Supabase vs Firebase: Why We Switched and Never Looked Back

The Backend Decision That Almost Killed Our MVP

18 months ago, we hit a wall with Firebase.

Our client's MVP was growing fast—too fast. Firebase's pricing became unpredictable, complex queries were impossible, and vendor lock-in was suffocating growth.

The breaking point: A $3,000 Firebase bill for what should've cost $300 with a traditional database.

That's when we discovered Supabase. Since switching, we've built 30+ MVPs without a single regret.

Here's exactly why Supabase wins for startups—and the few cases where Firebase still makes sense.

The Great Backend Bait-and-Switch

Both Firebase and Supabase promise the same thing: "Build your backend in minutes, not months."

The reality: Firebase delivers on speed but betrays you at scale. Supabase gives you speed AND sustainability.

Why This Matters for MVPs:

- Day 1-90: Any backend works
- Month 3-12: Differences become painful
- Year 2+: Wrong choice kills growth

Choose wrong and you'll be rewriting everything when you can least afford it.

Round 1: Database Power and Flexibility

Supabase: Real PostgreSQL Database

- Full SQL support: Complex queries, joins, transactions
- ACID compliance: Data integrity guaranteed
- Extensions: PostGIS, full-text search, JSON operations
- Views and functions: Business logic in the database
- Row Level Security: Native fine-grained permissions

Firebase: NoSQL Firestore

- Limited queries: No joins, limited filtering
- Eventual consistency: Data might be stale
- Document model: Awkward for relational data
- Denormalization required: Data duplication everywhere
- Security rules: Complex and error-prone

Real-World Example:

Query: "Show all orders for customers in California with pending payments over $100"

Supabase (PostgreSQL):
sql
SELECT o.*, c.name, c.email
FROM orders o
JOIN customers c ON o.customer_id = c.id
WHERE c.state = 'CA'
AND o.status = 'pending'
AND o.amount > 100


Firebase: Requires 3 separate queries, client-side filtering, and data denormalization. Painful and slow.

Winner: Supabase (Not even close)

Round 2: Pricing Transparency and Predictability

Supabase Pricing:

- Free tier: 500MB database, 2 projects, unlimited API requests
- Pro tier: $25/month per project, includes 8GB database
- Transparent: Pay for what you use, easy to calculate
- Predictable: Database size and compute are clear metrics

Firebase Pricing:

- Spark plan: Free but severely limited
- Blaze plan: Pay-per-use across 20+ different metrics
- Complex: Document reads, writes, deletes, storage, bandwidth, cloud functions
- Unpredictable: Bills can spike 10x overnight

Real Client Example:

MVP with 1,000 daily active users:
- Supabase: $25/month (predictable)
- Firebase: $150-800/month (varies wildly)

The worst part: Firebase bills are impossible to predict or optimize without deep expertise.

Winner: Supabase (Saves thousands annually)

Round 3: Developer Experience

Supabase Advantages:

- Auto-generated APIs: REST and GraphQL from database schema
- Real-time subscriptions: Built on PostgreSQL's native capabilities
- Dashboard: SQL editor, table browser, API docs
- Local development: Full local stack with Docker
- Migration tools: Version-controlled database changes
- TypeScript support: Auto-generated types from schema

Firebase Advantages:

- Mature documentation: 8+ years of community content
- Google ecosystem: Seamless integration with other Google services
- Offline support: Better mobile offline capabilities
- Cloud Functions: Serverless functions (though Supabase Edge Functions are catching up)

Development Speed Comparison:

Setting up authentication + database:
- Supabase: 15 minutes (SQL table + built-in auth)
- Firebase: 45 minutes (security rules + complex setup)

Adding a new feature:
- Supabase: Add column, restart server, type-safe API ready
- Firebase: Update security rules, modify client code, test edge cases

Winner: Supabase (Faster iteration cycles)

Round 4: Vendor Lock-in and Data Portability

Supabase:

- Standard PostgreSQL: Your data is always portable
- Open source: Can self-host if needed
- SQL exports: Standard database dumps
- No proprietary formats: Everything is industry standard

Firebase:

- Proprietary format: Firestore documents aren't standard
- Export limitations: Complex and incomplete export process
- Google Cloud dependency: Tied to Google's ecosystem
- Migration difficulty: Moving to another platform is painful

The Exit Strategy Test:

Question: "How hard is it to move to another platform?"
- Supabase: Export PostgreSQL dump, import anywhere
- Firebase: Custom migration scripts, data transformation, prayer

Winner: Supabase (Freedom to choose)

Round 5: Performance and Scalability

Supabase Performance:

- Indexed queries: PostgreSQL's mature query optimizer
- Connection pooling: Efficient connection management
- Read replicas: Scale reads independently
- CDN integration: Fast global content delivery

Firebase Performance:

- NoSQL speed: Fast for simple document lookups
- Global distribution: Data close to users worldwide
- Automatic scaling: Handles traffic spikes well
- Limited query optimization: Complex queries are slow

