Daniel Snell @DOMARTISAN

Master of the universe

August 1, 2023

Youtube Twitter LinkedIn Medium Github

Supabase vs Firebase: Feature And Pricing Comparison

In today's world of web and mobile application development, choosing the right backend service is crucial for ensuring a seamless and efficient development process. Two popular choices in the market are Supabase and Firebase. Both platforms offer a suite of tools and services to help developers build and deploy applications with ease. This article will provide a comprehensive comparison of the features and pricing of Supabase and Firebase, helping you decide which one might be the best fit for your project.

Introduction

Overview of Supabase and Firebase

Supabase is an open-source alternative to Firebase that aims to provide developers with a backend-as-a-service (BaaS) platform for building web and mobile applications. Supabase is built on top of PostgreSQL, a powerful and widely-used relational database management system. It offers real-time data synchronization, user authentication and authorization, object storage, and serverless functions, among other features.

Firebase, on the other hand, is a BaaS platform owned by Google. It provides a suite of tools to help developers build, manage, and scale their applications. Firebase offers multiple services, including a real-time database (Realtime Database), a more advanced NoSQL database (Cloud Firestore), user authentication and authorization, cloud storage, and serverless functions (Cloud Functions).

Purpose of Comparing Features and Pricing

The goal of this article is to compare the features and pricing of Supabase and Firebase to help you make an informed decision when choosing a backend service for your application. By understanding the key differences between the two platforms, you can better assess which one aligns with your project requirements, budget, and overall preferences.

Feature Comparison

In this section, we will compare the core features of Supabase and Firebase, including their databases, authentication and authorization services, storage options, serverless functions, real-time data capabilities, scalability, and open-source/self-hosted options.

Database

Supabase: PostgreSQL with real-time capabilities

Supabase uses PostgreSQL as its primary database, which is an open-source, powerful, and widely-used relational database management system. PostgreSQL offers robust support for complex data types, transactions, and advanced querying capabilities. Supabase adds real-time capabilities to PostgreSQL, allowing developers to build applications that require live data updates.

Firebase: Realtime Database and Cloud Firestore

Firebase offers two database options: Realtime Database and Cloud Firestore. Realtime Database is a NoSQL database that provides real-time data synchronization and offline support.

It is ideal for applications that require real-time updates and collaboration features. Cloud Firestore is also a NoSQL database but offers more advanced querying capabilities, better scaling, and improved reliability compared to Realtime Database. Both databases support real-time data synchronization and offline access, making them suitable for various application types.

Authentication and Authorization

Supabase: Built-in user management, OAuth providers, and row-level security

Supabase offers built-in user management with support for email/password authentication, as well as integration with popular OAuth providers such as Google, Facebook, and GitHub. It also provides row-level security, which allows for fine-grained access control over your data. This feature enables you to define data access policies based on user roles and attributes, ensuring that users can only access the data they are authorized to view or modify.

Firebase: Firebase Authentication with multiple providers and Firebase Security Rules

Firebase Authentication is a comprehensive service that supports various authentication methods, including email/password, phone number, and popular OAuth providers such as Google, Facebook, and Twitter. Firebase Security Rules allow you to define access control policies for your data stored in Realtime Database and Cloud Firestore. These rules enable you to control who can read or write data, as well as validate the structure and content of the data being written.

Storage

Supabase: Object storage with AWS S3 compatibility

Supabase provides an object storage service that is compatible with Amazon S3, allowing you to store and manage files such as images, videos, and documents. Supabase storage supports features like public and private access control, automatic file compression, and metadata management.

Firebase: Firebase Storage powered by Google Cloud Storage

Firebase Storage is a cloud storage solution built on top of Google Cloud Storage. It offers a simple API for storing and retrieving files, including images, videos, and other binary data. Firebase Storage supports features like access control, data validation, and automatic file resizing. It also integrates seamlessly with Firebase Authentication and Security Rules, ensuring secure and granular access to your stored files.

Serverless Functions

Supabase: Event-driven functions with PostgreSQL triggers

Supabase allows you to create serverless functions that are triggered by events in your PostgreSQL database. These functions can be written in multiple languages, including JavaScript, Python, and Go. With PostgreSQL triggers, you can perform actions such as data validation, transformation, or sending notifications when data changes in your database.

