Supabase if you want SQL, open source, and low vendor lock-in. Firebase if you want the Google ecosystem, real-time by default, and mobile-first features.
Side-by-side
| Supabase | Firebase | |
|---|---|---|
| Database | PostgreSQL (SQL) | Firestore (NoSQL) |
| Open source | Yes | No |
| Self-hostable | Yes | No |
| Auth | Yes (email, OAuth, magic link) | Yes (email, OAuth, phone) |
| Storage | Yes | Yes |
| Real-time | Yes (Postgres changes) | Yes (built into Firestore) |
| Functions | Edge Functions (Deno) | Cloud Functions (Node.js) |
| Querying | Full SQL, joins, aggregates | Limited NoSQL queries |
| Vendor lock-in | Low (it’s just Postgres) | High |
| Free tier | Generous (500 MB DB) | Generous |
| Push notifications | No | Yes (FCM) |
| Analytics | No | Yes (built-in) |
Where Supabase wins
- PostgreSQL — full SQL power. Joins, aggregates, CTEs, window functions. Firestore can’t do any of this.
- Open source — you can self-host. Your data is in a standard PostgreSQL database you can take anywhere.
- No vendor lock-in — if you leave Supabase, you have a Postgres database. If you leave Firebase, you have a migration nightmare.
- Row-level security — powerful auth policies at the database level.
- Developer experience — the dashboard, docs, and client library are excellent.
Where Firebase wins
- Real-time — Firestore is real-time by default. Every query can be a live subscription. Supabase has real-time but it’s not as seamless.
- Mobile — Firebase was built for mobile. Push notifications (FCM), crash reporting (Crashlytics), analytics, remote config — all built in.
- Google ecosystem — tight integration with Google Cloud, Google Analytics, BigQuery.
- Maturity — Firebase has been around since 2012. More battle-tested at massive scale.
- Offline support — Firestore has excellent offline persistence for mobile apps.
Pricing comparison
Both have generous free tiers. The pricing models differ:
- Supabase — predictable monthly pricing based on database size and compute
- Firebase — pay-per-read/write/delete. Can get expensive with lots of reads (and Firestore encourages denormalized data = more reads)
Firebase’s pricing is harder to predict. Many developers have been surprised by unexpected bills.
How to choose
- Building a web app? Supabase (SQL is more natural for web).
- Building a mobile app? Firebase (push notifications, offline, analytics).
- Care about vendor lock-in? Supabase (open source, standard Postgres).
- Need complex queries? Supabase (SQL vs. NoSQL is no contest here).
- Need real-time everything? Firebase (more mature real-time).
- Team already knows SQL? Supabase.
- Team already knows Firebase? Stay with Firebase.
See also: What is Supabase? | PostgreSQL cheat sheet