What is the difference among Supabase, Neon and Firebase?

Supabase is a backend platform built on PostgreSQL with auth, storage, realtime and edge functions. Neon is serverless PostgreSQL focused on the database itself, with scale-to-zero and branching. Firebase is Google's backend platform built around the NoSQL Firestore database, auth and hosting.

Supabase and Neon both run PostgreSQL, so you get SQL, relations and extensions. Firebase's main databases are Firestore and the Realtime Database, both NoSQL.

When you want a full backend on Postgres in one project: database, authentication, row-level security, file storage, realtime subscriptions and functions, with an open-source stack you could self-host.

When you mainly need Postgres for a serverless app, value scale-to-zero pricing and instant database branches for previews and tests, and will bring your own auth and storage.

For mobile and real-time apps that benefit from client SDKs, offline sync, document data and tight Google Cloud integration, especially with small teams moving fast.

Supabase Auth and Firebase Authentication both provide email, OAuth and phone sign-in with client SDKs. Neon does not include an auth product, so you pair it with Auth.js, Clerk, Better Auth or similar.

Supabase uses Postgres row-level security policies tied to the user's JWT. Firebase uses Security Rules on Firestore and Storage. Neon relies on your backend and Postgres roles.

Creating a copy-on-write copy of a database instantly, with its data, for a preview deployment or test. Neon is built around it; Supabase offers branching too.

Firebase streams document changes to clients natively with offline caching. Supabase Realtime broadcasts Postgres changes, presence and messages. Neon has no realtime layer; you add one.

Neon charges for compute time and storage with scale-to-zero. Supabase has plan-based pricing with compute add-ons. Firebase charges per document read, write and delete plus storage.