Firebase vs Hasura
Pricing
Firebase: Free Spark plan, pay as you go on Blaze
Hasura: Free tier, paid from $5 per active model/mo
Description
Firebase: Google's app platform with a NoSQL database, authentication, hosting, cloud functions, storage and push messaging, plus SDKs for web and mobile
Hasura: Instant GraphQL and REST API engine that connects to existing databases and services, from the maker of PromptQL
Pros
- The Spark plan needs no payment method and includes 1 GiB of Firestore storage and 50,000 document reads a day
- SDKs for Apple platforms, Android, the web, Flutter, Unity and C++
- Authentication is free up to 50,000 monthly active users
- Generates a full GraphQL API from a database in minutes
- Fine-grained row-level authorization built in
- Supports connecting multiple databases and remote schemas
Cons
- Cloud Functions and Cloud Storage need the pay-as-you-go Blaze plan
- Firestore is a NoSQL document database, not a relational SQL database like the Postgres behind Supabase
- Budget alerts only send email; a hard spending cap exists for just a few services, such as Cloud Functions and App Hosting
- GraphQL-centric approach has a learning curve if unfamiliar
- Paid plans charge per active model ($5 on Base, $30 on Advanced), which is harder to estimate than a flat fee
- The company now leads with PromptQL, its AI product, and lists the older v2 cloud as a legacy product
Details
Firebase bundles the backend pieces an app needs: Cloud Firestore and the Realtime Database, Authentication, Hosting, Cloud Functions, Cloud Storage, Cloud Messaging for push notifications and Crashlytics. The client SDKs talk to these services directly, guarded by security rules, so many apps need no server of their own.
It suits founders building mobile apps or prototypes on Google’s infrastructure. Firebase Authentication, its sign-in service, can also be used without the rest of Firebase.
Spark is free and covers a side project. Once you need functions or file storage you move to Blaze, which keeps the same free allowances and bills the usage beyond them. Set a budget when you upgrade, and know that it only warns you by email: services keep running unless you add a spend cap where one is available.
Hasura generates instant GraphQL and REST APIs from your PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server, or other databases. It includes a built-in authorization engine with row-level permissions, event triggers, and the ability to federate multiple data sources into a single API.
The current platform is Hasura DDN. Its free tier has no limit on API requests and suits prototyping. Paid plans charge per active model, meaning any model or command queried more than 1,000 times a month: from $5 on Base and from $30 on Advanced. Hasura v2 Cloud is listed as a legacy product, with Professional from $1.50 per active hour. The company’s homepage now leads with PromptQL, an AI product that learns the context of your business, alongside the GraphQL engine.
Verified
