⚡ TL;DR – Quick Verdict
- Supabase: Best for PostgreSQL purists. Open-source Firebase alternative with SQL superpowers, but $25/mo minimum on paid plans.
- Firebase: Best for rapid prototyping. Google’s serverless beast with generous free tier, but vendor lock-in is real.
- PocketBase: Best for bootstrappers. Single-file backend at $0/mo (self-hosted), but you manage your own scaling.
My Pick: PocketBase for MVPs, Supabase for production. Skip to verdict →
Choosing a backend in 2026 feels like picking a framework in 2015—everyone has an opinion, and the wrong choice costs months.
After shipping 12 products across all three platforms, I’ve learned this: Firebase gets you to launch fastest, Supabase scales cleanest, and PocketBase saves the most money. The question isn’t which is “best”—it’s which matches your runway and technical tolerance.
This breakdown includes real pricing shocks, migration landmines, and the decision framework I use with founders. Let’s cut through the marketing noise.
Quick Comparison: The 60-Second Decision Matrix
| Factor | Supabase | Firebase | PocketBase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free Tier | 500MB DB, 2GB bandwidth | 1GB storage, 10GB transfer | Unlimited (self-hosted) ✓ |
| Paid Start | $25/mo | Pay-as-you-go ✓ | $5-20/mo (hosting) |
| Database | PostgreSQL ✓ | Firestore (NoSQL) | SQLite |
| Real-time | Postgres changes | Native, battle-tested ✓ | SSE subscriptions |
| Auth | Built-in + OAuth | Industry standard ✓ | Basic + OAuth |
| File Storage | S3-compatible | Cloud Storage | Local filesystem ✓ |
| Vendor Lock-in | Low (open-source) ✓ | High (Google SDK) | Zero (portable) ✓ |
| Setup Time | 15 mins (cloud) | 5 mins ✓ | 30 mins (deploy + config) |
The pattern is clear: Firebase wins on speed-to-launch, Supabase on SQL flexibility, PocketBase on cost control. Your choice depends on whether you value time, power, or money most.
Use PocketBase for MVP validation, then migrate to Supabase before scaling. You’ll save $300-500 in the first 6 months while proving product-market fit.
Pricing Breakdown: Where Your Money Actually Goes
| Tier | Supabase | Firebase | PocketBase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | 500MB DB 2GB bandwidth 50MB file storage |
1GB Firestore 10GB transfer 5GB storage |
$0 (unlimited) + $5-10/mo VPS |
| Starter | $25/mo 8GB DB 50GB bandwidth |
Pay-as-you-go $0.18/GB storage $0.12/GB egress |
$10-20/mo VPS (2GB RAM) Unlimited usage |
| Production | $599/mo 64GB DB 500GB bandwidth |
~$200-800/mo (depends on usage) Blaze plan |
$40-100/mo VPS (8GB RAM) + CDN costs |
The $25/mo trap: Supabase’s free tier pauses projects after 7 days of inactivity. For side projects, that’s acceptable. For production apps, you’re forced onto the $25 plan immediately.
Firebase’s pay-as-you-go looks cheap until you hit 100K users. One founder told me their bill jumped from $40 to $890 in a month after a ProductHunt launch. Firestore reads cost $0.06 per 100K documents—innocent-looking queries become expensive fast.
PocketBase on a $20/mo DigitalOcean droplet handles 10K users easily. You’ll spend more on coffee than hosting until you hit serious scale.
Hidden Costs Nobody Mentions
Supabase: Database backups cost extra ($100/mo for daily backups on Pro plan). Point-in-time recovery? That’s Enterprise tier only.
Firebase: Cloud Functions pricing is brutal. Cold starts mean you’re billed for unused resources. One backend refactor saved me $300/mo by switching to Cloud Run.
PocketBase: Your time is the hidden cost. Server maintenance, SSL certificates, backups—you’re the DevOps team. Budget 2-4 hours monthly for upkeep.
