Parse Platform
The original backend-as-a-service, now community-run and still going.
90
sovereigntyParse 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.
OPEN SOURCEApache-2.0SELF-HOSTLOCAL-FIRST
LicenseApache-2.0
PricingFree and open source. You supply the Node host and the database.
Open sourceYes
Self-hostableYes
Local-first dataYes
What it does well
- +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
Where it falls short
- −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
Parse Platform as an alternative to
Where Parse Platform shows up in our comparisons, and how it ranked.
Parse Platform head-to-head
Straight comparisons against the tools people weigh it against.