Firebase vs Supabase

Supabase and Firebase both give an app a backend with user sign-in. Supabase publishes its code under the Apache-2.0 license [S2], and you can self-host it with Docker [S4]. In our reading, Firebase is a hosted Google service that you cannot run on your own server. We checked every figure on this page against the vendors' own pages on 16 Oct 2026. Pricing on this page is as of that date.

Supabase vs Firebase at a glance

What is Supabase?

Supabase is an open-source backend under the Apache-2.0 license [S2]. The code is on GitHub at supabase/supabase, with 114,642 stars on 8 Nov 2026 [S3]. You can use the hosted plans on supabase.com [S1]. You can also run it on your own server [S4].

Supabase vs Firebase pricing

Supabase. The Free plan costs US$0 a month [S1]. It includes 50,000 monthly active users and a 500 MB database [S1]. It also includes 5 GB of egress and 1 GB of file storage [S1]. The Pro plan costs US$25 a month [S1]. Pro includes 100K monthly active users and 8 GB of disk per project [S1]. It also includes 250 GB of bandwidth [S1].

Firebase. Firebase has two plans [S5]. Spark is the no-cost plan, and it needs no payment method [S5]. Blaze is pay as you go [S5]. Firebase Authentication is free up to 50K monthly active users [S5].

In our reading, the two models bill in different ways. Supabase lists monthly prices for its Free and Pro plans [S1]. Firebase bills Blaze usage as you go [S5]. Check your expected usage against each pricing page before you choose.

Supabase vs Firebase free tier

Both free plans cover sign-in for up to 50,000 monthly active users [S1][S5]. The Supabase Free plan has two limits to plan around. The pricing page says: "Free projects are paused after 1 week of inactivity. Limit of 2 active projects." [S1] An inactivity pause on the Firebase Spark plan is not documented on the pages we read.

Self-hosting Supabase

The Supabase self-hosting guide says: "You need the following installed on your system: Git Docker" [S4]. The guide also assumes "Linux server administration basics" [S4]. In our reading, that means you patch and back up the server yourself. Self-hosting Firebase is not documented on the pages we read.

Supabase vs Firebase: which is better for you?

Supabase is the better fit when:

• You want the backend code under an open-source license (Apache-2.0) [S2].
• You want the option to run the backend on your own server with Docker [S4].
• You want a listed monthly price on a paid plan, such as Pro at US$25 a month [S1].

Firebase is the better fit when:

• You want a no-cost plan that needs no payment method [S5].
• Your free project may go unused for more than a week. Supabase pauses idle free projects after 1 week [S1], and a Spark pause is not documented on the pages we read.

Other Firebase alternatives

Supabase is one of the open-source alternatives to Firebase listed on Forkshelf. See the Firebase alternatives page for the full list. We also compare Firebase vs PocketBase.

FAQ

Is Supabase free?
The hosted Free plan costs US$0 a month, with limits [S1]. Free projects pause after 1 week of inactivity, and you can have 2 active projects [S1]. The code is Apache-2.0, so you can also self-host it [S2][S4].

Is Firebase free?
The Spark plan has no cost and needs no payment method [S5]. Blaze is pay as you go [S5].

Is Supabase open source?
Yes. Its LICENSE file is the Apache License 2.0 [S2].

Can I self-host Firebase?
Self-hosting is not documented on the Firebase pages we read. In our reading, it is a hosted Google service.

How many users can sign in on the free plans?
Supabase Free includes 50,000 monthly active users [S1]. Firebase Authentication is free up to 50K monthly active users [S5].

Sources (all fetched 16 Oct 2026)

• [S1] https://supabase.com/pricing
• [S2] https://github.com/supabase/supabase/blob/master/LICENSE
• [S3] https://api.github.com/repos/supabase/supabase
• [S4] https://supabase.com/docs/guides/self-hosting/docker
• [S5] https://firebase.google.com/pricing