Supabase vs Firebase: Complete Comparison Guide
Compare Supabase and Firebase on database type, real-time capabilities, scalability, and cost. Discover which Backend-as-a-Service platform is the best fit for your project.
Supabase
An open-source Backend-as-a-Service built on PostgreSQL. Supabase provides a full relational database with Row Level Security, real-time subscriptions, edge functions, and an auto-generated REST and GraphQL API. The platform is fully self-hostable and has rapidly grown as the most popular open-source alternative to Firebase.
Firebase
Google's fully managed Backend-as-a-Service platform featuring Firestore (NoSQL document database), real-time synchronization, offline caching, Authentication, Cloud Functions, and Firebase Hosting. Firebase is deeply integrated into the Google Cloud ecosystem and is used by millions of applications worldwide.
Comparison table
| Feature | Supabase | Firebase |
|---|---|---|
| Database type | PostgreSQL (relational, SQL) with full SQL support | Firestore (NoSQL document model) with hierarchical collections |
| Real-time | Real-time subscriptions via PostgreSQL CDC (Change Data Capture) | Native real-time synchronization with automatic offline caching |
| Authentication | Built-in auth with RLS integration, 30+ OAuth providers | Firebase Auth with email, phone, social login, and anonymous auth |
| Self-hosting | Fully self-hostable via Docker — complete control over data | Only available as a managed service via Google Cloud |
| Security model | Row Level Security at database level — SQL policies | Firestore Security Rules — custom rule language |
| Pricing | Free tier with 500 MB database, then pay-as-you-go | Spark plan free, Blaze plan based on consumption |
Verdict
Supabase and Firebase serve similar use cases but with fundamentally different approaches. Supabase builds on PostgreSQL, offering the power of a full relational database with SQL, joins, and transactions — ideal for applications with complex data relationships. Firebase excels at real-time synchronization and offline support for mobile apps, backed by Google's proven infrastructure. The choice depends on your data model: relational and SQL-centric points to Supabase, while document-based with offline-first points to Firebase.
Our recommendation
At MG Software, we use Supabase as our primary Backend-as-a-Service. The combination of PostgreSQL, Row Level Security, and an open-source architecture aligns perfectly with our vision on data sovereignty and long-term flexibility. We build applications with Supabase edge functions and real-time subscriptions for modern web and mobile apps. For clients with existing Firebase projects, we offer migration paths to Supabase, unlocking the benefits of a relational database without sacrificing development speed.
Frequently asked questions
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