Supabase is an open-source Firebase alternative: a hosted Postgres database with an auto-generated REST API, auth, file storage, edge functions and realtime — all on a free tier. Here's what it costs as you grow and where to find your keys.
| Plan | Price | Includes | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free free | $0 | 500 MB DB, 1 GB storage, 50k MAU | Prototypes, MVPs |
| Pro | $25/mo | 8 GB DB, 100 GB storage, 100k MAU, daily backups | Production apps |
| Team | $599/mo | SOC2, SSO, priority support | Companies |
| Enterprise | custom | Dedicated, SLA, isolation | Large scale |
Pro includes usage, then meters database size, storage, egress, and monthly active users (MAUs) above the included count.
→ Model the whole back-end alongside your other services on the API stack cost calculator, and size your vector search if you use pgvector on the vector database calculator.
Yes, and it's enough to ship a real MVP: a 500 MB Postgres database, 1 GB file storage, 50,000 monthly active users of auth, plus the auto-generated REST and Realtime APIs and edge functions. The main free-tier limitation is that inactive projects pause after a week — fine for development, not for anything users rely on. For always-on production you'll want Pro at $25/month.
1. Sign up at supabase.com and create a new project (pick a region close to your users).
2. Open Project Settings → API.
3. Copy the Project URL and the anon public key (safe for client-side, governed by row-level security).
4. Use the service_role key for trusted server-side code only — it bypasses row-level security, so never ship it to a browser.
Quick API test (read from a table via the auto REST API):
Monthly active users (MAUs) scale fastest for consumer apps — each authenticated user beyond the included count is metered. Egress (bandwidth out) adds up for media-heavy apps, and database compute upgrades (larger instances for more connections/CPU) are a separate line. Optional add-ons like Point-in-Time Recovery and read replicas can each cost more than the base plan. Always size MAUs and egress before launch.
The obvious rival is Firebase, which uses a NoSQL model and pay-as-you-go pricing rather than Supabase's Postgres + flat tiers. For a pure database, a managed Postgres on Cloudflare (D1) or Neon can be cheaper if you don't need the bundled auth/storage/realtime. Supabase wins when you want a full back-end — DB, auth, storage and APIs — from one dashboard with no glue code.
Yes — a free tier with 500 MB Postgres, 1 GB storage and 50k monthly active users. Production always-on use is the $25/month Pro plan.
Project Settings → API. The anon key is for clients (RLS-protected); the service_role key is server-only and bypasses RLS.
Monthly active users, egress, database size/compute, and add-ons like PITR and read replicas. MAUs and egress move fastest for consumer apps.
Yes — inactive free projects pause after about a week. Pro keeps projects always-on with daily backups.
Not affiliated with Supabase. Prices are reference estimates — always verify on the official pricing page.