macrostack
Browse

The AI stack

The whole five-layer mapL3InfrastructureL4Models & toolingL5Applications

Categories

Local & Sovereign AINotes & KnowledgeObservability & MonitoringPassword ManagersWeb AnalyticsTeam ChatSmart HomeNetworking & RoutersVideo ConferencingCloud Storage & SyncPhotos & MediaAPI DevelopmentImage EditingWorkflow Automation & iPaaSDeveloper Tools & ContainersOffice & Productivity SuitesNo-Code DatabasesCode Hosting & Git ForgesProject ManagementEmail Marketing & NewslettersScheduling & BookingError Tracking & Exception MonitoringLog Management & SIEMVPN & PrivacyEmail & Secure MailVector Databases & AI SearchLLM & Agent FrameworksDomains & Web HostingData Removal & PrivacyAuthentication & IdentityHelp Desk & Customer SupportCloud & VPSKubernetes & Container PlatformsEmbedding ModelsPDF & DocumentsAI Coding AssistantsAI Voice & SpeechLLM Observability & EvaluationLLM Gateways & RoutingCloud GPU & AI ComputeCI/CD & build automationData & pipeline orchestrationModel serving & inferenceAI agent frameworksBackend as a serviceSecrets managementFeature flags & experimentationProduct analyticsSearch infrastructureUptime & status monitoringAffiliate & partner platformsVisitor identification & personalisationWikis & internal docsIdentity & access managementData warehouses & analytics enginesCustomer data platformsCRMObject storageBI & dashboardsE-signatureWhiteboards & diagrammingIn-memory data stores & cachingPlatform as a serviceTransactional & bulk emailHeadless CMSDesign & prototypingE-commerce platformsInternal tools & admin panelsManaged databasesForms & surveysFine-Tuning & Model TrainingRAG & Retrieval PlatformsLLM Evaluation & TestingAI Guardrails & Content SafetySpeech Recognition & TranscriptionExperiment Tracking & ML OpsDocument AI & OCRCompliance automation & security posture

About

How we rank & score
Best of · 5 tools ranked

The best Backend as a service

Every option ranked — open-source, self-hostable, and commercial — by our transparent Sovereignty Score, with honest trade-offs so you choose what fits you, not us.

Database, auth, storage and serverless functions in one hosted bundle, so a front-end team can ship without running a backend. The convenience is real; so is the bill when the app succeeds.

L3Infrastructure — layer 3 of the AI stack
  1. 1

    Supabase

    Top pickOpen source

    Postgres with Firebase's ergonomics — and you can take the database with you.

    Free tier for small projects; hosted Pro from about $25/month. Fully self-hostable at no licence cost. · in our Firebase comparison →

    91
    sovereignty
    What is Supabase? →
  2. 2

    PocketBase

    Open source

    The entire backend is one file you can copy to a server.

    Free and open source. You pay for a server, and a very small one will do. · in our Firebase comparison →

    95
    sovereignty
    What is PocketBase? →
  3. 3

    Appwrite

    Open source

    The self-hosted backend that ships as one Docker command.

    Free and open source to self-host. Appwrite Cloud has a free tier and paid plans from about $15/month. · in our Firebase comparison →

    92
    sovereignty
    What is Appwrite? →
  4. 4

    Parse Platform

    Open source

    The original backend-as-a-service, now community-run and still going.

    Free and open source. You supply the Node host and the database. · in our Firebase comparison →

    90
    sovereignty
    What is Parse Platform? →
  5. 5

    Nhost

    Open source

    Postgres plus instant GraphQL, for teams that think in queries.

    Free tier available; hosted plans from about $25/month. Self-hostable at no licence cost. · in our Firebase comparison →

    88
    sovereignty
    What is Nhost? →

Run these yourself

What each one actually needs — real RAM, honest running cost, and the setup time nobody quotes.

Replacing a specific tool?

Head-to-head comparisons for each popular backend as a service product.

Alternatives to Firebase

5 vetted options · top pick Supabase

Straight head-to-heads

Two backend as a service tools, side by side — verified facts and a plain verdict.

Supabase vs PocketBase→Supabase vs Appwrite→Supabase vs Parse Platform→Supabase vs Nhost→PocketBase vs Appwrite→PocketBase vs Parse Platform→PocketBase vs Nhost→Appwrite vs Parse Platform→Appwrite vs Nhost→Parse Platform vs Nhost→
The Macrostack brief

New swaps, worth your inbox.

A short, occasional email when we add a high-intent alternative or ship a new head-to-head. No spam, no selling your address — unsubscribe in one click.