🗄️ Databases Comparison
Supabase vs Turso
A detailed comparison to help you choose the right tool for your needs.
Last updated: 2026-02-06
Supabase
Free tier, Pro from $25/mo
Strengths
- + Full Postgres database, not a proprietary system — your data, your queries
- + Auth, file storage, edge functions, and real-time included at no extra cost
- + Free tier includes 500MB database and 1GB file storage
Weaknesses
- − Some features (like edge functions) are still maturing compared to Firebase
- − Free tier pauses inactive projects after 7 days
- − Less hand-holding than Firebase — you need to know some SQL
Turso
Free tier (9 GB storage, 500 databases), Scaler from $29/mo
Strengths
- + SQLite simplicity with multi-region replication — sub-10ms reads from the nearest edge
- + Free tier includes 9 GB storage and 500 databases — generous for per-tenant architectures
- + Built on LibSQL (open-source fork of SQLite) — no proprietary lock-in on the data format
Weaknesses
- − Write operations must go through a primary region, adding latency for writes
- − Ecosystem is young — fewer ORMs and tools have native Turso support compared to Postgres
- − Not suited for heavy relational workloads that need JOINs across large tables
The verdict
Which one is right for you?
Choose Supabase if you want
- → Full Postgres database, not a proprietary system — your data, your queries
- → Auth, file storage, edge functions, and real-time included at no extra cost
Choose Turso if you want
- → SQLite simplicity with multi-region replication — sub-10ms reads from the nearest edge
- → Free tier includes 9 GB storage and 500 databases — generous for per-tenant architectures
In depth
About each tool
Supabase
Postgres database with built-in auth, storage, and real-time — the open-source Firebase alternative
Supabase gives you a real Postgres database with the convenience of Firebase. Set up a project, and you immediately get a database, auth system, file storage, edge functions, and real-time subscriptions. No piecing together separate services.
The free tier is enough to build and test a real product. The Pro tier at $25/month gives you a production-ready setup. The key advantage over Firebase: it is Postgres under the hood. Your queries are standard SQL, and you can migrate your data to any Postgres host if you ever want to leave. That data portability is worth a lot for a solo founder building something long-term.
Turso
SQLite at the edge — embed databases close to your users with LibSQL
Turso takes SQLite and makes it work as a cloud database. Each database is a LibSQL file replicated across edge locations, so reads happen in single-digit milliseconds from wherever your users are. The per-database model is ideal for multi-tenant apps where each user or workspace gets their own isolated database.
The free tier gives you 9 GB of storage and 500 databases, which is enough to run a real SaaS with per-tenant data. The limitation is writes — all writes route through a single primary region, so write-heavy workloads will not benefit from the edge replication. If your app is read-heavy (dashboards, content sites, analytics), Turso is fast and cheap. If you need complex relational queries or heavy write throughput, Postgres on Neon or Supabase is a better foundation.
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