Open-source alternatives to Supabase

Comparison notes

Supabase self-hosted is architecturally identical to the cloud service but requires running PostgreSQL, PostgREST, GoTrue, Realtime, and Storage as separate Docker Compose services, adding meaningful operational complexity for small teams. PocketBase is a single-binary SQLite-backed alternative covering auth, real-time, and file storage with far lower operational overhead, but lacks PostgreSQL's query power, full-text search capabilities, and horizontal scaling. Appwrite provides a broader feature set with multiple database backends but uses its own proprietary API layer rather than standard SQL, making future migrations harder.

Migration tips

• For self-hosting Supabase, use the official supabase/supabase Docker Compose configuration and configure object storage via MinIO or an S3-compatible service for file storage.
• Export Supabase data via pg_dump and import into any PostgreSQL-compatible target — the schema is standard PostgreSQL with no proprietary extensions required.
• For PocketBase migrations, note that its SQLite backend limits horizontal scaling — plan single-server deployments or read-replica configurations before committing to production workloads.

FAQ

Can I fully replace Supabase with an OSS tool?

Feature parity varies. Most OSS alternatives cover 70-90% of core workflows, but may lack polish, integrations, or specialized features. Pilot the alternative with a subset of your team before fully committing.

What's the cost of self-hosting?

Plan for ~$5-50/month in VPS costs (DigitalOcean, Hetzner, etc.) plus 2-8 hours/month in maintenance. For a team of 20+, self-hosting usually breaks even against SaaS pricing within 6-12 months.

Which alternative should I pick?

Sort by GitHub stars (a proxy for community health), check the last-pushed date (avoid unmaintained projects), and read recent issues to gauge responsiveness.