The best Firebase alternative depends on what's pushing you out: Supabase if you want SQL (Postgres) and a spend cap that's on by default, Convex if you like Firestore's live updates but want TypeScript functions, Appwrite if you want an open-source all-in-one you can self-host, and Back4App if you want fixed monthly plans per app. Nhost pairs Postgres with GraphQL, PocketBase is a one-file backend for your own server, and AWS Amplify is the route if you're moving to AWS. Before you leave, check whether Firebase's own SQL Connect already solves your problem. Prices are as of October 2026.
Firebase is very much alive. Google is retiring Firebase Studio, a separate AI workspace: new workspace creation stopped on June 22, 2026 and the product shuts down on March 22, 2027, and Google's migration page says core services such as Cloud Firestore, Authentication and App Hosting are not affected. If you're leaving, it's for one of the reasons below.
Why teams leave Firebase
The Firestore query model. On Firestore's Standard edition, indexes are required for queries, OR-style queries are capped at 30 disjunctions (a fixed limit), not-in takes at most 10 values, and you can't combine not-in with !=. The Enterprise edition adds Pipeline operations with far more query power, including joins through subqueries, but real-time listeners and offline support still run through Core operations only. If your data is relational and your screens are mostly lists of joined records, you'll feel this every week.
Blaze billing. The no-cost Spark plan needs no payment details, but Cloud Functions are Blaze-only, and since September 2024 Cloud Storage for Firebase, even the default bucket, requires Blaze. On Blaze, Firebase's own guidance is that budget alerts "do not pause services", and spend-cap budgets exist only for Firebase AI Logic, App Hosting, Cloud Functions and Extensions. Firestore reads and writes beyond the free quota are billed by usage, and the same page names a query with no limit over millions of results as a common cause of surprise bills.
Google lock-in. Every Firebase project is a Google Cloud project behind the scenes, with billing shared between the two. Your data model is Firestore's, your access rules are written in Firebase Security Rules, and your client code calls Firebase SDKs. All of it has to be rewritten to leave.
Wanting SQL. This is the one Firebase now answers itself. Firebase SQL Connect is a relational service on Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL, with a GraphQL-based schema and generated, type-safe SDKs. The pricing page lists a 3-month no-cost trial for the first Cloud SQL instance (archived if the project isn't on Blaze when it ends), then Cloud SQL from $9.37 a month depending on region and configuration.
How we compared
For each alternative we checked which Firebase pain it removes, its data model, what stops a runaway bill, the free tier, and self-hosting. Prices and limits were checked on each vendor's own pricing page and docs on October 4, 2026, and are stated as of October 2026 with the vendor's billing basis.
At a glance
| Tool | Data model | Free tier (as of October 2026) | Paid entry price | Cost control |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supabase | Postgres | 500 MB database, 50K monthly active users; pauses after 1 week idle | Pro from $25/month | Spend cap on by default on Pro |
| Convex | Reactive documents, TypeScript functions | Hard caps, e.g. 1M function calls a month | Professional $25 per developer a month | Free plan has hard caps |
| Appwrite | TablesDB by default; PostgreSQL, MySQL and more on dedicated | 75K monthly active users; pauses after 1 week idle | Pro from $25/month | Budget caps on Pro |
| Back4App | Parse | 25K requests a month, 250 MB database | MVP $15/app/month billed annually ($25 monthly) | Fixed plans, published overage rates |
| Nhost | Postgres with Hasura GraphQL | 1 project; pauses after 1 week idle | Pro from $25/month | Compute credits included |
| PocketBase | Embedded SQLite | Free, MIT licence, self-hosted | No hosted plan | Your own server bill |
| AWS Amplify | DynamoDB via AppSync by default | AWS Free Tier credits for new accounts | Pay per use | Per-service AWS billing |
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The 7 best Firebase alternatives
1. Supabase – Postgres with a spend cap on by default
Supabase gives every project its own dedicated Postgres instance, with auth, file storage, edge functions and realtime alongside it. Free is $0 a month with a 500 MB database and 50,000 monthly active users, but free projects pause after a week of inactivity and you get two active projects. Pro starts at $25 a month, and Supabase states that Pro "has a spend cap enabled by default"; you switch it off when you want to pay for usage beyond the included quota. Team starts at $599 a month.
Why Firebase users pick it: real SQL with joins, and a default that stops spending rather than one that only emails you. It's Apache-2.0 licensed on GitHub. Watch for: you'll redesign Firestore collections into tables, and Supabase pitches Free at "passion projects & simple websites". Our Supabase alternatives guide covers the reasons people later move off it.
2. Convex – live queries like Firestore, written in TypeScript
Convex keeps what many Firebase developers like about Firestore: data that updates in the client without polling. Its pricing page lists a reactive database, auth, file storage, crons, and text and vector search on every plan. The Free plan has hard caps: 1M function calls a month, 0.5 GB of database storage and 1 GB of file storage; Professional is $25 per developer per month with 25M function calls and 50 GB of database storage included.
Why Firebase users pick it: your queries and mutations are TypeScript functions that run next to the data, so backend logic lives in code you can version and test. Watch for: it's still not SQL, and the self-hosted backend is under the FSL Apache 2.0 licence rather than a standard open-source licence.
