Best Firebase Firestore Alternatives 2026
Discover the best Firestore alternatives for 2026. Compare Supabase, Appwrite, MongoDB Atlas, PocketBase and Convex on realtime, flexibility and vendor lock-in.
At MG Software, we recommend Supabase as the primary Firestore alternative for web applications due to its SQL power and open-source nature. For mobile apps with offline sync, MongoDB Atlas with Device Sync is the strongest alternative.
Why do people look for alternatives to Firebase Firestore is a serverless NoSQL document database from Google with realtime synchronization, offline support, automatic scaling and integration with the Firebase suite (Auth, Functions, Hosting, Cloud Messaging).?
Developers seek Firestore alternatives due to strong Google vendor lock-in, limited querying (no joins, limited aggregations), unpredictable costs at scale, and the desire to use SQL or open-source databases.
Best alternatives
Supabase
Open-source Firebase alternative built on PostgreSQL with realtime subscriptions via Postgres changes, Row Level Security, auth, storage and auto-generated REST API.
Pros
- +Full SQL power with joins, aggregations and complex queries
- +Open-source — no vendor lock-in, self-hosting possible
- +Built-in auth, storage and edge functions comparable to Firebase
Cons
- -No native offline sync like Firestore — requires extra implementation
- -Realtime is based on Postgres changes, less granular control than Firestore listeners
Appwrite
Open-source Backend-as-a-Service with document database, realtime events, authentication, storage and serverless functions — self-hostable or via Appwrite Cloud.
Pros
- +Document model similar to Firestore for easier migration
- +Fully open-source with Docker-based self-hosting option
- +Extensive SDK support for web, mobile and server languages
Cons
- -No offline sync — realtime events require an active connection
- -Less mature ecosystem than Firebase with fewer community extensions
MongoDB Atlas
Fully managed cloud MongoDB with Device Sync for offline-first mobile apps, Atlas App Services for serverless functions and a richer query model than Firestore.
Pros
- +Device Sync for native offline-first mobile applications (via Realm)
- +Richer document model with flexible aggregations and $lookup joins
- +Multi-cloud deployment on AWS, GCP and Azure
Cons
- -More complex pricing model than Firestore with multiple cost variables
- -Device Sync (Realm) has a steeper learning curve than Firestore offline sync
PocketBase
Open-source backend in a single Go binary with SQLite database, realtime subscriptions, auth and file storage — deploys in seconds on any server.
Pros
- +Ultra-simple deployment — single binary, no Docker or dependencies needed
- +Realtime subscriptions and auth out of the box
- +Extremely low cost — runs on the smallest VPS
Cons
- -No offline sync or mobile SDKs like Firestore
- -SQLite base limits scalability for high-traffic applications
Convex
Reactive serverless backend platform with TypeScript-first queries that automatically update in the UI, built-in caching and serverless functions.
Pros
- +Reactive queries — UI updates automatically without manual listeners
- +End-to-end TypeScript type safety from database to frontend
- +No manual cache invalidation needed unlike Firestore + state management
Cons
- -No offline sync — requires an active internet connection
- -Proprietary data model and query language — no SQL or standard NoSQL
What to consider when switching?
- Determine whether you need offline sync for mobile applications
- Compare query flexibility: SQL (Supabase) vs document (Appwrite) vs reactive (Convex)
- Evaluate total costs at your expected reads, writes and data storage
- Assess available SDKs for your platform (web, iOS, Android, Flutter)
Which alternative does MG Software recommend?
At MG Software, we recommend Supabase as the primary Firestore alternative for web applications due to its SQL power and open-source nature. For mobile apps with offline sync, MongoDB Atlas with Device Sync is the strongest alternative.
Frequently asked questions
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