Firebase: Cloud Functions for Firebase

Firebase offers a serverless compute service called Cloud Functions for Firebase. This service allows you to write event-driven functions in JavaScript or TypeScript that can be triggered by various events, such as database updates, user authentication, or HTTP requests. Cloud Functions for Firebase can be used for tasks like data validation, sending notifications, or integrating with third-party APIs.

Realtime Data

Supabase: Realtime subscriptions to PostgreSQL tables

Supabase enables realtime subscriptions to PostgreSQL tables, allowing you to receive live updates when data changes in your database. This feature is particularly useful for applications that require real-time collaboration, live dashboards, or instant notifications. With Supabase's real-time capabilities, you can build highly interactive and responsive applications that automatically update as your data changes.

Firebase: Realtime updates with Realtime Database and Cloud Firestore

Both Firebase Realtime Database and Cloud Firestore support real-time data synchronization, enabling you to build applications that update instantly as data changes. By using Firebase's real-time databases, you can easily create live dashboards, chat applications, and other collaborative experiences. The real-time capabilities of Firebase are one of its key selling points, providing a seamless and responsive user experience for your applications.

Scalability

Supabase: Scalable PostgreSQL database and customizability

Being built on top of PostgreSQL, Supabase can take advantage of the scalability and performance features provided by this powerful relational database management system. Supabase also allows for greater customizability and control over your backend infrastructure, enabling you to optimize and scale your application according to your specific requirements. With Supabase, you have more flexibility in terms of database design, indexing, and query optimization.

Firebase: Managed scalability with some limitations

Firebase provides managed scalability for its databases and other services, meaning that Google handles most of the infrastructure scaling for you. This can be an advantage for developers who prefer not to worry about managing and scaling their backend infrastructure. However, Firebase's databases, especially the Realtime Database, may impose some limitations on data structure and querying capabilities, which can affect the scalability and performance of complex applications.

Open-Source and Self-Hosted

Supabase: Open-source and self-hosted option available

Supabase is an open-source platform, which allows developers to access and contribute to its source code. This openness fosters a strong community and enables rapid development and improvements to the platform. Additionally, Supabase offers a self-hosted option, providing you with greater control over your data and infrastructure, and the ability to deploy on-premises or on your preferred cloud provider.

Firebase: Proprietary and managed only by Google

Firebase is a proprietary platform owned and managed by Google. This means that the source code is not available for developers to access or contribute to, and there is no option for self-hosting. With Firebase, you rely on Google to manage and maintain your backend infrastructure, which may be a concern for some developers or organizations due to data privacy, customizability, or vendor lock-in considerations.

Pricing Comparison

In this section, we will compare the pricing of Supabase and Firebase, including their free tier limitations and paid plan offerings. Understanding the cost implications of each platform is essential when making a decision on which backend service to choose for your project.

Supabase Pricing

Supabase offers a free tier with generous limits for developers to get started:

• 500MB of storage
• 1 million real-time messages per month
• 50,000 emails per month
• 100 hours of compute per month

While the free tier is suitable for small projects and personal use, larger applications may require more resources. Supabase's paid plans start at $25 per month for the "Basic" plan, which includes:

• 10GB of storage
• 10 million real-time messages per month
• 100,000 emails per month
• 500 hours of compute per month

Higher tier plans offer increased resources and additional features, such as priority support and dedicated instances. You can view the full pricing details on the Supabase pricing page.

Firebase Pricing

Firebase also offers a generous free tier called the "Spark" plan, which includes:

• Realtime Database: 1GB of storage and 10GB of data transfer per month
• Cloud Firestore: 1GB of storage, 20,000 writes per day, and 50,000 reads per day
• Firebase Storage: 5GB of storage and 20,000 uploads/downloads per day
• Cloud Functions: 2 million invocations per month

For larger applications or projects with more demanding requirements, Firebase offers a pay-as-you-go "Blaze" plan. With the Blaze plan, you only pay for the resources you use, and pricing is based on various factors, such as data storage, data transfer, and function invocations. The Blaze plan also offers discounts for high-volume usage and additional features like custom domain SSL, and support for multiple environments. You can find the complete pricing details on the Firebase pricing page.