Performance & Speed: Real-World Benchmarks
PocketBase (50ms)
Supabase (120ms avg)
Firebase (80ms)
Firebase Storage (fastest)
PocketBase wins on raw speed because there’s no network hop—your backend runs as a single Go binary. I’ve seen REST API responses under 30ms on a cheap VPS.
Supabase’s PostgREST layer adds 80-150ms overhead compared to direct Postgres queries. For most apps, this doesn’t matter. For real-time dashboards, it’s noticeable.
Firebase shines in real-time scenarios. WebSocket connections stay open, and Firestore’s optimistic updates make chat apps feel instant. This is Google’s decade of infrastructure showing.
Performance differences vanish under real-world network latency. Your frontend bundle size matters 10x more than choosing between 80ms and 120ms backend response times.
Database Architecture: SQL vs NoSQL vs SQLite
| Feature | Supabase (Postgres) | Firebase (Firestore) | PocketBase (SQLite) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Complex Joins | ✓ Native | ✗ Manual | ✓ Native |
| Transactions | ✓ ACID | Limited | ✓ ACID |
| Full-text Search | ✓ Built-in | ✗ Need Algolia | ✓ FTS5 |
| Schema Migration | ✓ SQL migrations | Schema-less | ✓ Migration files |
| Analytics Queries | ✓ Window functions | ✗ Export to BigQuery | Basic aggregations |
| Max DB Size | 500GB+ (plan-based) | Unlimited ✓ | 281TB (theoretical) |
PostgreSQL (Supabase) is overkill for 80% of solo projects. You get triggers, stored procedures, and extensions like PostGIS. The downside? You need to understand indexing, connection pooling, and query optimization.
Firestore’s NoSQL model forces denormalization. Want to show a user’s posts with their profile data? You’re making two queries or duplicating data. For simple CRUD apps, this feels backward.
SQLite (PocketBase) hits the sweet spot. It’s SQL without the complexity. No connection limits, no pooling headaches, and it’s literally a file you can backup with `cp`.
If you’re writing raw SQL anyway, Supabase gives you more room to grow. If you hate ORMs and want simplicity, PocketBase’s SQLite is surprisingly powerful up to 100K rows.
Developer Experience: Setup to Deployment
Supabase: SQL-First Workflow
15 minutes (cloud) | 45 minutes (self-hosted)
Supabase’s dashboard feels like phpMyAdmin met Retool. You write SQL migrations directly, configure Row Level Security with PostgreSQL policies, and the API auto-generates from your schema.
The learning curve is real. RLS policies are powerful but cryptic. I’ve seen founders spend 3 hours debugging why users can’t read their own data (hint: missing `auth.uid()` in the policy).
- TypeScript client auto-generates types from DB schema
- Built-in auth with magic links, OAuth (Google, GitHub, etc.)
- Database webhooks trigger external APIs on row changes
- Local development requires Docker (4GB RAM minimum)
- Free tier projects pause after 1 week inactivity
- Edge Functions cold start at 800ms-2s
Firebase: The Google Ecosystem
5 minutes (seriously)
Firebase wins on speed. Run `firebase init`, pick your services, deploy. The SDK handles auth, real-time listeners, and file uploads in 10 lines of code.
The trap is comfort. Firebase makes prototyping so easy that you don’t notice vendor lock-in until migration costs $50K in developer time.
- Firestore’s offline mode syncs automatically (mobile apps love this)
- Authentication works flawlessly (9 years of production hardening)
- Cloud Functions deploy in 30 seconds
- Security rules are a DSL nightmare (good luck debugging)
- No SQL means complex queries require BigQuery export
- Vendor lock-in—every service ties deeper into Google Cloud
PocketBase: The Single Binary Wonder
30 minutes (including deployment)
Download one file, run `./pocketbase serve`, open the admin UI. That’s it. No Docker, no Node.js, no infrastructure complexity.
PocketBase feels like Rails in 2010—opinionated, batteries-included, and unapologetically simple. The admin UI lets non-technical co-founders manage content without SQL knowledge.
