vioscaleAI
Comparison

Back4App vs PocketBase

On the evidence we track, Back4App leads this comparison with a composite score of 68/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.

Back4App full profile →PocketBase full profile →
Machine formatsMarkdownJSONGraphQLMarkdown is open. JSON and GraphQL need a free key.
★Back4App68
PocketBase56
Score
vioscaleAI score
Back4App68 / 100medium · 53%
PocketBase56 / 100low · 30%
Pricing
Free tier
Back4App✓
PocketBase✓
Model
Back4Appfreemium
PocketBaseopen_source
Price level
Back4Appmid
PocketBasefree
Starting price
Back4App$15
PocketBase–
Transparent
Back4App✓
PocketBase✓
Integrations
Count
Back4App4
PocketBase–
Security
Disclosure policy
Back4App✓
PocketBase✓
Gdpr
Back4App✓
PocketBase–
Hipaa
Back4App✓
PocketBase–
Iso27001
Back4App✓
PocketBase–
Scorecard
Back4App–
PocketBase4.6
Soc2
Back4App✓
PocketBase–
Trust center
Vulnerabilities
Adoption
Dependent repos
Back4App–
PocketBase50
Github stars
Back4App–
PocketBase61,408
Activity
Commits last 30d
Back4App–
PocketBase74
Release
Cadence days
Back4App–
PocketBase1
History
Back4App–
PocketBase20 items
License
Spdx
Back4App–
PocketBaseMIT
Language
Primary
Back4App–
PocketBaseGo
Market
Availability
Content
Faq
Back4App7 items
PocketBase5 items

Capabilities

Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for backend as a service. “-” means undocumented, not absent.

Capabilities
Database model
Back4AppMongodb document
PocketBaseSqlite
Built in auth
Back4App✓
PocketBase✓
Row level security
Back4App✓
PocketBase-
File storage
Back4App✓
PocketBase✓
Serverless functions
Back4App✓
PocketBase-
Edge functions
Back4App-
PocketBase-
Realtime subscriptions
Back4App✓
PocketBase✓
API style
Back4AppBoth
PocketBaseRest
Offline sync
Back4App-
PocketBase-
Vector AI support
Back4App-
PocketBase-
Self hostable
Back4App✓
PocketBase✓
Deployment model
Back4AppBoth
PocketBaseSelf hostable
Pricing model
Back4AppTiered subscription
PocketBaseFree self host

What each one is

The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.

Back4App

Leader

Back4App is a cloud-managed development platform that provides a managed database with real-time capabilities, REST and GraphQL APIs, file storage, and cloud-executable functions. It supports development across iOS, Android, React, Flutter, PHP, C#, and other platforms through SDKs and direct API access.

Independently observed

PocketBase

An open-source backend system that combines an embedded database, real-time data synchronization, user authentication, and an administrative interface in a lightweight, easy-to-deploy package.

Independently observed

Pricing

List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.

Back4App

Leader
from $15/moSubscriptionFree tier

From $15/app/month for MVP tier, free tier available

  • FreeFree
    • REST API
    • GraphQL API
    • Cloud Functions
    • 1 day access log retention
    • Custom domain
  • MVP$15/app/mo (save 40% annually)
    • REST API
    • GraphQL API
    • Cloud Functions
    • 7 collaborators
    • Daily backups
    • +3 more
  • Pay As You Go$80/app/mo (save 20% annually)
    • REST API
    • GraphQL API
    • Cloud Functions
    • Unlimited collaborators
    • 28 day access log retention
    • +3 more
  • Dedicated$400/app/mo
    • REST API
    • GraphQL API
    • Cloud Functions
    • Point-in-time backups
    • Custom domain
    • +3 more
  • EnterpriseContact sales
    • Custom infrastructure
    • Custom SLAs
    • On-premises deployment
    • Multi-region
    • Pro services
    • +3 more
as of verify ↗

PocketBase

Open sourceFree tier
as of verify ↗

Platform & deployment

Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.

Platforms
Web
Back4App✓
PocketBase✓
iOS
Back4App✓
PocketBase✗
Android
Back4App✓
PocketBase✗
macOS
Back4App✗
PocketBase✓
Windows
Back4App✗
PocketBase✓
Linux
Back4App✗
PocketBase✓
CLI
Back4App✗
PocketBase✓
Deployment
Cloud / SaaS
Back4App✓
PocketBase✗
Self-hosted
Back4App✗
PocketBase✓

Integrations

What each product connects to. Counts come from the vendor's own integration directory where one exists.

Back4App

Leader
4 total
  • Stripe
  • AWS
  • DigitalOcean
  • MongoDB Atlas
Independently observed

PocketBase

Not documented yet.

Still deciding?

Back4App or PocketBase: which one depends on you

A composite score cannot know your constraints. Describe them and both get re-weighted against what you actually need, with the evidence behind every position.

Free to run, no account needed to start. How the evaluation works

Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.