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Firebase Realtime Database vs Supabase

Firebase Realtime Database: Firebase's original JSON-tree database that syncs every change to connected clients in milliseconds. Supabase: Open-source Postgres backend platform: database, auth, storage, realtime and edge functions in one project.

key differences

  • Firebase Realtime Database is primarily a document database; Supabase is relational.
  • Licensing: Firebase Realtime Database is proprietary (Proprietary Firebase service); Supabase is open source (permissive) (Apache License 2.0).
  • Supabase is built for larger datasets (≤ 10 TB) than Firebase Realtime Database (≤ 100 GB).
  • Horizontal scaling is manual in Firebase Realtime Database and none in Supabase.
  • Transactions: Firebase Realtime Database offers limited ACID; Supabase offers full.
  • Only Firebase Realtime Database has online schema changes, offline sync.
  • Only Supabase has joins, full-text search, vector search, geospatial, change data capture.
  • Firebase Realtime Database has a serverless option; Supabase does not.

choose firebase-realtime-database for

  • +Presence, typing indicators and live cursors
  • +Multiplayer game state and lobbies
  • +Small realtime dashboards and chat

best at · Mobile/offline, Pub/Sub, Sessions

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

Firebase Realtime DatabaseFirebase's original JSON-tree database that syncs every change to connected clients in milliseconds.
SupabaseOpen-source Postgres backend platform: database, auth, storage, realtime and edge functions in one project.
overview
Primary model
Document
Relational
Also supports
Key-Value
Document, Vector, Spatial
Type
Managed service
Backend platform
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Google (Firebase)
Supabase, Inc.
First release
2012
2020
Latest version
–
v1.26.08 (self-hosted) (Aug 7, 2026)
License
ProprietaryProprietary Firebase service
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
26.4
54.3
Rank
#113
#23
GitHub stars
–
114.1K
Stack Overflow questions
40K
2.1K
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Small (≤ 100 GB)
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Horizontal scaling
Manual
None
Multi-region
None
Read replicas
ACID
Limited
Full
Consistency
Strong, Eventual
Strong
Schema
Schemaless
Strict
Architecture
Serverless, Single node
Primary replica, Client server
deployment
Self-hosted
—
✓
Vendor-managed cloud
✓
✓
Serverless
✓
—
Embedded
—
—
Edge
—
—
Clouds
Google Cloud
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
Firebase query API (orderBy/equalTo/limit)
SQL, PL/pgSQL, GraphQL
Client languages
JavaScript, Swift, Kotlin, Java, C++, Dart, Python, Go
JavaScript, Python, Dart, Swift, Kotlin, C#, Go, Rust
Best for
Mobile/offline, Pub/Sub, Sessions, OLTP
OLTP, Vector search, RAG, Content
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

Firebase Realtime Database vs Supabase: FAQ

What is the difference between Firebase Realtime Database and Supabase?

Firebase Realtime Database: Firebase's original JSON-tree database that syncs every change to connected clients in milliseconds. Supabase: Open-source Postgres backend platform: database, auth, storage, realtime and edge functions in one project. Firebase Realtime Database is primarily a document database; Supabase is relational. Licensing: Firebase Realtime Database is proprietary (Proprietary Firebase service); Supabase is open source (permissive) (Apache License 2.0). Supabase is built for larger datasets (≤ 10 TB) than Firebase Realtime Database (≤ 100 GB).

When should I choose Firebase Realtime Database over Supabase?

Choose Firebase Realtime Database for presence, typing indicators and live cursors; multiplayer game state and lobbies; and small realtime dashboards and chat. 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 Firebase Realtime Database or Supabase more popular?

Supabase ranks #23 on the WhichDB Score (54.3/100) and Firebase Realtime Database ranks #113 (26.4/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are Firebase Realtime Database and Supabase open source?

No. Firebase Realtime Database is proprietary, closed-source software. Yes. Supabase is open source. License: Apache License 2.0.