PocketBase vs Supabase: Lightweight vs Full-Featured BaaS
·OSSAlt Team
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PocketBase vs Supabase: Lightweight vs Full-Featured BaaS
PocketBase is a single Go binary with embedded SQLite — your entire backend in one file. Supabase is a full platform built on PostgreSQL. Completely different scales.
Quick Verdict
Choose PocketBase for small projects, prototypes, and single-server apps where simplicity matters most. Choose Supabase for production apps that need scalability, real-time, and a full ecosystem.
The Comparison
| Feature | PocketBase | Supabase |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Single binary + SQLite | PostgreSQL + services |
| Setup time | 30 seconds | 5 minutes |
| Database | SQLite (embedded) | PostgreSQL |
| Auth | ✅ | ✅ |
| Real-time | ✅ (SSE) | ✅ (WebSocket) |
| File storage | ✅ (local/S3) | ✅ (S3) |
| REST API | ✅ (auto-generated) | ✅ (auto-generated) |
| Admin UI | ✅ (built-in) | ✅ (Studio) |
| Hooks/functions | Go hooks / JS | Edge Functions (Deno) |
| Client SDKs | JS, Dart | JS, Flutter, Swift, Kotlin, Python |
| Horizontal scaling | ❌ (single server) | ✅ |
| Full SQL | SQLite SQL | PostgreSQL SQL |
| Extensions | ❌ | ✅ (pgvector, PostGIS, etc.) |
| Row-level security | Collection rules | PostgreSQL RLS |
| Cloud option | PocketHost | Supabase Cloud |
| Binary size | ~15 MB | Multiple services |
| RAM usage | 50-100 MB | 1+ GB |
| License | MIT | Apache 2.0 |
| Stars | 42K+ | 76K+ |
When to Choose PocketBase
- Side projects, MVPs, and prototypes
- Single-server deployments
- You want the absolute simplest backend
- Go ecosystem is familiar
- Low resource usage matters (Raspberry Pi, cheap VPS)
- Offline-first or embedded use cases
When to Choose Supabase
- Production apps with growth expectations
- You need horizontal scaling
- PostgreSQL features matter (extensions, advanced queries)
- Real-time with WebSocket is preferred
- Multiple client SDKs needed
- Vector search for AI features
The Bottom Line
PocketBase is the SQLite of BaaS — incredibly simple, perfect for small projects, runs anywhere. Supabase is the PostgreSQL of BaaS — full-featured, scalable, production-ready. Start with PocketBase for experiments; use Supabase when you're building for real.
Compare backend platforms on OSSAlt — scalability, features, and deployment simplicity side by side.