Facts read November 6, 2026
Firebase vs Supabase
Supabase is Cuely's default database pick when your description doesn't favor either one: postgres plus auth, storage and realtime from one vendor.
Side by side
| Fact | Firebase | Supabase |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Google's app backend: Firestore document database, auth, storage and push messaging. | Postgres with bundled auth, storage, realtime and an auto-generated API. |
| Free plan | Spark (free): Firestore 1 GiB stored, 50,000 reads and 20,000 writes per day; Authentication up to 50,000 MAU. | Free: 2 active projects, 500 MB database per project, 50,000 monthly active users, 5 GB egress, 1 GB file storage; pauses after 1 week inactive. |
| Paid from | Blaze: pay as you go, with the Spark allowance included; eligible new accounts get $300 credit. | Pro: from $25/month, including $10/month of compute credits. |
| At 1,000 users | $0/month | $0/month |
| Open source | No | Yes |
| Self-hostable | No | Yes |
| Best for | Mobile apps that need offline sync; Push notifications; Teams that want no SQL | Fewer vendors to wire up; Realtime features; Row-level security from the client |
| Watch out | Firestore isn't SQL; reporting and joins are harder than in Postgres. The free Spark plan caps Firestore at 50,000 reads and 20,000 writes a day. | Free projects pause after 1 week of inactivity. Bundling ties auth and storage to the same vendor; moving later is more work. |
Where they differ
The published scores, from −3 to +3, that decide which one Cuely picks for each need.
| Need | Firebase | Supabase |
|---|---|---|
| prefers open source or self-hosting | −2 Proprietary and not self-hostable. | +2 Open source and self-hostable with Docker. |
| realtime features | +2 Live listeners on documents. | +3 Built-in realtime subscriptions on Postgres changes. |
| fewer vendors | +2 Database, auth, storage and push from one console. | +3 Database, auth, storage and realtime come from one dashboard. |
| sells to businesses (organizations, roles, SSO) | −1 Multi-tenant reporting is harder without SQL. | 0 No particular strength here. |
| regulated or compliance-sensitive | 0 No particular strength here. | +1 SOC 2 and ISO 27001 listed on Team; HIPAA is a paid add-on. |
Sources: Firebase pricing (read November 7, 2026), Supabase pricing (read November 6, 2026). No vendor pays for placement.