#1★ TOP PICK
Supabase
Postgres with Firebase's ergonomics — and you can take the database with you.
91
OPEN SOURCEApache-2.0SELF-HOSTLOCAL-FIRST
Supabase wraps a real Postgres database in the things that made Firebase pleasant: instant REST and GraphQL APIs, row-level security, authentication, file storage, realtime subscriptions and edge functions. The difference that matters is underneath. Your data is in Postgres, so you get SQL, joins, transactions, extensions like PostGIS and pgvector, and the ability to pick up the database and run it on any host on earth. It is Apache-2.0 and self-hostable with Docker Compose, and the hosted tier exists for people who would rather not. Around 107k GitHub stars and pushed to daily.
Strengths
- +Real Postgres — SQL, joins, transactions and the whole extension ecosystem
- +Genuinely portable: the database runs anywhere, hosted or not
- +Apache-2.0 with a complete self-host path, not a crippled community edition
- +pgvector built in, so AI features do not need a second database
Trade-offs
- −You now have a Postgres database to think about — indexes, connections, vacuum
- −Mobile offline sync is weaker than Firebase's SDKs
- −Self-hosting the full stack is more moving parts than the hosted product suggests
- −Younger than Firebase; some edges are still being filed off
Free tier for small projects; hosted Pro from about $25/month. Fully self-hostable at no licence cost. #2
PocketBase
The entire backend is one file you can copy to a server.
95
OPEN SOURCEMITSELF-HOSTLOCAL-FIRST
PocketBase is a single Go binary containing an embedded SQLite database, authentication, file storage, realtime subscriptions and an admin UI. There is no Docker, no cluster, no dependency list — you download one executable, run it, and you have a backend. For a side project, an internal tool or an MVP it is the least ceremony available anywhere, and the fact that your entire production database is a file you can copy is a real feature rather than a limitation. MIT, about 60.4k stars. The honest constraint is SQLite: superb up to a point, and that point is a single machine.
Strengths
- +One binary, no dependencies — the simplest deployment in this comparison
- +Your whole database is a file you can copy, back up and version
- +Extremely fast for read-heavy workloads on modest hardware
- +MIT, no enterprise edition, no upsell path
Trade-offs
- −SQLite means one machine — no horizontal scaling story
- −Smaller feature surface than Firebase or Supabase
- −Effectively a single-maintainer project, which is a real risk to weigh
- −Not the right choice for an app expecting millions of concurrent users
Free and open source. You pay for a server, and a very small one will do. #3
Appwrite
The self-hosted backend that ships as one Docker command.
92
OPEN SOURCEBSD-3-ClauseSELF-HOSTLOCAL-FIRST
Appwrite bundles databases, authentication with 30-plus OAuth providers, storage, serverless functions and realtime into a product designed from the start to be self-hosted — one `docker compose up` and you have the whole backend running on your own machine. Where Supabase leads with Postgres, Appwrite leads with operational simplicity, and the SDK coverage across Flutter, web, Apple and Android is unusually complete. BSD-3-Clause, around 56.7k stars. It is the pick when you want to own the whole stack without becoming a database administrator to do it.
Strengths
- +Self-hosts in a single Docker Compose command — the lowest-friction option here
- +Excellent SDK coverage including Flutter, Apple and Android
- +Permissive BSD-3-Clause with no enterprise directory carve-out
- +Auth, storage, functions and realtime all in one binary set
Trade-offs
- −Its own database abstraction rather than raw Postgres — less portable data
- −Smaller ecosystem and fewer third-party integrations than Supabase
- −Query capability is thinner than SQL when the data model gets complex
- −Scaling beyond a single node needs planning
Free and open source to self-host. Appwrite Cloud has a free tier and paid plans from about $15/month. #4
Parse Platform
The original backend-as-a-service, now community-run and still going.
90
OPEN SOURCEApache-2.0SELF-HOSTLOCAL-FIRST
Parse was Facebook's backend-as-a-service until it was shut down in 2017 — and rather than dying, it was open-sourced and picked up by the community, which has maintained it ever since. That history is the point: it is the one product in this comparison that has already survived its vendor walking away, which is the exact scenario this page exists to help you plan for. Apache-2.0, around 21.4k stars, still actively pushed. It runs on Node with MongoDB or Postgres, and the SDK coverage for iOS, Android and JavaScript remains broad.
Strengths
- +Already survived its parent company shutting it down — the proof case for open source
- +Apache-2.0 with a decade of community stewardship
- +Runs on MongoDB or Postgres, your choice
- +Mature SDKs across iOS, Android and JavaScript
Trade-offs
- −Feels its age next to Supabase and Appwrite
- −You assemble the pieces — Node host, database, dashboard — yourself
- −Community-maintained means no commercial support by default
- −Smaller momentum than the newer options
Free and open source. You supply the Node host and the database. #5
Nhost
Postgres plus instant GraphQL, for teams that think in queries.
88
OPEN SOURCEMITSELF-HOSTLOCAL-FIRST
Nhost pairs Postgres with Hasura to give you a GraphQL API generated straight from your schema, alongside authentication, storage and serverless functions. If your front end is React or Vue and your team already prefers GraphQL to REST, this is the shortest path from a database table to a typed query in the client. MIT, self-hostable, with a hosted tier. It is the smallest project here at around 9.3k stars, which is the caveat — the technology is sound and the ecosystem is thin.
Strengths
- +Instant GraphQL from your Postgres schema via Hasura
- +Real Postgres underneath, so the data stays portable
- +MIT licensed with a genuine self-host path
- +Strong typed-client story for React and Vue front ends
Trade-offs
- −Much smaller community than Supabase or Appwrite
- −GraphQL-first is a commitment, not a neutral default
- −Self-hosting means running Hasura and Postgres, not one binary
- −Fewer SDKs, and mobile support lags the others
Free tier available; hosted plans from about $25/month. Self-hostable at no licence cost.