# Supabase vs Firebase for Indie Makers: Pricing, Limits, Lock-In > Supabase vs Firebase for indie developers: Supabase Pro is $25/mo with a spend cap, Firebase Spark is free with per-day limits. Pricing, limits and lock-in. - Canonical: https://zeroraised.com/blog/supabase-vs-firebase-for-indie-makers - Published: 2026-11-08T09:30:00Z - Author: ZeroRaised Team (https://zeroraised.com/blog/authors/zeroraised) - Publisher: ZeroRaised (https://zeroraised.com/) - Section: Building - Tags: database, comparison, developer-tools, saas **Verdict:** Pick Supabase if you are building a web SaaS with relational data (users, teams, subscriptions, invoices) and want a predictable bill and an easy exit, since it is Postgres underneath and Pro has a spend cap on by default. Pick Firebase if you are shipping a mobile app that must work offline, or a light app that can live inside Firestore's free per-day quota. If you are unsure, Supabase is the safer default for a bootstrapped founder. Every price and limit below comes from Supabase's, Firebase's and Google Cloud's own pages, checked on 8 Nov 2026. The opinions in between are ours and are marked as such. ## TL;DR - **Supabase Free:** 500 MB database, 5 GB egress, 1 GB file storage, 50,000 monthly active users, 2 active projects, and "Free projects are paused after 1 week of inactivity" ([Supabase pricing](https://supabase.com/pricing)). - **Supabase Pro:** from $25/month, with 8 GB disk, 250 GB egress, 100 GB storage, 100,000 MAUs and $10/month of compute credits. "Spend caps are on by default on the Pro Plan" ([Supabase pricing](https://supabase.com/pricing)). - **Firebase Spark (free):** Firestore gets 1 GiB stored, 50K reads, 20K writes and 20K deletes per day, plus 10 GiB/month egress ([Firebase pricing](https://firebase.google.com/pricing)). - **Firebase Blaze:** in Iowa (us-central1), $0.03 per 100,000 reads, $0.09 per 100,000 writes and $0.01 per 100,000 deletes ([Firestore pricing](https://cloud.google.com/firestore/pricing)). - **Biggest difference for a solo founder:** Firebase "Budget alerts do not pause services", and Firestore is not on the list of services that support a spend cap ([Firebase billing docs](https://firebase.google.com/docs/projects/billing/avoid-surprise-bills)). **Disclosure:** ZeroRaised publishes this comparison and is a launch site for bootstrapped products. ZeroRaised has no commercial relationship with Supabase or Google and earns nothing if you sign up for either. Facts come from the linked sources as checked on 8 Nov 2026. Our [free database hosting guide](https://zeroraised.com/blog/free-database-hosting) compares 10 free tiers, and our [Clerk vs Supabase Auth comparison](https://zeroraised.com/blog/clerk-vs-supabase-auth-for-bootstrapped-saas) covers the auth layer alone. This post is the whole backend decision: what it costs once users arrive, and how painful it is to leave. ## Supabase vs Firebase at a glance | | Supabase | Firebase | |---|---|---| | Core database | Postgres (relational, SQL) | Cloud Firestore (document database) | | Free plan | Free: 500 MB database, 5 GB egress, 1 GB file storage | Spark: Firestore 1 GiB stored, 10 GiB/month egress | | Free usage limits | Size and egress based | 50K reads, 20K writes, 20K deletes per day | | Inactivity rule | Free projects paused after 1 week of inactivity | None stated on the pricing page | | Free projects | 2 active projects | Firestore: "exactly one free database per project" | | First paid step | Pro from $25/month | Blaze pay as you go, from $0 | | Database overage | $0.125 per GB disk over 8 GB | $0.03 per 100K reads, $0.09 per 100K writes (us-central1) | | Auth MAUs | Free 50,000; Pro 100,000 then $0.00325 per MAU | 50K MAUs no-cost (with Identity Platform), on Spark and Blaze | | File storage | Free 1 GB; Pro 100 GB then $0.0213 per GB | Cloud Storage "Not applicable" on Spark; Blaze from 5 GB no-cost in some US regions | | Server functions | Edge Functions (not priced here) | Cloud Functions "Not applicable" on Spark; Blaze 2M/month no-cost | | Spending limit | Spend cap on by default on Pro (compute not covered) | Budget alerts only for Firestore | | Realtime | Postgres Changes, Broadcast, Presence | Realtime listeners | | Offline persistence | Not found in the docs we checked | Android, Apple and web; on by default on Android and Apple | | Vector search | Postgres and pgvector | Firestore kNN vector search (server SDKs) | | Exit route | `supabase db dump` or `pg_dump`; self-hostable | Managed export (Blaze only) in LevelDB format | Sources: [Supabase pricing](https://supabase.com/pricing), [Firebase pricing](https://firebase.google.com/pricing), [Firestore pricing](https://cloud.google.com/firestore/pricing) and the docs linked below. ## Pricing: $25 flat vs pay per operation ### Supabase: a flat plan with included quotas Supabase's [pricing page](https://supabase.com/pricing) lists three plans most makers will care about: | Plan | Price | Database | Egress | File storage | MAUs | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | Free | $0 | 500 MB | 5 GB | 1 GB | 50,000 | | Pro | from $25/month | 8 GB disk per project, then $0.125 per GB | 250 GB, then $0.09 per GB | 100 GB, then $0.0213 per GB | 100,000, then $0.00325 per MAU | | Team | from $599/month | | | | | Paid plans include "$10/mo in compute credits, enough to cover one Micro instance." Compute is the line to watch: Supabase's [compute docs](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/platform/manage-your-usage/compute) say it is "not covered by the Spend Cap", so a second project or a bigger instance adds to the bill even with the cap on. The free plan's catches are the 2-project limit and the 1-week inactivity pause. Our read: fine for a prototype, but if a live product goes quiet for a week, it goes down. Upgrade to Pro the week you take a first payment. ### Firebase: free per day, then per operation Firebase's Spark plan is free, and for Firestore it gives you, per the [Firebase pricing page](https://firebase.google.com/pricing): - 1 GiB total stored data - 50K document reads per day - 20K document writes per day - 20K document deletes per day - 10 GiB/month network egress The [Firestore docs](https://firebase.google.com/docs/firestore/pricing) add that "Cloud Firestore allows exactly one free database per project." On Blaze, you keep that free quota and pay for usage above it. On Google Cloud's [Firestore pricing page](https://cloud.google.com/firestore/pricing), with Iowa (us-central1) selected, the Standard edition rates are $0.03 per 100,000 document reads, $0.09 per 100,000 writes and $0.01 per 100,000 deletes. Other locations are priced differently, so check yours. Firebase's pricing table also shows Cloud Storage and Cloud Functions as "Not applicable" on Spark. On Blaze, Functions has 2M invocations/month at no cost, then $0.40 per million. Our read: if your app needs file uploads or server code, plan on Blaze from day one. One offline quirk: if a listener is disconnected for more than 30 minutes with offline persistence on, "you will be charged for documents and index entries read as if you had issued a brand-new query" ([Firestore billing docs](https://firebase.google.com/docs/firestore/pricing)). ## A worked monthly cost example This is an **illustrative example** with made-up usage, not a benchmark. Assume a small SaaS with 2,000 monthly active users, a 30-day month, usage spread evenly across days, and data well under both free storage limits. **Example usage:** 6,000,000 Firestore-style document reads, 900,000 writes and 30,000 deletes in the month, or a Postgres database of 1 GB on Supabase. | Line item | Firebase Blaze (us-central1) | Supabase Pro | |---|---|---| | Free allowance (30 days) | 1.5M reads, 600K writes, 600K deletes | Included quotas cover this usage | | Billable reads | 4.5M x $0.03 per 100K = $1.35 | $0 | | Billable writes | 300K x $0.09 per 100K = $0.27 | $0 | | Billable deletes | 0 | $0 | | Auth (2,000 MAUs) | $0 (under 50K) | $0 (under 100,000) | | Plan fee | $0 | $25 (compute credits cover one Micro instance) | | **Example total** | **about $1.62 plus storage** | **$25** | Firebase wins this example by a wide margin. Now change one thing: a bug ships that loads 1,000 documents on every page view, and you get 5,000 page views a day. That is 5M reads a day, or 150M in the month. After the 1.5M free reads, 148.5M billable reads at $0.03 per 100K is about $44.55 extra. Google's [billing docs](https://firebase.google.com/docs/projects/billing/avoid-surprise-bills) say budget alerts only send emails, so Firestore keeps serving and keeps billing. On Supabase Pro, the same bug burns CPU and egress rather than per-row fees, and the spend cap (below) stops quota overage charges. Our read: Firebase is cheaper when everything goes right; Supabase is cheaper to sleep on. ## Spend caps and budget alerts **Supabase:** the Spend Cap "determines whether your organization can exceed your subscription plan's quota for any usage item." It is on by default on Pro; when on, "further usage of that item is disallowed until the next billing cycle" and "You don't get charged for over-usage." It does not cover compute, branching compute, read replicas, custom domains or IPv4 ([Supabase cost control](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/platform/cost-control)). **Firebase:** Google offers two kinds of budget. Alert-only budgets mean Cloud Billing "sends email notifications." Spend-cap budgets mean Cloud Billing "pauses that service for the rest of the month", but "Spend caps budgets are only available for the following Firebase services: Firebase AI Logic, Firebase App Hosting, Cloud Functions for Firebase, and Firebase Extensions" ([Firebase billing docs](https://firebase.google.com/docs/projects/billing/avoid-surprise-bills)). Firestore is not on that list. Our read: if you choose Firebase, set a Google Cloud budget with alerts the day you upgrade to Blaze, write security rules that block unbounded queries, and check usage after every deploy. ## Data model, realtime, offline and AI **Data model.