- Zero configuration real-time subscriptions via SSE
- File uploads with automatic thumbnails and transformations
- Extend with Go (or just use the REST API and ignore it)
- You manage backups, SSL, server updates (DevOps tax)
- Horizontal scaling requires custom sharding (SQLite limitation)
- Smaller community—fewer StackOverflow answers when stuck
Real-World Use Cases: Who Wins Where
| Scenario | Best Choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| SaaS MVP (first 100 users) | PocketBase | $0 cost, fast iteration, easy migration path |
| Mobile-first app (iOS/Android) | Firebase | Offline sync, push notifications, crash analytics |
| B2B dashboard (complex queries) | Supabase | PostgreSQL’s JOINs and aggregations crush NoSQL |
| Real-time chat/collaboration | Firebase | Battle-tested WebSocket infrastructure at scale |
| Indie hacker side project | PocketBase | Runs on free Oracle Cloud tier forever |
| E-commerce platform | Supabase | ACID transactions for orders, inventory management |
| Content site (blog/docs) | PocketBase | Built-in admin UI, cheap hosting, overkill simplicity |
| Enterprise client project | Firebase | Google SLAs, compliance certs, client recognizes brand |
Most solo founders overestimate scale needs. That “chat app” with 50 users doesn’t need Firebase’s infrastructure. Start simple, migrate when metrics (not fears) demand it.
Migration Reality Check
Switching backends mid-flight is expensive. Here’s what migration actually costs in developer time:
Firebase → Supabase (Hardest)
Time: 40-80 hours. NoSQL to SQL requires schema redesign. Firestore’s document nesting flattens into relational tables. Security rules translate to RLS policies (not 1:1). Real-time listeners need rewrites.
One founder told me their migration took 6 weeks because Cloud Functions were tightly coupled to Firestore triggers. They rewrote 30% of backend logic.
PocketBase → Supabase (Medium)
Time: 20-40 hours. Both use SQL, so schema ports cleanly. The pain is in API differences—PocketBase’s REST conventions differ from PostgREST. Auth migration is manual (export users, rehash passwords).
Supabase → PocketBase (Easiest)
Time: 15-25 hours. Export Postgres schema, run migrations in SQLite. Downgrade PostgreSQL-specific features (triggers, stored procedures). Biggest effort is replacing Edge Functions with Go code or external APIs.
Firebase’s vendor lock-in is by design. Google makes it painful to leave. Budget 2-3x your initial estimate for any Firebase migration.
Final Verdict: The Decision Framework
After building on all three platforms, here’s my filtering system:
- You’re building a mobile app (offline sync is magical)
- You need real-time features and don’t want to manage WebSockets
- Your client requires Google Cloud infrastructure
- Speed to launch trumps long-term flexibility
- You need complex queries and relational data (JOINs, aggregations)
- Open-source matters (self-hosting is an escape hatch)
- You’re comfortable with SQL and PostgreSQL tooling
- You want a Firebase alternative without Google lock-in
- You’re bootstrapping and every dollar counts
- You want full control (no platform limits or billing surprises)
- Your app won’t exceed 100K users in year one
- You’re comfortable with basic DevOps (or willing to learn)
My personal stack in 2026: PocketBase for MVPs and side projects. Migrate to Supabase when revenue hits $5K/month or user count crosses 10K. I’ve never regretted this path.
Firebase is for agencies billing clients hourly—fast delivery, Google’s brand recognition, and the client pays for any future migration costs.
🎯 The Honest Recommendation
If you’re reading this as a solo founder, start with PocketBase. Validate your idea for $10/month. When you hit limitations (scale, features, or your own DevOps patience), migrate to Supabase.
Only choose Firebase if you’re building mobile-first or your investors expect Google Cloud. The speed advantage disappears after week one, but the vendor lock-in lasts years.
Want to explore more backend comparisons? Check out our Dev Productivity guides for framework deep-dives and deployment strategies.
Also worth exploring: PocketBase for bootstrappers or Firebase for mobile apps.
