Quick Comparison
| Neon | Supabase | |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Serverless PostgreSQL | Full backend platform |
| Branching | Yes (database branches) | No |
| Scale to zero | Yes | No (always-on) |
| Auth | No | Built-in |
| Storage | No | Built-in |
| Edge functions | No | Deno-based |
| Free tier | 0.5GB, auto-suspend | 500MB, 2 projects |
When to Use Neon
- You just need a database
- You want database branching (like git)
- You want scale-to-zero for cost savings
- You’re using your own auth/storage
When to Use Supabase
- You want a full backend platform
- You need auth, storage, and edge functions
- You want row-level security
- You want a Firebase-like experience
Verdict
Neon if you just need a great serverless PostgreSQL database. Supabase if you want the full platform with auth, storage, and realtime.