InstantDB vs Supabase
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted apps from related categories — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
InstantDB
Realtime client-side database with relational queries
VS
Supabase
Open-source Firebase alternative
| Feature | InstantDB | Supabase |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Developer Tools & Git | Self-Hosting Platforms (PaaS) |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 4,096 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | docker, kubernetes |
| GitHub stars | ★ 10,383 | ★ 107,678 |
| First released | 2024 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Firebase | Firebase |
Why pick each one
Choose InstantDB if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 10.4k GitHub stars
- Written in TypeScript
Frequently asked questions
Is InstantDB or Supabase better?
Neither is universally better. Supabase has the larger community, while InstantDB is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are InstantDB and Supabase free and open-source?
Yes. InstantDB is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Supabase under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run InstantDB and Supabase with Docker?
InstantDB: yes. Supabase: yes.