9, n8n 6.7, Zapier 5.9, Kissflow 5.8 and ServiceNow 4.8, scored 22 September 2026 on the five weighted criteria. Those criteria cover the step type, the approver's account or licence, the routes available on a rejection, the audit record, and the meter that charges for the decision, and none of them can tell a review from a rubber stamp, so the methodology adds a check readers can run on any product in a few minutes: whether the decision record tells a considered approval from an instant one. Every figure was read from a vendor-owned surface and carries its own date.

Best Automation Platforms for AI Orchestration 2026

This ranking answers one question: how many real business applications can an AI agent act on out of the box? It evaluates nine platforms as of August 2026 on the reach they give an agent, not on the workflow logic they can express. That boundary is deliberate, because two neighbouring pages on this site answer different questions. Best Process Orchestration Platforms 2026 scores multi-step process control, error handling and state management. Best AI Agent Platforms 2026 scores building and hosting the agent itself. This page scores the layer between them: the connective tissue that lets an agent already built elsewhere reach the applications a business actually runs on. A platform that leads one of those pages can place low here, and two of them do. Scores derive from application and action catalogue counts, the exposure model each platform uses to publish those catalogues to an agent, setup effort, failure handling and cost per agent action. Every figure was retrieved from a vendor-owned surface on 11 August 2026 unless an earlier date is stated against it.

Dive Deeper