Supabase vs Firebase

Self-host swap-in for Firebase. · Self-host Firebase · Supabase on os-alt

Supabase is one of the open-source self-host replacements for Firebase — license Apache-2.0, 20min docker-compose (the official self-host bundle) to stand up, and $10-20 vps — postgres + gotrue + postgrest + realtime + storage in one stack. Compare against Firebase's Free Spark tier; Blaze starts at $0 and scales by reads/writes/storage — easy to hit $50-200/mo on a real app below.

	Supabaseopen-source	Firebasepaid SaaS
Category	Backend-as-a-service (auth + DB + storage + realtime)	Backend-as-a-service (auth + DB + storage + realtime)
License / pricing	`Apache-2.0`	Free Spark tier; Blaze starts at $0 and scales by reads/writes/storage — easy to hit $50-200/mo on a real app
Starting price	$0 self-host	$25/user/mo
GitHub	supabase/supabase ★ 102.3k · last commit todayalive	closed source
Setup time	20min docker-compose (the official self-host bundle)	SaaS — sign up + bill
Monthly cost	$10-20 VPS — Postgres + GoTrue + PostgREST + Realtime + Storage in one stack.	from $25/user/mo (Free Spark tier; Blaze starts at $0 and scales by reads/writes/storage — easy to hit $50-200/mo on a real app)

Switching from Firebase to Supabase

Auth: export Firebase users via `firebase auth:export users.json` and import into Supabase Auth using the gotrue admin API or Supabase's `auth.users` SQL insert with the password-hash format documented in the Supabase migration guide. Firestore: write a one-off Node script using `firebase-admin` to read collections and `@supabase/supabase-js` to insert into Postgres tables (Firestore docs map to JSONB columns or normalized rows). Storage: download buckets with the Firebase CLI, upload to Supabase Storage with `supabase storage cp`.

Good fit for: Apps that can live with Postgres-shaped data — most Firestore use is shallow document storage that maps fine to a JSONB column or a relational schema.
Weak at: Realtime semantics differ from Firestore's offline cache + listener model; client SDK swap is not transparent.

Other open-source self-host alternatives to Firebase

Appwrite
BSD-3-Clause10min docker-compose (single-command install)$10 VPS for a small app; the stack pulls a few containers (server, MariaDB, Redis, InfluxDB).
Pocketbase
MIT5min — single Go binary + SQLite$5 VPS handles low-to-medium traffic; SQLite + WAL is surprisingly far-reaching.

In a terminal? npx os-alt firebase prints Firebase's self-host options — how the CLI works →

FAQ

Is Supabase a free alternative to Firebase?

Yes — Supabase is open source under Apache-2.0. Self-host cost: $10-20 VPS — Postgres + GoTrue + PostgREST + Realtime + Storage in one stack.. Firebase starts at $25/user/mo (Free Spark tier; Blaze starts at $0 and scales by reads/writes/storage — easy to hit $50-200/mo on a real app).

How long does Supabase take to set up vs Firebase?

Self-hosting Supabase: 20min docker-compose (the official self-host bundle). Firebase is a hosted SaaS — sign up and you're in.

What is Supabase good at, and what is it weak at?

Good fit for: Apps that can live with Postgres-shaped data — most Firestore use is shallow document storage that maps fine to a JSONB column or a relational schema.. Weak at: Realtime semantics differ from Firestore's offline cache + listener model; client SDK swap is not transparent..