Supabase vs Firebase vs Neon: free tiers compared
Short version: Neon for many small serverless Postgres projects (100 projects, 1 GB of storage each, no card per its pricing page). Supabase for an app backend with a 500 MB database, 50,000 monthly active users and 1 GB of file storage, but free projects pause after a week idle. Firebase Spark for Firestore, Auth and Hosting with daily no-cost quotas and no card.
| Tool | What you get | Limits | Card required | The catch | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neon | 100 projects, 100 CU-hours a month per project, 1 GB storage per project, 5 GB object storage. | Compute and storage caps | No (stated by vendor) | Compute is capped at 2 CU (8 GB RAM). | neon.com/pricing checked 2026-10-22 |
| Supabase | Unlimited API requests, 50,000 MAU, 500 MB database, 5 GB egress, 1 GB file storage. | 500 MB database, 5 GB egress, 2 active projects; paused after 1 week inactive | Vendor doesn't say | Projects pause after 1 week of inactivity; limit of 2 active projects. | supabase.com/pricing checked 2026-10-23 |
| Firebase | Spark plan with no-cost usage limits across Firestore, Auth, Hosting and more. | Daily quotas | No (stated by vendor) | Some services and higher usage need the Blaze pay-as-you-go plan. | firebase.google.com/pricing checked 2026-10-21 |
Every row is taken from the vendor's official pricing page, checked 2026-10-21 to 2026-10-23. "Vendor doesn't say" means the official page does not mention it. Plans change, so confirm on the vendor's site.
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FAQ
Does Supabase's free plan pause?
Yes. Supabase pauses free projects after 1 week of inactivity, and you can have 2 active projects (checked 2026-10-23).
How much storage do the free tiers include?
Supabase: a 500 MB database, 1 GB of file storage and 5 GB of egress. Neon: 1 GB of storage per project and 5 GB of object storage. Firebase Spark has daily no-cost quotas per service instead of one storage figure.
What happens when I outgrow Firebase Spark?
Some services and higher usage need the Blaze pay-as-you-go plan, per firebase.google.com/pricing (checked 2026-10-21).
Do they need a credit card?
Neon's and Firebase's pricing pages say no card is needed for the free plan. Supabase's pricing page doesn't say either way.