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ElectricSQL vs Supabase

ElectricSQL: Read-path sync engine that streams partial replicas of Postgres to clients over plain HTTP. Supabase: Open-source Postgres backend platform: database, auth, storage, realtime and edge functions in one project.

key differences

  • Horizontal scaling is manual in ElectricSQL and none in Supabase.
  • Transactions: ElectricSQL offers limited ACID; Supabase offers full.
  • Only ElectricSQL has offline sync.
  • Only Supabase has transactions, joins, secondary indexes, full-text search, vector search.

choose electricsql for

  • +Real-time dashboards fed from Postgres
  • +Local-first web apps with a Postgres backend
  • +Streaming per-user data subsets to many clients

best at · Local-first, Mobile/offline, Real-time analytics

choose supabase for

  • +MVPs and startups needing a complete backend quickly
  • +AI-generated apps from Lovable, Bolt and similar builders
  • +Mobile and web apps with auth and file uploads
  • +Realtime collaborative features via Postgres changes

best at · OLTP, Vector search, RAG

ElectricSQLRead-path sync engine that streams partial replicas of Postgres to clients over plain HTTP.
SupabaseOpen-source Postgres backend platform: database, auth, storage, realtime and edge functions in one project.
overview
Primary model
Relational
Relational
Also supports
–
Document, Vector, Spatial
Type
Database engine
Backend platform
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Electric DB (part of Databricks)
Supabase, Inc.
First release
2023
2020
Latest version
sync-service 1.8.1 (Sep 7, 2026)
v1.26.08 (self-hosted) (Aug 7, 2026)
License
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
30.4
54.3
Rank
#85
#23
GitHub stars
10.4K
114.1K
Stack Overflow questions
–
2.1K
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Horizontal scaling
Manual
None
Multi-region
Read replicas
Read replicas
ACID
Limited
Full
Consistency
Causal, Eventual
Strong
Schema
Strict
Strict
Architecture
Client server
Primary replica, Client server
deployment
Self-hosted
✓
✓
Vendor-managed cloud
—
✓
Serverless
—
—
Embedded
—
—
Edge
—
—
Clouds
–
AWS, Vercel
capabilities
Transactions
—
✓
Joins
—
✓
Secondary indexes
—
✓
Full-text search
—
✓
Vector search
—
✓
Geospatial
—
✓
JSON
—
✓
Change data capture
✓
✓
Triggers
—
✓
Stored procedures
—
✓
Materialized views
—
✓
TTL / expiry
—
—
Pub/Sub
—
✓
Columnar storage
—
—
In-memory
—
—
Durable persistence
✓
✓
Compression
—
—
Encryption at rest
—
✓
Role-based access
—
✓
Time travel
—
—
Branching
—
✓
Online schema changes
—
—
Streaming ingest
—
—
Offline sync
✓
—
Runs in WebAssembly
—
—
interfaces
Query languages
Shape definitions (table + SQL WHERE clause)
SQL, PL/pgSQL, GraphQL
Client languages
TypeScript, Elixir
JavaScript, Python, Dart, Swift, Kotlin, C#, Go, Rust
Best for
Local-first, Mobile/offline, Real-time analytics
OLTP, Vector search, RAG, Content
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

ElectricSQL vs Supabase: FAQ

What is the difference between ElectricSQL and Supabase?

ElectricSQL: Read-path sync engine that streams partial replicas of Postgres to clients over plain HTTP. Supabase: Open-source Postgres backend platform: database, auth, storage, realtime and edge functions in one project. Horizontal scaling is manual in ElectricSQL and none in Supabase. Transactions: ElectricSQL offers limited ACID; Supabase offers full. Only ElectricSQL has offline sync.

When should I choose ElectricSQL over Supabase?

Choose ElectricSQL for real-time dashboards fed from Postgres, local-first web apps with a Postgres backend and streaming per-user data subsets to many clients. Choose Supabase for MVPs and startups needing a complete backend quickly; AI-generated apps from Lovable, Bolt and similar builders; and mobile and web apps with auth and file uploads.

Is ElectricSQL or Supabase more popular?

Supabase ranks #23 on the WhichDB Score (54.3/100) and ElectricSQL ranks #85 (30.4/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are ElectricSQL and Supabase open source?

Yes. ElectricSQL is open source. License: Apache License 2.0. Yes. Supabase is open source. License: Apache License 2.0.