Supabase vs Firebase: The 2026 Developer's Reality Check

I stared at my screen, trying to decide. Firebase or Supabase?

It was 2 AM. I was building a new product under Elephaant, and I needed to choose a backend. Not just any backend—the one that would determine how fast I could ship, how much I'd pay, and how many headaches I'd have later.

I've used both. I know Supabase well. I've shipped products on Firebase. But this time felt different. This wasn't about which was "better." It was about which was right for this product.

Here's what I learned from that decision—and the ones that came after.

The Moment Everything Changed

Let me set the scene. I'm building an app. Simple concept, but it needs to scale. It needs real-time updates. It needs to handle complex relationships between users.

I started with Firebase. Why? Because I knew it. Because it's fast to set up. Because Google's infrastructure is solid.

Then I hit a wall.

I needed to query across collections. In Firestore, that means fetching multiple collections and joining them in code. Fine for small datasets. Painful when you're dealing with thousands of records.

That's when I remembered Supabase. PostgreSQL. Real SQL. Joins that actually work.

So I did what any developer would do: I rebuilt the same feature in Supabase. Not to switch. Just to see.

The difference was immediate.

The Database Battle: NoSQL vs SQL

Firebase: When Simple Is Enough

Firestore is beautiful in its simplicity. Documents. Collections. JSON. That's it.

What I love:

• Real-time updates? One line of code. Done.
• Scaling? Automatic. Google handles it.
• Schema? Who needs migrations? Just add fields.

What frustrates me:

• Want to join two collections? Fetch both, join in JavaScript.
• Need aggregations? Good luck.
• Counting documents efficiently? Prepare for workarounds.

I built a contact form with Firebase Functions. Took me 30 minutes. Beautiful. Simple. But when I needed to show "contacts from users who signed up this month"? That's when the cracks showed.

Supabase: When You Need Power

PostgreSQL is a different beast. It's SQL. Real SQL. The kind that makes complex queries simple.

What I love:

• Joins? Native. Fast. Efficient.
• Aggregations? Built-in. Powerful.
• Complex queries? Actually simple.

What's different:

• You need to understand SQL (but honestly, you should anyway)
• Schema migrations are required (but that's a good thing)
• More setup initially (but worth it)

That same contact form query? In Supabase, it's one SQL query. One. Not multiple Firestore reads. Not JavaScript joins. One query.

The Real-Time Showdown

Here's where Firebase shines.

Real-time updates in Firebase are trivial. Listen to a collection. Get updates instantly. Zero configuration. It just works.

I've built live dashboards with Firestore real-time listeners. Users see updates as they happen. No polling. No WebSocket management. Just works.

Supabase? It works, but it's different. You subscribe to changes. Filter with PostgREST. More control, but more setup.

The truth: If real-time is core to your product, Firebase is easier. If you need flexibility, Supabase gives you more control.

The Pricing Trap

Here's what nobody tells you: both platforms have hidden costs.

Firebase: The Scaling Problem

Free tier is generous:

• 50K reads/day
• 20K writes/day
• 1GB storage
• 125K function invocations/month

But here's the catch: Firestore reads/writes scale quickly. One complex query can trigger multiple reads. Before you know it, you're paying.

I'm still on the free tier for my current Firebase project. But I'm watching costs carefully. Every query matters.

Supabase: More Predictable

Free tier:

• 500MB database
• 2GB bandwidth
• 50K monthly active users
• 2GB file storage

More generous. More predictable. But you still need to watch usage.

The reality: Both can get expensive. The difference is how quickly.

The Developer Experience

This is where it gets interesting.

Firebase: Polished but Limited

Firebase Console is beautiful. Documentation is excellent. Emulators work perfectly. The CLI is solid.

But here's what frustrates me: Firestore queries feel limited. Debugging can be opaque. And vendor lock-in is real.

I've spent hours debugging why a Firestore query wasn't working, only to realize it was hitting a limitation I didn't know existed.

Supabase: Powerful but Rougher

Supabase feels different. SQL is powerful and familiar. Auto-generated APIs are clever. Local development is better.

But the tooling is less polished. The ecosystem is smaller. And there's more setup required.

The trade-off: Firebase is easier to start. Supabase is more powerful once you're in.

The Decision Framework

After building with both, here's my framework:

Choose Firebase if:

• You need to ship fast
• Your data is simple (documents, not complex relationships)
• Real-time is core to your product
• You're building a mobile app
• You want Google's infrastructure without thinking

Choose Supabase if:

• You need complex queries and relationships
• You prefer SQL over NoSQL
• You want more control over your data
• You're building a web app
• You want open source options

The Realization

Here's what I learned: it's not either/or.

Elephaant is a brand with multiple products. Some products need Firebase's speed and simplicity. Others need Supabase's power and flexibility.

I'm using Firebase for my current app. It fits. It works. I'm shipping.

But for other products? I'll use Supabase. Not because Firebase is bad. Because different products need different tools.

The Migration Question

"Should I switch?"

For my current Firebase project? No. Here's why:

1. It works. Firebase does what I need for this product. No reason to fix what isn't broken.
2. Migration cost. Moving data, rewriting queries, testing—it's not trivial.
3. Time. I'd rather build features than migrate.

But for new products? I'll choose based on what fits. Some will use Firebase. Others will use Supabase.

The Lesson

Here's what I learned: both are excellent. The choice isn't about which is "better." It's about which fits your product.

Firebase = Speed and simplicity. Perfect for MVPs and mobile apps.

Supabase = Power and flexibility. Perfect for complex web apps and SQL lovers.

I'm using Firebase for my current app. It works. I'm shipping. That's what matters.

For other products under Elephaant? I'll use Supabase when it makes sense. Not because Firebase is bad. Because different products need different tools.

The Bottom Line

Firebase and Supabase are both great. Firebase is easier. Supabase is more powerful. Choose based on what you're building, not what's trending.

I stared at my screen at 2 AM, trying to decide. Now I know: the answer isn't one or the other. The answer is: choose the right tool for each product.

Your turn: What are you building? That's what should decide your choice.