Neon vs Supabase
Neon is a serverless Postgres platform, now owned by Databricks, focused on scale-to-zero compute and instant, copy-on-write database branching. Supabase also gives every project a dedicated Postgres database, but adds auth, auto-generated APIs, storage and edge functions as a fuller backend platform. Choose Neon if you mainly need branchable Postgres to pair with your own backend; choose Supabase if you want auth, storage and APIs bundled with the database.
Facts checked on against the official sources listed at the end. Usage numbers update daily.
Best for
Teams that want branchable, scale-to-zero Postgres to pair with their own backend
Free plan.
Best for
Teams that want auth, storage and auto-generated APIs bundled with Postgres
Free plan. Paid from $25 a month (Pro), plus usage above the included limits.
Neon vs Supabase at a glance
| Compared on | Neon | Supabase |
|---|---|---|
| Core scope | Postgres database only, with storage and compute separated | Postgres database plus auth, storage, auto-generated APIs and edge functions |
| Branching | Instant, copy-on-write branching is Neon's signature feature | Not a core feature in the same form |
| Built-in authentication | Not included; auth is handled by whatever application layer you pair Neon with | Supabase Auth included, 50,000 monthly active users on the free plan |
| Auto-generated APIs | Not included; you connect with standard Postgres drivers | Auto-generated REST and GraphQL APIs over supabase-js |
| Scale to zero | Yes, compute scales to zero when idle and back up automatically | Free projects pause after 1 week of inactivity rather than scaling to zero per request |
| Corporate ownership | Databricks, since acquiring Neon in 2025 | Independent, Supabase Inc. |
| Open source | Yes, Apache-2.0 (core storage engine) | Yes, Apache-2.0 |
| Free plan | Yes: 0.5 GB storage and 100 compute hours a month per project, no credit card required | Yes: 2 active projects, 500 MB database, 50,000 monthly active users, 1 GB file storage. Projects pause after 1 week of inactivity. |
| Paid plans from | Not listed | $25 a month (Pro), plus usage above the included limits |
| Made by | Neon, Inc. (a Databricks company) | Supabase Inc. |
| Launched | 2021 | 2020 |
What's the difference between Neon and Supabase?
Neon is database-only, Supabase is a fuller backend platform
Neon focuses specifically on the Postgres database layer: storage, compute and branching. Supabase builds auth, auto-generated REST and GraphQL APIs, file storage and edge functions on top of its own Postgres database, aiming to cover more of an app's backend in one platform.
Neon branches instantly, Supabase pauses idle free projects instead
Neon's signature feature is instant, copy-on-write branching, creating a full database copy for development, testing or preview environments in seconds. Supabase doesn't offer the same branching model in its core product; its free-tier behavior for idle projects is instead to pause them after 1 week of inactivity, which then need manually restoring.
Supabase includes auth and APIs out of the box, Neon doesn't
Supabase Auth ships with every project, supporting up to 50,000 monthly active users free, alongside auto-generated REST and GraphQL APIs. Neon has no built-in auth or API layer; a Neon-based app needs its own auth solution and API layer, whether custom-built or from another provider.
Both are now owned by acquirers, but only one changed daily operations
Databricks acquired Neon in 2025 and runs it as its own product and brand, integrated with Databricks' broader data platform. Supabase remains an independent company, Supabase Inc., with no comparable acquisition.
Neon vs Supabase pricing
Neon bills hourly for compute and storage with no fixed monthly minimum. Supabase charges a flat plan fee that includes a compute allowance, plus usage above the included limits.
Neon
Free: 0.5 GB storage and 100 compute hours a month per project. Launch and Scale: usage-based, billed hourly for compute and storage, with autoscaling and longer point-in-time restore windows on higher tiers.
- Free
- $0 a month
- Launch
- Usage-based, billed hourly
- Scale
- Usage-based, billed hourly
Supabase
Free: 2 active projects, 500 MB database, 50,000 monthly active users; pauses after 1 week idle. Pro: from $25 a month for 8 GB database, 100,000 MAU and no pausing, extra projects from $10 a month.
- Free
- $0
- Pro
- From $25 a month
- Team
- From $599 a month
- Enterprise
- Custom
Prices in USD from the official pricing pages on 29 September 2026. They change often, so confirm on neon.com and supabase.com before you commit.
Usage and activity
Supabase has 4.8 times as many GitHub stars as Neon (111k against 23.2k). Weekly npm downloads: 5.2M for @neondatabase/serverless and 35M for @supabase/supabase-js.
| Measure | Neon | Supabase |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | 23,175 | 111,180 |
| npm downloads a week | 5.2M (@neondatabase/serverless) | 35M (@supabase/supabase-js) |
| Latest release | release-proxy-88…, 1 year ago | v1.26.08, 2 months ago |
| Releases in 90 days | 0 | 1 |
From the public GitHub and npm APIs, updated daily. Stars and downloads show developer interest, not product quality.
Should you choose Neon or Supabase?
Choose Neon if
- You want branchable Postgres to pair with a backend or auth system you already have
- You want compute that scales to zero automatically rather than a fixed monthly plan
- You're building a development workflow around instant database copies for testing
- You don't need auth, storage or auto-generated APIs bundled with the database
Choose Supabase if
- You want auth, storage and auto-generated APIs included with your Postgres database
- You want edge functions for server-side logic without adding a separate service
- You want row level security policies written directly in SQL
- You're building a full app backend rather than just choosing a database
Switching between Neon and Supabase
Since both run standard Postgres, moving the database itself is usually a straightforward dump and restore. The bigger work is on the application layer: an app built on Supabase's auth, auto-generated APIs and edge functions needs those rebuilt separately if moving to Neon, while an app using only Neon's database can add Supabase's auth and API layer on top without much database-level change.
Neon vs Supabase: common questions
Is Neon the same as Supabase?
No. Both give you a Postgres database, but Neon focuses specifically on the database with branching and scale-to-zero compute, while Supabase adds auth, storage and auto-generated APIs on top of its own Postgres database.
Does Supabase support database branching like Neon?
Not in the same core form; Neon's instant, copy-on-write branching is its signature feature. Supabase's free-tier approach to idle projects is pausing after 1 week, rather than branching.
Who owns Neon now?
Databricks acquired Neon in 2025 and continues to run it as its own product and brand.
Can I use Neon without Supabase's auth and APIs?
Yes, Neon is a standalone Postgres database with no bundled auth or API layer, so it pairs with whatever backend or auth system you choose.
Is Neon cheaper than Supabase?
It depends on usage. Neon bills hourly for compute and storage with no fixed minimum on paid plans, while Supabase charges a flat monthly plan fee that includes a set compute allowance, so costs compare differently depending on how idle or active your database is.
Other options to consider
All databases tools
Redis
In-memory data store used as a cache, database and message broker, available self-hosted or as Redis Cloud.
MongoDB Atlas
MongoDB's fully managed cloud database service, with a free tier and usage-based paid tiers.
Firebase
Google's backend-as-a-service platform for mobile and web apps: database, auth, hosting and functions.
Pocketbase
Open source backend in a single executable file, with a database, auth and storage built in.
Sources
More sources for each tool are on the Neon and Supabase pages.
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