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Neon vs Supabase
Side-by-side comparison of Neon and Supabase.
Quick summary
Neon — Serverless Postgres. Neon is a serverless Postgres platform with branching, autoscaling, and a generous free tier.
Supabase — The open source Firebase alternative. Supabase is an open-source backend-as-a-service built on PostgreSQL. It provides authentication, realtime subscriptions, storage, edge functions, and a hosted database.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Neon | Supabase |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | $19/mo | $25/mo |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Engine | PostgreSQL | — |
| Branching | Yes | — |
| Free Tier | 0.5GB storage | 500MB DB + 1GB storage |
| Serverless | Yes | — |
| Scale-to-zero | Yes | — |
| Point-in-time Recovery | Yes | — |
| Auth | — | Yes |
| Storage | — | Yes |
| Database | — | PostgreSQL |
| Realtime | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Edge Functions | — | Yes |
| Row Level Security | — | Yes |
Neon
Serverless Postgres
Pros
- Git-like branching for databases
- Scale-to-zero saves money
- Standard Postgres
Cons
- Cold starts after scale-to-zero
- Younger platform vs RDS
Supabase
The open source Firebase alternative
Pros
- Open source and self-hostable
- Standard PostgreSQL — no vendor lock-in
- Generous free tier
- Great DX with auto-generated APIs
Cons
- Cold starts on free tier
- Edge function ecosystem still maturing
Which should you choose?
Choose Neon if you value open source and want the option to self-host, and a free tier is important for your stage. Choose Supabase if you value open source and want the option to self-host, and a free tier is important for your stage.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better, Neon or Supabase?
There is no universal “better.” For most teams, Supabase is the safer default because Supabase has a larger community and more third-party integrations, which often translates to better long-term support. For edge cases, the comparison table above highlights where each tool wins.
Is Neon cheaper than Supabase?
Neon starts at $19/mo, while Supabase starts at $25/mo. Exact costs depend on usage — check both vendors' calculators before committing.
Can I migrate from Neon to Supabase?
Migration difficulty depends on how deeply Neon-specific features (APIs, SDK conventions, data schemas) are baked into your app. Most database migrations take days to weeks. Both vendors typically publish migration guides — check their docs.
Is Neon or Supabase open source?
Yes, both Neon and Supabase are open source and can be self-hosted.
Does Neon or Supabase have a free tier?
Both Neon and Supabase offer a free tier.
Which is best for startups and indie hackers?
Startups usually optimize for the lowest friction to ship and the cheapest possible free tier. The one with the most generous free tier here is Supabase. For production workloads, revisit the trade-offs in the feature table above.