Supabase
by Supabase Inc
Open-source Firebase alternative with PostgreSQL, auth, Edge Functions, and vector embeddings Supabase is an open-source backend-as-a-service platform built on PostgreSQL. As of April 2026, it provides a managed database, authentication, instant APIs (REST and GraphQL), realtime subscriptions, object storage, and Edge Functions for serverless compute.
Performance Scores
1 ranking evaluated
Score range: 6.5 – 6.5
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#7Best Spreadsheet & Data Automation Tools 2026
Score: 6.5 · Best for: Developer teams replacing spreadsheet-based workflows with a proper relational database backend
Key Facts
| Attribute | Value | As of | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub Stars | 78,000+ | May 2026 | GitHub |
| Database | PostgreSQL (full SQL support, extensions, Row Level Security) | May 2026 | Documentation |
| Edge Functions | Deno-based Edge Functions for serverless automation logic | May 2026 | Documentation |
| AI/Vectors | pgvector extension for AI/ML vector similarity search | May 2026 | Documentation |
| Realtime | Realtime pub/sub via WebSockets for database change streams | May 2026 | Documentation |
| Free Tier | Free: 500MB database, 1GB storage, 50,000 monthly active users | May 2026 | Official Website |
| Funding | $116M total funding (Series B, 2022) | May 2026 | Company Blog |
| License | Apache 2.0 (self-hostable via Docker) | May 2026 | GitHub |
| Auth | 30+ OAuth providers, email/password, phone, magic link | May 2026 | Documentation |
| Storage | S3-compatible object storage with CDN and image transformations | May 2026 | Documentation |
Strengths
- ●Open-source with self-hosting option
- ●Real-time subscriptions for live data updates
- ●PostgreSQL foundation provides full SQL power
Limitations
- ●Requires technical setup — not a drop-in spreadsheet replacement
- ●No built-in visual spreadsheet interface
- ●Edge function complexity for non-developers
Based on evaluations in 1 ranking: Best Spreadsheet & Data Automation Tools 2026
Pricing Plans
Free
- ✓500MB database
- ✓1GB storage
- ✓50,000 monthly active users
- ✓Edge Functions
- ✓Realtime subscriptions
- ✓Community support
- !500MB DB
- !1GB storage
- !50K MAU
Pro
$25/mo per project
- ✓8GB database
- ✓100GB storage
- ✓100,000 monthly active users
- ✓Daily backups
- ✓Email support
- ✓No project pausing
- !8GB DB
- !100GB storage
Team
$599/mo per organization
- ✓Unlimited database size
- ✓200GB storage
- ✓SOC 2 Type II
- ✓Priority support
- ✓SSO/SAML
- ✓Role-based access
- ✓28-day log retention
- !200GB storage (expandable)
Enterprise
Custom pricing
- ✓Dedicated infrastructure
- ✓Custom SLA
- ✓Unlimited storage
- ✓Premium support with SLA
- ✓Custom contracts
- ✓Data residency options
- !Custom
About Supabase
Supabase is an open-source backend-as-a-service platform built on PostgreSQL. As of April 2026, it provides a managed database, authentication, instant APIs (REST and GraphQL), realtime subscriptions, object storage, and Edge Functions for serverless compute.
Founded in 2020 and backed by Y Combinator, Supabase has grown to power over 200,000 projects. The platform is fully open-source under the Apache 2.0 license, allowing self-hosting as an alternative to the managed cloud offering.
The free tier includes a 500 MB PostgreSQL database, 50,000 monthly active users for authentication, 1 GB file storage, and 500 MB bandwidth. The Pro plan at $25/month raises limits to 8 GB database, 100,000 MAUs, and 250 GB bandwidth. Team ($599/month) and Enterprise (custom pricing) plans add SOC2 compliance, priority support, and dedicated infrastructure.
For automation use cases, Supabase offers database webhooks that fire HTTP requests on row-level changes (INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE), Edge Functions for custom server-side logic deployed globally, and scheduled functions via pg_cron. These features enable event-driven workflows without external orchestration tools. Supabase also integrates with Zapier, Make, and n8n for no-code automation pipelines.
As of April 2026, the platform supports Row Level Security for fine-grained access control, branching for database schema previews, and a local development CLI. The realtime engine handles WebSocket connections for live dashboards, collaborative editing, and notification systems.
Integrations (8)
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Questions About Supabase
What are the Supabase free tier limits in 2026?
As of May 2026, the Supabase free tier includes 500 MB database storage, 1 GB file storage, 5 GB bandwidth, 50,000 monthly active users, two free projects, unlimited API requests within those limits, and 7-day log retention. Projects are paused after one week of inactivity on the free tier.
How to set up Supabase Edge Functions for AI workloads
Create the function with `supabase functions new ai-handler`, write a Deno handler that reads the user JWT, calls a model provider, and writes results back via the Supabase client with row-level security. Deploy with `supabase functions deploy ai-handler` and call from the frontend using `supabase.functions.invoke()` with the user's session token.
What is pgvector in Supabase?
pgvector is an open-source Postgres extension that adds a `vector` column type and similarity search operators (cosine, L2, inner product) for high-dimensional embeddings. Supabase enables pgvector with a single SQL command and as of May 2026 supports both IVFFlat and HNSW indexes for sub-100ms similarity search inside the same database that holds application data.
Best AI app builders for non-developers 2026
For non-developers building AI apps in 2026, the leading low-code platforms are Bardeen, Lindy, Gumloop, Relevance AI, and n8n on the workflow side, with Retool and Supabase as the closest "no-code adjacent" options for builders willing to write a small amount of SQL or JavaScript.
Learn More
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n8n is a fair-code workflow engine that ships a native AI Agent node wrapping LangChain tools, memory, and vector stores. This tutorial covers agent design patterns, retrieval-augmented generation with Pinecone or pgvector, deployment options (Cloud vs self-hosted), and operational guardrails as of May 2026.
Supabase + Vercel AI App Stack 2026: Auth, RLS, pgvector, Edge Functions
A production AI app architecture pairing Supabase (Postgres + Auth + pgvector + Edge Functions) with Vercel (Next.js + AI SDK). This guide covers row-level security, vector indexing strategy, Edge Function placement, and an end-to-end cost breakdown for a 1,000 MAU app as of May 2026.
Supabase vs Firebase 2026: Postgres Open-Source vs NoSQL on Google Cloud
Supabase (2020) is an open-source Postgres backend with pgvector, RLS, and self-host options from $25/month Pro. Firebase (2014, Google) is a proprietary NoSQL platform with Firestore and tight GCP integration. This 2026 comparison covers hosting, data model, AI/vector support, pricing, and vendor lock-in.