Benchmarks (1M records):

- Simple lookups: Firebase wins (50ms vs 80ms)
- Complex queries: Supabase wins (200ms vs 2000ms+)
- Bulk operations: Supabase wins (seconds vs minutes)

Winner: Depends on use case (Supabase for most MVPs)

When to Choose Firebase Over Supabase

Despite our preference for Supabase, Firebase still wins in specific scenarios:

Choose Firebase When:

- Heavy mobile focus: Superior offline capabilities
- Simple data model: Basic CRUD operations only
- Google ecosystem: Already using Google Cloud/Analytics
- Global distribution critical: Need data in every continent
- Real-time gaming: Ultra-low latency requirements

Choose Supabase When:

- Complex queries needed: Joins, aggregations, reporting
- Budget predictability important: Fixed monthly costs
- SQL expertise on team: Leverage existing database skills
- Data ownership crucial: Want portable, open-source solution
- Rapid prototyping: Need to iterate quickly on data model

The Migration Process (Firebase → Supabase)

We've migrated 12 projects from Firebase to Supabase. Here's the battle-tested process:

Phase 1: Planning (1 week)

1. Audit current Firebase usage
- Document all collections
- Map security rules to RLS policies
- Identify complex queries

2. Design PostgreSQL schema
- Normalize Firebase's denormalized data
- Plan indexes for performance
- Design Row Level Security policies

Phase 2: Setup (1 week)

1. Create Supabase project
2. Set up authentication migration
3. Create tables and relationships
4. Implement Row Level Security
5. Test with sample data

Phase 3: Data Migration (1-2 weeks)

1. Export Firebase data
2. Transform and clean data
3. Import to PostgreSQL
4. Verify data integrity
5. Set up real-time sync (if needed)

Phase 4: Application Updates (2-3 weeks)

1. Update API calls
2. Replace Firebase SDK with Supabase
3. Update authentication flow
4. Test all functionality
5. Deploy and monitor

Total Timeline: 5-7 weeks for complex applications

Common Migration Gotchas

Data Model Differences:

Firebase: Nested documents, denormalized
Supabase: Normalized tables, foreign keys
Solution: Plan your relational schema carefully

Authentication Changes:

Firebase: Custom claims in JWT
Supabase: User metadata and profiles table
Solution: Migrate custom claims to profile data

Real-time Subscriptions:

Firebase: Document-level listening
Supabase: Row-level and table-level listening
Solution: Adjust subscription granularity

Security Rules vs RLS:

Firebase: JavaScript-like security rules
Supabase: SQL-based Row Level Security
Solution: Leverage SQL expertise or learn RLS syntax

Cost Comparison: Real Projects

E-commerce MVP (5K users/month):

- Firebase: $400-1200/month (unpredictable spikes)
- Supabase: $25/month (consistent)
- Savings: $4,500-14,100/year

B2B SaaS (1K users/month):

- Firebase: $200-600/month
- Supabase: $25/month
- Savings: $2,100-6,900/year

Content Platform (10K users/month):

- Firebase: $800-2500/month
- Supabase: $25-75/month (depending on storage)
- Savings: $9,300-29,100/year

Our Current Tech Stack

After 30+ Supabase projects, here's our proven MVP stack:

Backend: Supabase

- Database: PostgreSQL with Row Level Security
- Auth: Built-in user management
- API: Auto-generated REST and GraphQL
- Storage: File uploads and CDN
- Edge Functions: Serverless functions when needed

Frontend: Next.js 14

- Framework: App Router with TypeScript
- Styling: Tailwind CSS
- Components: Shadcn/ui
- Deployment: Vercel

Integrations:

- Payments: Stripe
- Email: Resend
- Analytics: PostHog
- Monitoring: Sentry

The Bottom Line Decision Framework

Use this framework to choose between Supabase and Firebase:

Choose Supabase If:

- [ ] You need complex queries or reporting
- [ ] Budget predictability is important
- [ ] Your team knows SQL
- [ ] You want to avoid vendor lock-in
- [ ] You're building a B2B product
- [ ] Performance matters for complex operations

Choose Firebase If:

- [ ] You're building primarily for mobile
- [ ] Your data model is very simple
- [ ] You need global data distribution
- [ ] Your team is already using Google Cloud
- [ ] You're building a real-time game
- [ ] Offline capabilities are critical

For Most MVPs: Supabase Wins

Why: Better price predictability, more flexible queries, faster development iteration, and easier scaling.

Ready to Switch to Supabase?

We've migrated dozens of applications from Firebase to Supabase, saving clients thousands in monthly hosting costs and development time.

Whether you need a new web application built on Supabase or want to migrate an existing Firebase project, we've got the battle-tested process to get you there.

Curious about your specific migration timeline and costs? Take our 3-minute quiz to get a custom migration plan and timeline.