Appwrite
Appwrite is an open source backend platform, founded by Eldad Fux in 2019, that bundles a database, authentication, file storage, serverless functions, realtime subscriptions and messaging into one self-hostable system. It's available as Appwrite Cloud or self-hosted from the open source repository under a BSD 3-Clause license. Appwrite Cloud has a free plan and a Pro plan priced per project from $25 a month.
Facts checked on against the sources listed at the end of this page.
- Pricing
- FreemiumPaid from $25 a month per project for the Pro plan
- Open source
- YesBSD-3-Clause
- GitHub stars
- 57,780+285 in the last 30 days
- npm downloads a week
- 53.8kup 7% on the week before
- Latest release
- 1.9.103 days ago
- Releases in 90 days
- 10about 3 a month
A good fit for
- Teams that want an open source backend they can self-host instead of a proprietary one
- Mobile and web apps that need database, auth, storage and functions together
- Projects that want messaging (email, SMS, push) and static hosting alongside their backend
- Developers who want a Firebase-like experience with the option to leave the managed cloud later
Not a good fit for
- Teams that want the absolute lowest cost at large scale, where self-hosting takes more operational effort than using the managed cloud
- Projects that need a traditional relational (SQL) database as the primary data model
- Very small side projects that don't need the operational overhead of running Docker containers, if self-hosting
Appwrite pricing
Appwrite Cloud has a free plan for individuals and small projects, and a Pro plan priced per project starting at $25 a month with higher bandwidth, storage and execution limits, following a September 2025 pricing update that folded messaging and hosting into the same plans. Appwrite is also free to self-host.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 a month | 75,000 monthly requests, unlimited projects, community support. |
| Pro | From $25 a month per project | 2 TB bandwidth, higher storage and execution limits, Messaging and Sites included, email support. |
| Self-hosted | $0, run your own infrastructure | The full open source platform under a BSD 3-Clause license. |
Prices in USD, checked on 27 September 2026. Current prices on appwrite.io.
Main features
- Database
- A document-oriented database with relationships, indexes and fine-grained, row-level permissions.
- Authentication
- Email/password, magic links, phone, and OAuth logins with dozens of supported providers.
- Storage
- File storage with built-in image manipulation, previews and antivirus scanning.
- Functions
- Serverless functions in multiple languages, triggered by events or HTTP requests.
- Realtime
- Subscribe to database, storage and auth events over WebSockets for live updates.
- Messaging
- Send email, SMS and push notifications to users or segments from the same platform.
- Self-hosting
- Run the full open source platform on your own infrastructure with Docker.
About Appwrite
Appwrite bundles the services a backend usually needs into one platform: a document database, authentication with many login methods, file storage, serverless functions, realtime subscriptions, and, more recently, messaging and static site hosting. It's designed to be used from mobile and web client SDKs directly, with permissions enforced server-side.
The core platform is open source under a BSD 3-Clause license and can be self-hosted with Docker, or used as the managed Appwrite Cloud service. Appwrite Cloud added Messaging and Sites (static hosting) to its plans in 2025, positioning it as a single vendor for backend, messaging and hosting.
It's commonly compared to Firebase and Supabase as an alternative for teams that want an open source, self-hostable backend rather than a fully proprietary one.
- Made by
- Appwrite
- Launched
- 2019
- Free plan
- Yes: 75,000 monthly requests, bandwidth and storage included, unlimited projects
- Available on
- Web, Flutter, iOS, Android, Node.js, Self-hosted (Docker)
Usage and activity
Weekly npm downloads of appwrite, last 12 months.
Recent releases
Appwrite alternatives
Appwrite compared
AppwritevsSupabase
Supabase gives every project a dedicated Postgres database alongside auth, storage and auto-generated APIs, with plans priced per organization.
AppwritevsFirebase
Firebase is Google's proprietary backend-as-a-service, built around the NoSQL Firestore and Realtime Database, with deep native mobile SDK support.
AppwritevsPocketbase
Appwrite is an open source backend bundling a database, auth, storage, functions, realtime and messaging into one self-hostable system, also available as Appwrite Cloud.
AppwritevsNeon
Neon is a serverless Postgres database platform that separates storage and compute so databases scale to zero when idle, with instant copy-on-write branching for development or testing.
Questions about Appwrite
Is Appwrite open source?
Yes, Appwrite's core platform is open source under a BSD 3-Clause license and can be self-hosted with Docker, in addition to the managed Appwrite Cloud service.
Does Appwrite have a free plan?
Yes, Appwrite Cloud's free plan includes 75,000 monthly requests and unlimited projects. Self-hosting the open source platform is also free.
How much does Appwrite Cloud cost?
The Pro plan starts at $25 a month per project, following a pricing update in September 2025 that increased included bandwidth and folded Messaging and Sites into the same plans.
Who founded Appwrite?
Eldad Fux founded Appwrite in 2019 as an open source backend platform.
Sources and links
- Appwrite pricing
- Announcing Appwrite's new pricing plans, Appwrite blog
- Company, Appwrite
- appwrite/appwrite, GitHub
Work on Appwrite? Claim this listing. Something wrong or out of date? Suggest a correction. Stats come from the public GitHub and npm APIs and update every day.