Nakama 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?
FeatureNakamaSupabase
CategoryGame ServersSelf-Hosting Platforms (PaaS)
LicenseApache-2.0Apache-2.0
LanguageGoTypeScript
Setup difficultyMediumHard
Min. RAM512 MB4,096 MB
Deploymentdocker, kubernetes, binarydocker, kubernetes
GitHub stars★ 13,121★ 107,678
First released20172020
ReplacesPlayFab, FirebaseFirebase

Why pick each one

Choose Nakama if…

  • Released under the Apache-2.0 license
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
  • Mature project with 13.1k GitHub stars
Nakama details

Choose Supabase if…

  • Powerful Postgres foundation
  • Excellent docs
Supabase details

Frequently asked questions

Is Nakama or Supabase better?

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

Are Nakama and Supabase free and open-source?

Yes. Nakama is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Supabase under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Nakama and Supabase with Docker?

Nakama: yes. Supabase: yes.

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