Supabase
The open source Firebase alternative
Quick Verdict
Best For
- Startups and MVPs needing rapid development
- Real-time applications
- Projects needing auth + database + storage
- Teams preferring managed PostgreSQL
Consider Alternatives If
- Applications requiring maximum performance control
- Cost-sensitive high-scale applications
- Projects requiring full PostgreSQL feature access
Top Alternatives
Score Breakdown
6 dimensions evaluated with transparent methodology
Good performance with PostgreSQL foundation
- Full PostgreSQL performance capabilities
- Connection pooling with PgBouncer
- Edge Functions for low-latency compute
- −6 Shared infrastructure on free/lower tiers
- −6 Cold starts on Edge Functions
- −6 Connection limits on lower tiers
Exceptional DX with instant APIs and dashboard
- Auto-generated REST and GraphQL APIs
- Excellent dashboard for data exploration
- Type generation for TypeScript
- −2 Learning curve for PostgreSQL specifics
- −2 Some features require SQL knowledge
Growing ecosystem with strong framework integrations
- Official SDKs for major languages
- Framework guides (Next.js, SvelteKit, etc.)
- Active Discord community (100K+ members)
- −8 Vendor-specific features reduce portability
- −8 Some integrations still maturing
- −8 Limited compared to Firebase ecosystem
Managed service with strong open-source foundation
- Fully managed infrastructure
- Automatic backups and recovery
- Open-source and self-hostable
- −5 Self-hosting requires significant effort
- −5 Breaking changes possible in rapid development
- −5 Lock-in with proprietary features
Generous free tier but costs scale quickly
- Free tier for development and small apps
- Predictable pricing tiers
- All-in-one reduces multiple service costs
- −7 Pro tier required for production features
- −7 Storage and bandwidth can add up
- −7 Enterprise pricing significantly higher
SOC 2 compliant with enterprise options
- SOC 2 Type II certified
- HIPAA available on Enterprise
- Row-level security for multi-tenancy
- −4 HIPAA only on Enterprise tier
- −4 Some compliance features require higher tiers
- −4 Self-hosted compliance is your responsibility
Compare Alternatives
How Supabase stacks up against similar technologies
| Technology | Overall | Perf | DX | Ecosystem | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current Supabase | 83 | 82 | 95 | 75 | |
| PostgreSQL Full control, self-managed | 89 | — | — | — | Compare → |
| SQLite Simpler, local-first, free | 87 | — | — | — | Compare → |
Sources & Methodology
How we calculate these scores — transparent and reproducible
GitHub
Repository activity, stars, contributors, issue resolution time
NPM Registry
Weekly downloads, package dependencies, version history
OSV Database
Known vulnerabilities, security advisories, CVE tracking
Community Signals
Stack Overflow activity, Discord engagement, developer surveys
1.2.0 Last updated: 2025-12-28 Confidence: 88% Frequently Asked
Why doesn't Supabase score 100%?
No technology is perfect for every use case. Our scoring reflects real-world trade-offs. Supabase's main gaps are in cost efficiency, where pro tier required for production features.
What does confidence percentage mean?
Confidence (88%) indicates how much data we have to support the score. Higher confidence means more data points from multiple sources (GitHub activity, NPM downloads, security audits, community surveys).
How often are scores updated?
Scores are recalculated weekly using automated data pipelines. Major version updates trigger immediate recalculation. Last update: 2025-12-28.