3. Appwrite – open-source all-in-one you can self-host
Appwrite covers most of what a Firebase project uses: auth, databases, storage, functions, realtime, messaging (including push notifications) and hosting. Its default database type is TablesDB, and dedicated databases from $10 a month can run DocumentsDB, PostgreSQL or MySQL. Free includes 75,000 monthly active users and 2 GB of storage; Pro starts at $25 a month with 200,000 monthly active users, pay-as-you-go above the included amounts, and organisation budget caps that stop automatic scaling at a limit you set.
Why Firebase users pick it: one platform, like Firebase, but BSD-3-Clause on GitHub, so you can run it yourself and leave Google Cloud entirely. Watch for: free projects pause after a week of inactivity, and the free plan allows one database, one bucket and two functions per project.
4. Back4App – Parse with fixed monthly plans
Back4App suits teams that want a client SDK without an open-ended bill. Its docs list a database with realtime capability, cloud code functions, REST and GraphQL APIs, file storage, authentication and push notifications, and you connect with the Parse SDKs (Parse Server itself is Apache-2.0 on GitHub). The no-cost tier allows 25,000 requests a month on a 250 MB database. Each app is billed separately: MVP costs $25 month to month or $15 a month on annual billing for 500,000 requests, and Pay As You Go costs $100 month to month or $80 a month on annual billing for 5 million.
Why Firebase users pick it: a known monthly price with listed overage rates ($15 per extra GB of database storage, $0.10 per extra GB of transfer) instead of open-ended metering. Watch for: costs scale with the number of apps, and you're moving to Parse's data and SDK conventions.
5. Nhost – Postgres and GraphQL with Hasura
Nhost pairs a dedicated Postgres database with the Hasura GraphQL Engine, which brings realtime subscriptions, event triggers and role-based authorization, plus auth (email and password, magic links, social OAuth, WebAuthn), storage and functions. The Starter plan is free for one project with a 1 GB database; Pro is from $25 a month with $15 of compute credits and 10 GB of database storage.
Why Firebase users pick it: SQL underneath and live GraphQL subscriptions on top, so you get joins without giving up realtime. It's MIT-licensed on GitHub. Watch for: the free project pauses after a week of inactivity, and your team needs to be comfortable with GraphQL.
6. PocketBase – a self-hosted backend in one file
PocketBase is a single executable containing an embedded SQLite database with realtime subscriptions, built-in auth, file storage and an admin UI, usable as a standalone app or as a Go framework. It's MIT-licensed and free, and there's no hosted version: you run it on your own server.
Why Firebase users pick it: no usage meter and no Google account, just one process on a machine you control. Watch for: its FAQ says it scales only vertically on a single server and is maintained on a volunteer basis, and the docs warn it isn't recommended for production-critical apps before v1.0.0.
7. AWS Amplify – moving from Google Cloud to AWS
AWS Amplify is the like-for-like move if your company is switching clouds. You define auth, data, storage and functions in TypeScript, and Amplify provisions Cognito, AppSync, DynamoDB, Lambda and S3, each billed at its own rates. Its data docs also cover connecting to existing MySQL and PostgreSQL databases.
Why Firebase users pick it: it replaces Google Cloud lock-in with infrastructure your company may already standardise on. Watch for: it doesn't remove usage-based billing, it moves it to AWS, and DynamoDB, which AWS describes as a NoSQL database, is another non-relational model.
Leaving Firestore without breaking your app
Most of a Firebase migration is the data, not the new backend. Plan three things before writing code:
- Model the data before you move it. Firestore subcollections and denormalised copies don't map one-to-one onto tables. Decide what becomes a table, a join or a JSON column first.
- Rebuild access rules on the server side of the new tool. Security Rules don't travel. Postgres row-level policies, Hasura permissions and Convex functions each express rules differently. If those terms are new, our plain-English guide to backends, databases and auth is a good primer.
- Move users last. Plan how existing accounts sign in on the new auth system before cutover.
Before you commit to the next platform, score its exit cost too; our vendor lock-in checklist takes a few minutes.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the best alternative to Firebase?
Supabase for most teams that want SQL, Convex if you want to keep Firestore-style live updates with TypeScript functions, and Appwrite if you want open source you can self-host. Back4App suits fixed monthly budgets, and AWS Amplify suits a move to AWS.
Is Firebase being shut down?
No. Firebase Studio, a separate AI development workspace, shuts down on March 22, 2027, but Google says core Firebase services such as Cloud Firestore, Authentication and App Hosting are not affected.
Can I use SQL with Firebase?
Yes. Firebase SQL Connect runs on Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL, with a 3-month no-cost trial for the first instance and Cloud SQL pricing after that on the Blaze plan. If you'd rather leave Firebase entirely, Supabase and Nhost are both Postgres-based.
Can I put a hard spending limit on Firebase?
Only partly. Firebase's docs say budget alerts don't pause services, and spend-cap budgets are available only for Firebase AI Logic, App Hosting, Cloud Functions and Extensions. Supabase Pro, by contrast, has a spend cap on by default.
What is the best open-source Firebase alternative?
If you want one platform to replace most of Firebase, Appwrite (BSD-3-Clause). If you want Postgres, Supabase (Apache-2.0) or Nhost (MIT, with GraphQL). If you want something tiny to run on one server, PocketBase (MIT).
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Pick by the pain, not the feature list
Every tool here stores data and signs users in. Choose by the Firebase pain you're escaping: queries, billing, lock-in or SQL. If it's SQL alone, try SQL Connect first.