** Supabase is Postgres: tables, joins and SQL. Firestore stores documents in collections. Our read: SaaS data (accounts, seats, invoices) is relational, and in documents you duplicate data and pay extra reads to stitch it together. Google now offers [Firebase SQL Connect](https://firebase.google.com/docs/data-connect), described as "a fully-managed PostgreSQL database powered by Cloud SQL", if you want Postgres inside Firebase; we have not priced it here. **Realtime.** Supabase Realtime has Broadcast ("Send low-latency messages between clients"), Presence and Postgres Changes ("Listen to database changes in real-time") ([Supabase Realtime](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/realtime)). Firestore has realtime listeners built into its SDKs. **Offline.** This is Firebase's clearest win. Its docs say "Offline persistence is supported only in Android, Apple, and web apps", that it is on by default for Android and Apple, and off by default on the web ([Firestore offline docs](https://firebase.google.com/docs/firestore/manage-data/enable-offline)). **AI and vectors.** Supabase describes "an open source toolkit for developing AI applications using Postgres and pgvector" ([Supabase AI docs](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/ai)). Firestore has kNN vector search, but "Cloud Firestore does not generate the embeddings" and it is limited to the Python, Node.js, Go and Java SDKs ([Firestore vector search](https://firebase.google.com/docs/firestore/vector-search)). Our read: for a RAG feature in a web SaaS, pgvector next to your normal tables is simpler. ## Lock-in and how to leave **Leaving Supabase.** Your data is in Postgres. Supabase's [backups docs](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/platform/backups) say "To generate a logical backup yourself, use the Supabase CLI `db dump` command", and logical backups can also be taken with `pg_dump`. Two caveats from the same page: "Database backups do not include objects you store via the Storage API", so export files separately, and scheduled backups depend on plan (7 days on Pro). You can also run Supabase yourself: its docs say you can "Install and run your own Supabase on your computer, server, or cloud infrastructure" ([self-hosting](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/self-hosting)). Row Level Security policies and auth users come with you because they live in the database. **Leaving Firebase.** Firestore's managed export requires Blaze ("Firebase projects must be on the Blaze plan to use the managed export and import service"), writes to a Cloud Storage bucket, and "uses the LevelDB log format". Exports "may include changes made while the operation was running", so they are not a perfect snapshot ([export docs](https://firebase.google.com/docs/firestore/manage-data/export-import)). You then reshape documents for your next database and rewrite security rules. **Moving from Firebase to Supabase.** Supabase documents a `firebase-to-supabase` tool that "copies the entire contents of a single Firestore `collection` to a single Postgres `table`", flattening nested data into `text`, `numeric`, `boolean` or `jsonb` columns ([migration guide](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/platform/migrating-to-supabase/firestore-data)). Our read: auth users, files and client queries are the slow part, not the data copy. Our exit checklist for either platform: export once a month to storage outside the vendor, keep database calls behind a thin data layer, and list every vendor-specific feature you rely on (rules, triggers, functions) in one doc. ## Pick Supabase if - You are building a web SaaS with accounts, teams, billing and reports. - You want SQL, joins and the option to hire any Postgres developer later. - You want a hard ceiling on usage charges by default. - You plan to add AI search with pgvector next to your existing tables. - You want an exit that is one `pg_dump` away, or the option to self-host. ## Pick Firebase if - You are shipping a native mobile app that must keep working offline. - Your app is light enough to live on Spark's 50K reads and 20K writes per day. - You want pay-as-you-go pricing that can stay under a few dollars at small scale. - You already use Google Cloud, Crashlytics or other Firebase mobile tools. - Your data really is document-shaped (chat messages, feeds, per-user settings). If you are still choosing the rest of your stack, our [SaaS tech stack for solo founders](https://zeroraised.com/blog/saas-tech-stack-for-solo-founders) shows where the database sits next to hosting, payments and email. