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Appwrite vs Supabase

Two fact sheets from our own research, side by side — pricing, platforms, API access and status re-checked by us rather than quoted from the vendors.

The short answer

Entry price
The same for both — $25/mo
Free plan
Both have one
Public API
Both have one
Best fit
Appwrite: Developers who want one backend (auth, database, storage, functions) instead of assembling several services · Supabase: Developers and vibe-coders who need a ready backend with auth for a web or mobile app
Trust score
About even — Appwrite 93, Supabase 93

From our own records as of each tool's last check. Anything we have not confirmed is left out rather than guessed. How we verify

AppwriteOpen-source backend platform (auth, database, storage, functions) increasingly pitched as the data layer under AI agents and RAG apps.SupabaseOpen-source Postgres backend with auth, storage, realtime, edge functions and a pgvector toolkit for AI apps.

Side by side

FactAppwriteSupabase
CategoryVector Databases & RAGDatabases & Warehouses
Pricing modelFreemiumFreemium
Starts at$25/mo$25/mo
Public APIYesYes
Trust score93 / 10093 / 100
PlatformsWeb, APIWeb, API
CompanyAppwriteSupabase
Launched20192020
Last verifiedSep 1, 2026Oct 2, 2026

What our research says

Appwrite

Appwrite is a mature, open-source backend platform rather than an AI product itself; it earns a place here because its database and functions are genuinely being used as the plumbing under RAG pipelines and agent tool-calling, not because it generates or understands anything on its own. Teams wanting a purpose-built vector database should look elsewhere and connect it to Appwrite, not expect one built in.

Pros

  • Open-source with a large GitHub community, so self-hosting is a real option
  • Covers auth, database, storage, functions, and realtime in one platform instead of five
  • Free tier is usable for real small projects, not just a demo

Cons

  • Not an AI product on its own — vector search requires connecting a separate database
  • Production usage at scale (Pro tier and above) requires ongoing spend like any backend-as-a-service

Supabase

Supabase is a strong default for developers who want a real Postgres database with auth and storage included, and it is especially popular as the backend for AI-generated apps. The free tier is enough to build and demo. Watch the pausing of idle free projects and usage-based add-ons once you go to production.

Pros

  • Standard Postgres with auto-generated APIs and Row Level Security
  • Open source core that can be self-hosted
  • Auth, storage, realtime and functions in one project
  • Spend caps are on by default on the Pro plan

Cons

  • Free projects are paused after a week of inactivity
  • Pro costs are per organization and compute for additional projects is billed on top
  • Vector search at large scale is less specialised than a dedicated vector database

Which one fits

Choose Appwrite if you need

  • Developers who want one backend (auth, database, storage, functions) instead of assembling several services
  • Teams building AI agents or RAG apps that need a database and function runtime to sit alongside a dedicated vector store
  • Projects wanting an open-source, self-hostable option instead of a closed platform

Choose Supabase if you need

  • Developers and vibe-coders who need a ready backend with auth for a web or mobile app
  • AI apps that want embeddings stored beside application data in Postgres

Appwrite vs Supabase: the questions people ask

Is Appwrite cheaper than Supabase?

Both publish the same entry price, $25/mo. The difference is what each plan includes, which the fact table above sets side by side.

Does Appwrite or Supabase have a free tier?

Both: Appwrite has a free tier, and Supabase has a free tier.

Which has a public API, Appwrite or Supabase?

Both ship a public API, so either can be built on; the fact table above shows the platforms each one runs on.

More comparisons

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