Appwrite vs Supabase

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted self-hosting platforms (paas) options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
FeatureAppwriteSupabase
CategorySelf-Hosting Platforms (PaaS)Self-Hosting Platforms (PaaS)
LicenseBSD-3-ClauseApache-2.0
LanguageTypeScriptTypeScript
Setup difficultyMediumHard
Min. RAM2,048 MB4,096 MB
Deploymentdocker, kubernetesdocker, kubernetes
GitHub stars★ 56,800★ 107,678
First released20192020
ReplacesFirebase, SupabaseFirebase

Why pick each one

Choose Appwrite if…

  • All-in-one backend
  • Great developer experience
Appwrite details

Choose Supabase if…

  • Powerful Postgres foundation
  • Excellent docs
Supabase details

Frequently asked questions

Is Appwrite or Supabase better?

Neither is universally better. Supabase has the larger community, while Appwrite is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.

Are Appwrite and Supabase free and open-source?

Yes. Appwrite is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and Supabase under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Appwrite and Supabase with Docker?

Appwrite: yes. Supabase: yes.

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