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Side-by-side comparison · Databases & Backend

Appwrite vs Convex vs Supabase

Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.

Appwrite

3.7

From From $25/mo

Convex

4.1

From $25/developer/mo

Best overall

Supabase

4.3

From From $25/mo

Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.

At a glance

Appwrite

3.7

Pick it if: Builders who want Firebase-style convenience without being tied to one company's cloud.

Convex

4.1

Pick it if: People building collaborative or real-time apps with Claude Code who want the backend to just work.

Supabase

4.3
Best overallBest valueEasiest to use

Pick it if: Anyone building an app with AI tools who needs somewhere real to keep user accounts and data.

Overview

AttributeAppwriteConvexSupabase
In one lineAn open-source, all-in-one backend with a database, logins, storage and hosting.A backend that keeps every screen of your app in sync the moment the data changes.A ready-made database, logins and file storage for apps you build with AI tools.
Pricing modelOpen sourceOpen sourceOpen source
Starting priceFrom $25/mo$25/developer/moFrom $25/mo
Free plan Yes Yes Yes
Works with Claude Code Yes Yes Yes

Rating breakdown

Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.

AttributeAppwriteConvexSupabase
Overall rating3.74.14.3Winner
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
3.5
3.5
4.0
FeaturesHow much it can do, and how well the pieces fit together.
4.0
4.0
4.5
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.
3.5
4.5
4.5
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
4.0
4.0
4.5
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.
3.5
4.5
4.0

Feature comparison

A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.

AttributeAppwriteConvexSupabase
Access & platform
Free plan Yes Yes Yes
Mobile app No No No
Desktop app No No No
Browser extension No No No
API access Yes Yes Yes
Teams & business
Team workspace Yes Yes Yes
Enterprise plan or SSO Yes Yes Yes
Connects to other apps Yes Yes Yes
Open source or self-hosted Yes Yes Yes
AI abilities
Works with your files Yes Yes Yes
Understands images No No No
Makes images No No No
Makes video No No No
Writes code Yes No Yes
Runs agents or automations Yes Yes Yes
Learns your brand or style No No No
Works in many languages–––
Capabilities score9/ 178/ 179/ 17

Pricing

Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.

AttributeAppwriteConvexSupabase
Plans

Free

Free

Learning and small personal projects.

Free and Starter

Free, then pay as you go

Side projects and small teams getting started.

Free

Free

Prototypes, side projects and seeing if it suits you.

ProOur pick

From $25/mo

Live apps and small teams.

ProfessionalOur pick

$25/developer/mo

Products with real users.

ProOur pick

From $25/mo

Anything real people will use.

Enterprise

Custom

Companies with compliance needs.

Business and Enterprise

From $2,500/mo

Larger companies with compliance and scale needs.

Team

From $599/mo

Companies that need SSO and compliance paperwork.

Self-hosted

Free (your own server costs)

Anyone who wants full control of their data.

Enterprise

Custom

Large products with uptime guarantees.

Which plan to pickFree is enough to build and show a prototype. Pro at $25 is good value because the price covers your whole team rather than each seat. Self-host only if you already run servers; the time it takes to keep one patched quickly costs more than $25 a month.Start on Free. Move to Professional when you launch, mainly for daily backups and the bigger limits. Business is a big jump aimed at teams of 50 or more, so most readers will never need it.Build on Free. Switch to Pro the day you share the app with anyone outside your team, mostly so the project stops pausing. Team is a big jump that only makes sense once a client or auditor asks for SSO or a SOC 2 report.

Key features

AttributeAppwriteConvexSupabase
Standout features
  • Databases
  • Auth
  • Storage and functions
  • Messaging
  • Sites
  • Self-host or Cloud
  • Reactive database
  • Everything in TypeScript
  • Scheduled functions and workflows
  • File storage, search and vector search
  • Official MCP server and AI docs
  • Open source and self-hostable
  • Postgres database
  • Auth
  • Storage
  • Edge Functions
  • Realtime
  • Official MCP server

Pros and cons

AttributeAppwriteConvexSupabase
Pros
  • Everything in one place, including messaging and hosting
  • Open source and self-hostable for free
  • Pro pricing covers the whole team, not per seat
  • Strong mobile and Flutter support
  • Permissions down to the individual record
  • Live updates built in rather than bolted on
  • One language end to end, so AI coding tools make fewer mistakes
  • Scheduled functions and durable workflows included
  • Open source with a self-hosting option
  • Fair pricing for small teams
  • Standard Postgres underneath, so you can leave any time
  • Logins, storage, functions and live updates in one dashboard
  • The widest support across AI app builders and Claude Code
  • Generous free plan for trying things out
  • Open source, with self-hosting if you ever need it
Cons
  • Much smaller community and fewer tutorials than Supabase or Firebase
  • Few AI app builders support it out of the box
  • Document database makes SQL-style reporting harder
  • SSO is still marked as coming soon
  • Not SQL, and no easy exit to another database
  • Built for developers; there's no friendly data editor for non-technical staff
  • Per-developer pricing penalises bigger teams
  • Smaller community than Supabase or Firebase
  • Free projects pause after a week of inactivity
  • Usage charges on Pro can be hard to predict as traffic grows
  • Access rules and SQL still take some learning for non-technical people
  • The jump from Pro to Team is steep

Who each one is for

AttributeAppwriteConvexSupabase
Best for
  • Open-source Firebase alternative
  • Self-hosted backends
  • Logins, storage and functions in one place
  • Hosting the front end and backend together
  • Collaborative and multiplayer apps
  • Live dashboards
  • Apps built mostly by Claude Code
  • Chat and AI agent backends
  • Backend for AI-built apps
  • User logins and permissions
  • File and image storage
  • Apps that need a real database
You'll find it used by
  • Developers
  • Flutter developers
  • Open-source fans
  • Privacy-minded teams
  • Developers
  • Startups
  • Claude Code users
  • Indie hackers
  • Indie builders
  • Startups
  • Developers
  • Agencies

How we compare

Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability. The "Visit" buttons may use affiliate links, which never affect a score.

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