Supabase vs Appwrite
Supabase gives every project a dedicated Postgres database alongside auth, storage and auto-generated APIs, with plans priced per organization. Appwrite bundles a database, auth, storage, functions and messaging into one self-hostable system, with Appwrite Cloud priced per project. Choose Supabase if you want a real Postgres database with SQL access; choose Appwrite if you want messaging and hosting bundled in and prefer per-project pricing.
Facts checked on against the official sources listed at the end. Usage numbers update daily.
Best for
Apps that need a real Postgres database with SQL, self-hostable under Apache-2.0
Free plan. Paid from $25 a month (Pro), plus usage above the included limits.
Best for
Projects that want messaging and hosting bundled in, self-hostable under BSD-3-Clause
Free plan. Paid from $25 a month per project for the Pro plan.
Supabase vs Appwrite at a glance
| Compared on | Supabase | Appwrite |
|---|---|---|
| Database type | Dedicated Postgres database per project, relational and SQL-based | Its own document-oriented database, not Postgres |
| Pricing structure | Plans priced per organization, covering multiple projects with shared limits | Pro plan priced per project, from $25 a month per project |
| Free plan limits | 2 active projects, 500 MB database; pauses after 1 week of inactivity | 75,000 monthly requests, unlimited projects, no stated pausing |
| Built-in messaging | Not included as a core feature | Messaging included in the Pro plan since a September 2025 pricing update |
| Realtime updates | Opt in per table through the supabase_realtime publication, or Broadcast | Realtime subscriptions built into the core platform |
| Static site hosting | Not a core feature | Sites, included in the Pro plan since the September 2025 update |
| Open source | Yes, Apache-2.0 | Yes, BSD-3-Clause |
| Free plan | Yes: 2 active projects, 500 MB database, 50,000 monthly active users, 1 GB file storage. Projects pause after 1 week of inactivity. | Yes: 75,000 monthly requests, bandwidth and storage included, unlimited projects |
| Paid plans from | $25 a month (Pro), plus usage above the included limits | $25 a month per project for the Pro plan |
| Made by | Supabase Inc. | Appwrite |
| Launched | 2020 | 2019 |
What's the difference between Supabase and Appwrite?
Supabase gives you real Postgres, Appwrite uses its own database
Every Supabase project runs on a dedicated Postgres database, so SQL, joins and Postgres tooling work directly. Appwrite stores data in its own document-oriented database rather than Postgres, which doesn't support arbitrary SQL queries the same way.
Their pricing is structured around different units
Supabase prices plans per organization, with a shared free tier of 2 active projects across that organization. Appwrite Cloud's Pro plan is priced per project at $25 a month each, so costs scale directly with how many separate projects you run.
Appwrite bundles messaging, Supabase doesn't
Appwrite folded Messaging and Sites (hosting) into its Pro plan as part of a September 2025 pricing update, giving one platform for backend, messaging and hosting. Supabase doesn't include a messaging product as a core feature, focusing on database, auth, storage and edge functions.
Supabase's free projects pause, Appwrite's published free plan doesn't say that
A Supabase free project pauses after 1 week without activity and needs manually restoring. Appwrite's free plan description doesn't mention a pausing policy for inactive projects.
Supabase vs Appwrite pricing
Supabase charges per organization with a shared project allowance; Appwrite Cloud charges per project once you're on its paid Pro plan.
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 and 100,000 MAU, extra projects from $10 a month each.
- Free
- $0
- Pro
- From $25 a month
- Team
- From $599 a month
- Enterprise
- Custom
Appwrite
Free: 75,000 monthly requests, unlimited projects, community support. Pro: from $25 a month per project, with 2 TB bandwidth, higher storage and execution limits, Messaging and Sites included.
- Free
- $0 a month
- Pro
- From $25 a month per project
- Self-hosted
- $0, run your own infrastructure
| Supabase | $45 a month on Supabase Pro: $25 for the base plan plus $10 each for 2 extra projects |
|---|---|
| Appwrite | $75 a month on Appwrite Pro: $25 per project across 3 projects, since Appwrite prices Pro per project |
Prices in USD from the official pricing pages on 29 September 2026. They change often, so confirm on supabase.com and appwrite.io before you commit.
Usage and activity
Supabase has 93% more GitHub stars than Appwrite (112k against 57.7k). Weekly npm downloads: 35M for @supabase/supabase-js and 53.8k for appwrite. Releases on GitHub in the last 90 days: 1 for Supabase and 7 for Appwrite.
| Measure | Supabase | Appwrite |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | 111,618 | 57,697 |
| npm downloads a week | 35M (@supabase/supabase-js) | 53.8k (appwrite) |
| Latest release | v1.26.08, 2 months ago | 2.5.0, 3 days ago |
| Releases in 90 days | 1 | 7 |
From the public GitHub and npm APIs, updated daily. Stars and downloads show developer interest, not product quality.
Should you choose Supabase or Appwrite?
Choose Supabase if
- You want a real Postgres database with SQL, joins and existing Postgres tooling
- You run several projects under one organization and want costs to share a plan
- You want row level security policies written directly in SQL
- You want a mature, widely adopted open source backend with a large community
Choose Appwrite if
- You want messaging (email, SMS, push) bundled into the same platform as your backend
- You run a single project and don't need Supabase's per-organization plan structure
- You're comfortable with a document-oriented database instead of Postgres
- You want built-in realtime subscriptions without configuring a Postgres publication
Switching between Supabase and Appwrite
Moving from Supabase to Appwrite means converting relational Postgres tables into Appwrite's document-oriented collections and rewriting row level security policies as Appwrite's permission model. Moving from Appwrite to Supabase means designing Postgres tables for what were Appwrite collections, and rebuilding any messaging workflows separately, since Supabase doesn't include an equivalent messaging product.
Supabase vs Appwrite: common questions
Is Appwrite open source like Supabase?
Yes, both are open source and self-hostable. Supabase is licensed under Apache-2.0, and Appwrite is licensed under BSD-3-Clause.
Does Appwrite use Postgres?
No, Appwrite uses its own document-oriented database. Supabase gives every project a dedicated Postgres database.
Is Supabase cheaper than Appwrite?
It depends on how many projects you run. Supabase prices per organization with a shared allowance, while Appwrite Cloud's Pro plan charges per project, so Supabase can be cheaper across multiple projects while Appwrite may be cheaper for a single project with light usage.
Does Appwrite include messaging?
Yes, since a September 2025 pricing update, Messaging and Sites (hosting) are included in Appwrite's Pro plan. Supabase doesn't include a comparable messaging product.
Can I self-host both Supabase and Appwrite?
Yes, both offer their full platform as open source software you can self-host, in addition to their managed cloud offerings.
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.
Neon
Serverless Postgres platform with autoscaling and instant branching, owned by Databricks.
Sources
More sources for each tool are on the Supabase and Appwrite pages.
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