Supabase vs Firebase: Postgres or NoSQL for your next app?

TL;DR. Pick Supabase if you want a real relational database with row-
level security, a SQL editor, and an open-source escape hatch. Pick **Firebase
(Firestore)** if you want a serverless NoSQL store that scales without
operational overhead and integrates tightly with the Google Cloud ecosystem.

Data model

Supabase is Postgres — joins, transactions, foreign keys, materialised views,
PostGIS. Firestore is document-based — fast for hierarchical reads, but no
joins, no transactions across collections without care.

Auth and storage

Both bundle auth, storage, and realtime. Firebase Auth has the deeper
identity-provider catalog and tighter integration with Google services.
Supabase Auth is leaner but exposes the underlying JWT, which engineers tend
to prefer.

Pricing

Both have generous free tiers. Supabase's paid plan is a flat $25/mo + usage,
predictable. Firebase pricing fragments across multiple services (Firestore
reads, Auth MAUs, Storage GB) and can surprise.

Verdict

Engineering-led team that wants Postgres → Supabase. Mobile-first or
event-driven app where serverless scale matters more than relational joins →
Firestore.