Supabase gives you a managed Postgres database plus the pieces most apps need: authentication with row-level security, file storage, and realtime subscriptions. The key difference from other backend-as-a-service products is that it is just Postgres underneath, so you can connect with any client and leave without a rewrite. The free tier includes two projects.
Who it is for
A small team building a web app that wants Postgres and auth without running either.
Key features
- Managed Postgres with direct connection strings
- Auth with row-level security policies
- S3-compatible file storage
- Realtime subscriptions over websockets
- Edge functions in Deno
- Free projects pause when idle
Where it falls short
Free projects pause after inactivity, and row-level security policies take real effort to get right.
Pricing
Free tier includes two projects that pause after a week of inactivity; Pro is around $25 a month per project, and daily backups plus point-in-time recovery are the paid gates.
Prices move; the tier structure is the part that stays true. Check current pricing on Supabase.
Still deciding?
Alternatives to Supabase
Frequently asked
Is Supabase free?
Partly. Free tier includes two projects that pause after a week of inactivity; Pro is around $25 a month per project, and daily backups plus point-in-time recovery are the paid gates.
What is Supabase best for?
A small team building a web app that wants Postgres and auth without running either.
What are the best alternatives to Supabase?
The closest substitutes we list are Neon and Railway. They sit in a similar price bracket but make a different trade-off, so read the weaknesses section of each review before switching.
Which platforms does Supabase run on?
Supabase is available on Web and CLI.