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Supabase or Firebase cheaper for an indie developer? At small scale Firebase is often cheaper, because Firestore's per-day free quota and per-operation pricing can keep a light app at a few dollars a month or less, while Supabase's first paid plan is $25/mo. Supabase's bill is more predictable, though: Pro has a spend cap on by default, while Firebase budget alerts do not pause Firestore. ### Does the Supabase free plan pause projects? Yes. Supabase's pricing page says free projects are paused after 1 week of inactivity, and the Free plan is limited to 2 active projects. That is fine for prototypes but risky for a live product with quiet weeks. ### Can I set a hard spending limit on Firebase? Not for Firestore. Firebase's billing docs say budget alerts do not pause services, and spend-cap budgets that pause a service are only available for Firebase AI Logic, App Hosting, Cloud Functions for Firebase and Firebase Extensions. For Firestore you set budgets and alerts in the Google Cloud console. ### Which is better for offline-first mobile apps? Firebase. Firestore's docs say offline persistence is supported on Android, Apple and web apps, and is on by default on Android and Apple. Supabase Realtime offers Postgres Changes, Broadcast and Presence, but we did not find built-in offline persistence in the pages we checked. ### How hard is it to migrate from Firebase to Supabase? It is doable but manual. Supabase documents a firebase-to-supabase tool that copies one Firestore collection to one Postgres table, flattening nested data into text, numeric, boolean or jsonb columns. Complex structures need custom splitting, and you also need to move auth users, files and any security rules logic. ## Launch what you build ZeroRaised is a launch directory for products built without institutional VC. Whichever backend you pick, [submit your product](https://zeroraised.com/submit) for free once it is live. For more comparisons and guides on building without investors, [join the ZeroRaised newsletter](https://zeroraised.com/newsletter). ## Sources - [Supabase pricing](https://supabase.com/pricing), last checked 8 Nov 2026 - [Supabase cost control (Spend Cap)](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/platform/cost-control), last checked 8 Nov 2026 - [Supabase compute usage](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/platform/manage-your-usage/compute), last checked 8 Nov 2026 - [Supabase database backups](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/platform/backups), last checked 8 Nov 2026 - [Supabase self-hosting](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/self-hosting), last checked 8 Nov 2026 - [Supabase: migrate Firestore data](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/platform/migrating-to-supabase/firestore-data), last checked 8 Nov 2026 - [Supabase Realtime](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/realtime), last checked 8 Nov 2026 - [Supabase AI and vectors](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/ai), last checked 8 Nov 2026 - [Firebase pricing](https://firebase.google.com/pricing), last checked 8 Nov 2026 - [Firestore pricing (Google Cloud)](https://cloud.google.com/firestore/pricing), last checked 8 Nov 2026 - [Firestore billing docs](https://firebase.google.com/docs/firestore/pricing), last checked 8 Nov 2026 - [Firebase: avoid surprise bills](https://firebase.google.com/docs/projects/billing/avoid-surprise-bills), last checked 8 Nov 2026 - [Firestore offline persistence](https://firebase.google.com/docs/firestore/manage-data/enable-offline), last checked 8 Nov 2026 - [Firestore export and import](https://firebase.google.com/docs/firestore/manage-data/export-import), last checked 8 Nov 2026 - [Firestore vector search](https://firebase.google.com/docs/firestore/vector-search), last checked 8 Nov 2026 - [Firebase SQL Connect](https://firebase.google.com/docs/data-connect), last checked 8 Nov 2026 ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Supabase or Firebase cheaper for an indie developer? At small scale Firebase is often cheaper, because Firestore's per-day free quota and per-operation pricing can keep a light app at a few dollars a month or less, while Supabase's first paid plan is $25/mo. Supabase's bill is more predictable, though: Pro has a spend cap on by default, while Firebase budget alerts do not pause Firestore. ### Does the Supabase free plan pause projects? Yes. Supabase's pricing page says free projects are paused after 1 week of inactivity, and the Free plan is limited to 2 active projects. That is fine for prototypes but risky for a live product with quiet weeks. ### Can I set a hard spending limit on Firebase? Not for Firestore. Firebase's billing docs say budget alerts do not pause services, and spend-cap budgets that pause a service are only available for Firebase AI Logic, App Hosting, Cloud Functions for Firebase and Firebase Extensions. For Firestore you set budgets and alerts in the Google Cloud console. ### Which is better for offline-first mobile apps? Firebase. Firestore's docs say offline persistence is supported on Android, Apple and web apps, and is on by default on Android and Apple. Supabase Realtime offers Postgres Changes, Broadcast and Presence, but we did not find built-in offline persistence in the pages we checked. ### How hard is it to migrate from Firebase to Supabase? It is doable but manual. Supabase documents a firebase-to-supabase tool that copies one Firestore collection to one Postgres table, flattening nested data into text, numeric, boolean or jsonb columns. Complex structures need custom splitting, and you also need to move auth users, files and any security rules logic.