How to Choose Between Firebase and Supabase
Choosing the right backend platform can make or break your application’s scalability, maintainability, and developer experience. Two popular Backend-as-a-Service (BaaS) platforms—Firebase by Google and Supabase, an open-source alternative—have emerged as strong contenders in this space.
So how do you decide which one suits your needs better?
This post will break down the key differences, pros and cons, and use-case-based guidance to help you choose between Firebase and Supabase.
🔍 Overview
📦 Firebase
A production-grade BaaS developed by Google. Known for its real-time database, powerful SDKs, and tight integration with Google Cloud.
🧪 Supabase
An open-source alternative to Firebase, built on top of PostgreSQL. It offers similar features like authentication, database, real-time capabilities, and storage—while giving you SQL and self-hosting flexibility.
⚙️ Feature Comparison
| Feature | Firebase | Supabase |
|---|---|---|
| Database | NoSQL (Firestore, Realtime DB) | SQL (PostgreSQL) |
| Authentication | Built-in, robust | Built-in, solid |
| Real-Time | Firestore/Realtime Database | PostgreSQL with replication (via WAL) |
| Storage | Cloud Storage | S3-compatible storage |
| Edge Functions | Cloud Functions | Supabase Functions (Deno-based) |
| Open Source | ❌ Closed-source | ✅ 100% open-source |
| Self-hosting | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| Pricing | Generous free tier, can scale high | Free tier, self-hosting saves cost |
| Query Language | Proprietary (Firestore SDK) | SQL/PostgREST |
| Admin Dashboard | Advanced | Clean and developer-friendly |
🔑 Key Differences
1. Database Type
-
Firebase: NoSQL — flexible schema, great for hierarchical data.
-
Supabase: Relational SQL — ideal for structured data, supports joins and complex queries.
➡️ Choose Firebase if your data model is flexible or hierarchical.
➡️ Choose Supabase if you need relational logic and prefer SQL.
2. Real-Time Capabilities
-
Firebase Realtime Database is truly real-time with granular data sync.
-
Supabase uses PostgreSQL’s logical replication to achieve real-time updates.
➡️ Firebase is more mature here, but Supabase is catching up fast.
3. Vendor Lock-in vs Flexibility
-
Firebase locks you into Google Cloud infrastructure.
-
Supabase can be self-hosted or deployed on any infrastructure.
➡️ Prefer Supabase if avoiding vendor lock-in or needing data portability is important.
4. Open Source Philosophy
-
Firebase is proprietary.
-
Supabase is fully open source and supports self-hosted setups.
➡️ Go with Supabase if you care about transparency and long-term ownership.
5. Pricing
-
Firebase can scale up costs quickly if your reads/writes grow.
-
Supabase pricing is predictable, and self-hosting is a huge plus for larger teams.
🧠 When to Choose Firebase
-
You’re building a real-time chat, collaborative tool, or game backend.
-
You want quick prototyping with minimal setup.
-
You don’t need SQL or structured querying.
-
You trust Google Cloud and want seamless integrations with its ecosystem.
🧠 When to Choose Supabase
-
You want SQL querying with PostgreSQL power.
-
You need open-source, self-hosting, or complete control over your backend.
-
You're building a complex application with relational logic.
-
You want to avoid cloud vendor lock-in.
🚀 Final Thoughts
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. Both Firebase and Supabase are excellent tools—but their philosophies differ.
| Choose Firebase if you want speed, real-time capabilities, and tight integration with Google services.
| Choose Supabase if you value open-source flexibility, SQL databases, and long-term control over your backend.
0 Comments