# Supabase vs Firebase
URL: https://wwadd.dev/compare/supabase-vs-firebase
Last verified: 2026-09-28

Both bundle a database, auth, storage, and realtime behind one SDK. Supabase is built on Postgres and open source; Firebase is Google's proprietary platform built around the Firestore document database.

## Verdict
Relational data points to Supabase; offline-first mobile points to Firebase. Mobbin's move from Firebase to Supabase shows the cost of picking a document store for relational, read-heavy data.

## Pick Supabase when
- Your data is relational — users, orders, and the joins between them
- You want SQL, the option to self-host, and no lock-in to one cloud

## Pick Firebase when
- You're building a mobile or realtime app that needs offline sync out of the box
- Your data fits documents and you're already in the Google ecosystem

## Related tools
- [Supabase](https://wwadd.dev/tools/supabase)
- [Firebase](https://wwadd.dev/tools/firebase)

## Related playbooks
- [Vite + React + Supabase + Vercel](https://wwadd.dev/stacks/vite-react-supabase-vercel)
- [Vue + Vite + Supabase](https://wwadd.dev/stacks/vue-vite-supabase)
- [Firebase Auth + Firestore + Hosting](https://wwadd.dev/stacks/firebase-auth-firestore-hosting)

## What actually differs
- Database: Supabase — Postgres — relational, SQL, joins, extensions; Firebase — Firestore — NoSQL documents and collections
- Authorization: Supabase — Row Level Security policies in the database; Firebase — Firebase Security Rules
- Openness: Supabase — Open source; can be self-hosted; Firebase — Proprietary; runs only on Google Cloud
- Mobile offline: Supabase — Possible, but you build more of it yourself; Firebase — Strong built-in offline sync on mobile

## Sources
- [Supabase docs](https://supabase.com/docs)
- [Firebase docs](https://firebase.google.com/docs)
- [Mobbin's Firebase → Supabase migration](https://supabase.com/customers/mobbin)