Supabase vs MongoDB Atlas
Supabase gives every project a dedicated Postgres database bundled with authentication, auto-generated APIs, realtime subscriptions and file storage, aimed at teams that want a full backend platform. MongoDB Atlas is a managed cloud service for the MongoDB document database, offering a permanently free tier plus usage-based dedicated clusters, with add-ons like Atlas Search and Vector Search but no built-in auth or storage layer. Choose Supabase if you want relational data plus a full backend out of the box; choose MongoDB Atlas if your data model fits documents or you're already invested in the MongoDB ecosystem.
Facts checked on against the official sources listed at the end. Usage numbers update daily.
Best for
Teams wanting a full backend platform on top of relational Postgres data
Free plan. Paid from $25 a month (Pro), plus usage above the included limits.
Best for
Teams wanting a managed document database with flexible schema
Free plan. Paid from about $0.011 an hour (up to $30 a month) for the Flex tier, or $0.08 an hour for the smallest Dedicated (M10) tier.
Supabase vs MongoDB Atlas at a glance
| Compared on | Supabase | MongoDB Atlas |
|---|---|---|
| Data model | Relational (Postgres), with support for JSON columns | Document-oriented (BSON/JSON-like), flexible schema |
| Built-in auth | Yes, included as part of the platform | No; requires a separate auth provider |
| File storage | Yes, built-in file storage with access policies | No; requires a separate object storage service |
| Realtime updates | Yes, built-in realtime subscriptions on database changes | Change streams available, but requires custom application code |
| Cloud providers | Supabase Cloud (built on AWS) | AWS, Azure or Google Cloud, selectable per cluster |
| Search add-ons | Postgres full-text search built in; no dedicated vector search product | Atlas Search and Atlas Vector Search available as add-ons |
| Open source | Yes, Apache-2.0 | No, Server Side Public License (SSPL) for MongoDB itself; Atlas is a proprietary managed service |
| 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: the M0 tier, free forever, with 512 MB storage, shared RAM and vCPU |
| Paid plans from | $25 a month (Pro), plus usage above the included limits | about $0.011 an hour (up to $30 a month) for the Flex tier, or $0.08 an hour for the smallest Dedicated (M10) tier |
| Made by | Supabase Inc. | MongoDB, Inc. |
| Launched | 2020 | Not listed |
What's the difference between Supabase and MongoDB Atlas?
Supabase bundles auth, storage, realtime and auto-generated APIs around a Postgres database
Supabase bundles auth, storage, realtime and auto-generated APIs around a Postgres database; MongoDB Atlas is focused on the database layer itself, leaving auth and storage to separate services you add yourself.
Supabase's data model is relational with structured tables and relationships
Supabase's data model is relational with structured tables and relationships; MongoDB Atlas uses a flexible document model that's often easier to evolve without migrations, at the cost of enforced structure.
MongoDB Atlas lets you choose AWS, Azure or Google Cloud per cluster,
MongoDB Atlas lets you choose AWS, Azure or Google Cloud per cluster, and offers Atlas Search and Vector Search as dedicated add-ons; Supabase runs on its own cloud (built on AWS) with search handled through Postgres's built-in full-text capabilities.
Supabase's free plan pauses projects after a week of inactivity
Supabase's free plan pauses projects after a week of inactivity; MongoDB Atlas's free M0 tier runs continuously with no pausing, though it's capped at 512 MB storage.
Supabase vs MongoDB Atlas pricing
Supabase has a free plan (paused after inactivity) and Pro from $25 a month. MongoDB Atlas has a permanently free M0 tier, a low-cost Flex tier from about $0.011 an hour, and Dedicated tiers from $0.08 an hour.
Supabase
Free plan: 2 active projects, 500 MB database, 50,000 monthly active users, pauses after 1 week idle. Pro from $25 a month: 8 GB database, 100,000 monthly active users, no pausing.
- Free
- $0
- Pro
- From $25 a month
- Team
- From $599 a month
- Enterprise
- Custom
MongoDB Atlas
M0 free tier: 512 MB storage, shared RAM/vCPU, no pausing. Flex from about $0.011 an hour (up to ~$30/month). Dedicated M10 from $0.08 an hour (about $57/month), scaling to M300 at $21.85 an hour.
- M0 (Free)
- $0
- Flex
- From $0.011 an hour, up to about $30 a month
- Dedicated M10
- $0.08 an hour (about $56.94 a month)
- Dedicated M300
- $21.85 an hour
Prices in USD from the official pricing pages on 30 September 2026. They change often, so confirm on supabase.com and mongodb.com before you commit.
Usage and activity
Supabase has 3.9 times as many GitHub stars as MongoDB Atlas (112k against 28.6k). Weekly npm downloads: 35M for @supabase/supabase-js and 18M for mongodb.
| Measure | Supabase | MongoDB Atlas |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | 111,618 | 28,642 |
| npm downloads a week | 35M (@supabase/supabase-js) | 18M (mongodb) |
| Latest release | v1.26.08, 2 months ago | None on GitHub |
| Releases in 90 days | 1 | 0 |
From the public GitHub and npm APIs, updated daily. Stars and downloads show developer interest, not product quality.
Should you choose Supabase or MongoDB Atlas?
Choose Supabase if
- Your data is naturally relational and benefits from Postgres's structure and joins
- You want auth, file storage and realtime built into the same platform as your database
- You want a single backend platform rather than assembling separate services
- You're building with Next.js or another JS/TS-first stack
Choose MongoDB Atlas if
- Your data model is naturally document-shaped or needs a flexible, evolving schema
- You want your database provider to run on AWS, Azure or Google Cloud specifically
- You want a permanently free tier with no risk of project pausing
- You need dedicated search or vector search add-ons tightly integrated with the database
Switching between Supabase and MongoDB Atlas
Moving from Supabase to MongoDB Atlas means converting relational tables into a document schema, which typically involves denormalizing related tables into embedded documents or arrays, and replacing Supabase's built-in auth and storage with separate services. Moving from MongoDB Atlas to Supabase means designing normalized tables from your document collections and gaining built-in auth, storage and realtime in exchange for a stricter schema.
Supabase vs MongoDB Atlas: common questions
Does MongoDB Atlas include authentication like Supabase does?
No. MongoDB Atlas is a database service only; you'd need to add a separate authentication provider, whereas Supabase includes auth as part of the platform.
Is MongoDB Atlas's free tier permanent?
Yes, the M0 tier is free forever with no time limit, though it's capped at 512 MB of storage and shared compute. Supabase's free plan instead pauses projects after a week of inactivity.
Can I use Postgres-style relational data in MongoDB Atlas?
MongoDB supports references between documents, but it isn't a relational database with joins and foreign keys the way Postgres is; heavily relational data models generally fit Supabase's Postgres better.
Which is cheaper for a small side project?
MongoDB Atlas's free M0 tier runs indefinitely for small projects, while Supabase's free plan pauses after a week of inactivity, which matters if your project has gaps in traffic.
Does Supabase support vector search?
Supabase supports vector data through the pgvector Postgres extension, but MongoDB Atlas offers a dedicated Atlas Vector Search add-on as a distinct managed product.
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.
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.
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 Supabase and MongoDB Atlas pages.
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