Supabase vs Firebase for AI-built apps: which should builders use?
Both give you auth, a database, storage and serverless functions so an AI app builder can ship a full stack. Supabase is open-source Postgres with pgvector; Firebase is Google's NoSQL stack (Firestore) with Genkit and Gemini. Lovable and Bolt integrate Supabase natively.
 Supabase |  Firebase | |
|---|---|---|
| Database | Postgres (SQL) | Cloud Firestore (NoSQL document) |
| Free tier | 2 active projects; 500 MB DB; 50K MAU; pauses after 1 week idle | Spark: no payment method; Firestore 1 GiB + daily read/write quotas; 50K Auth MAUs |
| Paid entry | Pro from $25/mo (includes $10 compute credit) | Blaze pay-as-you-go (Spark free quotas still apply) |
| Auth | Supabase Auth; 50K MAU free / 100K on Pro | Firebase Auth; 50K MAU free (Identity Platform) |
| Vectors / AI | pgvector in Postgres (HNSW/IVFFlat) | Firestore KNN vector search (flat index, up to 2048 dims); Genkit + Gemini/Vertex |
| Open source / self-host | Yes (Docker / CLI) | Not self-hostable as a product |
| AI app builders | Native in Lovable; native in Bolt (Pro/Teams) | No first-party Lovable/Bolt connector |
| Pricing (approx.) | Free tier (2 projects; pause after 1 week idle); Pro from $25/mo | Spark free; Blaze pay-as-you-go (Firestore free quotas included) |
| Our rankings | #2 in Deploy & ship | not in a ranking yet |
Pick Supabase if…
You're shipping with Lovable or Bolt, want SQL + pgvector for RAG in one database, or may self-host later.
Pick Firebase if…
You're mobile-first on Google's stack, or you want Genkit / Gemini / Vertex AI wired in tightly.
Our verdict
For AI-built web apps in 2026, pick Supabase by default — Postgres plus pgvector, open source, and native in Lovable and Bolt. Pick Firebase when you're already on Google Cloud or building a mobile app that leans on Auth, FCM and Genkit.
Pricing is approximate and was checked against vendor pages in Oct 2026. Confirm on Supabase and Firebase before you buy.