Use Cases and Recommendations

In this section, we will discuss when to choose Supabase and when to choose Firebase based on your project requirements, preferences, and other factors.

When to Choose Supabase

• Open-source and self-hosting requirements: If your project or organization values open-source software and the ability to self-host your backend infrastructure, Supabase is an excellent choice. Its open-source nature encourages community contributions and rapid development, while the self-hosted option provides greater control over data and infrastructure.
• Preference for relational databases: If you prefer working with relational databases and require the advanced querying capabilities and data modeling provided by PostgreSQL, Supabase is the ideal choice. Its real-time capabilities combined with the power of PostgreSQL create a versatile and powerful backend solution.
• Customizability and data ownership: If your project demands a high level of customizability and control over your backend infrastructure, or if you have strict data ownership requirements, Supabase's flexibility and self-hosting options make it a better fit than Firebase.

When to Choose Firebase

• Rapid prototyping and development: Firebase's suite of managed services and easy-to-use APIs are perfect for quickly building and deploying applications. If your project requires rapid development and prototyping, Firebase's real-time databases, authentication, and cloud functions can help you accelerate the development process.
• Ecosystem integration with other Google Cloud services: If you're already invested in the Google Cloud ecosystem or plan to use other Google Cloud services alongside your backend, Firebase's seamless integration with Google Cloud Platform can simplify your development workflow and provide a more unified experience.
• Familiarity with NoSQL databases: If you're more comfortable working with NoSQL databases and appreciate the simplicity and flexibility they provide, Firebase's Realtime Database and Cloud Firestore may be more suitable for your project than Supabase's PostgreSQL-based offering.

Conclusion

In this article, we have compared the features and pricing of Supabase and Firebase, two popular backend-as-a-service platforms for web and mobile application development. Both platforms offer a range of services, including databases, authentication, storage, and serverless functions, with some key differences in their implementation and underlying technologies.

Supabase, built on top of PostgreSQL, is an open-source platform that offers a self-hosted option, greater customizability, and the power of a relational database system. On the other hand, Firebase, owned by Google, provides managed scalability, rapid prototyping capabilities, and seamless integration with the Google Cloud ecosystem.

Ultimately, the choice between Supabase and Firebase depends on your project requirements, preferences, and constraints. By understanding the key differences between these two platforms, you can make an informed decision on which backend service best aligns with your needs and goals.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can I migrate my data from Firebase to Supabase?

Yes, it is possible to migrate your data from Firebase to Supabase. The migration process will depend on the complexity of your data and the differences between Firebase's NoSQL databases and Supabase's PostgreSQL database. You will need to design a new database schema in PostgreSQL and write scripts to transform and import your data from Firebase. There are third-party tools available to help with this process, such as data migration services provided by Supabase.

2. How do Supabase and Firebase handle offline data access?

Both Supabase and Firebase provide offline data access capabilities. Supabase's PostgreSQL database can be accessed offline using local caching and synchronization mechanisms. Firebase's Realtime Database and Cloud Firestore offer built-in support for offline data access, allowing you to read and write data while your application is offline, and automatically synchronizing changes once the connection is reestablished.

3. Is Supabase suitable for mobile applications?

Yes, Supabase is suitable for both web and mobile applications. Supabase offers client libraries for JavaScript, which can be used in web applications or in mobile applications built using frameworks like React Native, Ionic, or Flutter.

4. Can I use both Supabase and Firebase in the same project?

Yes, you can use both Supabase and Firebase in the same project if you have specific requirements that can be addressed by each platform's unique features. For example, you might use Supabase for its PostgreSQL database and Firebase for its real-time capabilities or cloud functions. However, using both platforms may increase complexity and maintenance efforts, so it's essential to carefully evaluate your needs before deciding on a hybrid approach.

5. What are the main differences in the real-time capabilities of Supabase and Firebase?

Supabase provides real-time capabilities by offering realtime subscriptions to PostgreSQL tables, allowing you to receive live updates when data changes in your database. Firebase's Realtime Database and Cloud Firestore both support real-time data synchronization, enabling your application to update instantly as data changes. While both platforms offer real-time features, the underlying technologies and databases differ, with Supabase based on PostgreSQL and Firebase using NoSQL databases.