# PostgreSQL vs Supabase

**Leader by vioscaleAI score:** Supabase

| Attribute | PostgreSQL | Supabase |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 61.3 (60% (medium)) | 75 (70% (medium)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 100 | - |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 0 | - |
| adoption.github_stars | 22,285 | - |
| adoption.stackoverflow_questions | 170,000 | - |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"PostgreSQL is a free, open-source relational database system that emphasizes extensibility and standards compliance. It provides robust support for complex data types and advanced query capabilities, making it suitable for both small applications and large-scale enterprise deployments.","source":"https://www.postgresql.org","question":"What is PostgreSQL?","confidence":0.95},{"answer":"PostgreSQL is open-source and available at no cost under the PostgreSQL License. Organizations can deploy and modify the software without paying licensing fees, though managed hosting services may charge for their infrastructure and support.","source":"https://www.postgresql.org/about/licence/","question":"Is PostgreSQL free to use?","confidence":0.95},{"answer":"PostgreSQL is cross-platform and runs on Linux, Unix, Windows, macOS, and other operating systems. This broad platform support makes it accessible for diverse infrastructure environments.","source":"https://www.postgresql.org/download/","question":"What operating systems does PostgreSQL support?","confidence":0.95},{"answer":"PostgreSQL fully implements ACID (Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, Durability) transactions, ensuring that database operations are reliable and data remains consistent even in the face of failures or concurrent access patterns.","source":"https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/tutorial-concepts.html","question":"Does PostgreSQL guarantee data integrity through ACID compliance?","confidence":0.95},{"answer":"Organizations often evaluate PostgreSQL alongside MySQL for relational workloads, Oracle or Microsoft SQL Server for large enterprise deployments, and NoSQL systems like MongoDB for document-based requirements. The choice depends on specific priorities around complexity, scalability, and data structure needs.","source":"https://www.postgresql.org","question":"What are common database alternatives to PostgreSQL?","confidence":0.9},{"answer":"PostgreSQL can be deployed on self-managed infrastructure using binary installations or containerization, or through managed database services from cloud platforms such as AWS RDS, Google Cloud SQL, and Azure Database for PostgreSQL. Managed services typically handle automated backups, scaling, and routine maintenance.","source":"https://www.postgresql.org/download/","question":"How can developers deploy PostgreSQL?","confidence":0.9},{"answer":"PostgreSQL supports JSON/JSONB data types for semi-structured data, full-text search capabilities, window functions, Common Table Expressions, and custom extensions through its extensibility architecture. These features reduce the need for application-layer complexity and the addition of specialized separate systems.","source":"https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/sql-syntax.html","question":"What advanced features enable complex analytical and transactional work in PostgreSQL?","confidence":0.9},{"answer":"PostgreSQL is used in production by thousands of organizations ranging from startups to large enterprises. It includes comprehensive features for data replication, backup strategies, and high-availability configurations, making it a reliable choice for applications where data consistency and uptime are critical.","source":"https://www.postgresql.org/","question":"Is PostgreSQL suitable for production and mission-critical applications?","confidence":0.9}]` | `[{"answer":"Supabase is a PostgreSQL-based platform offering hosted databases with automatically generated REST and GraphQL APIs, real-time subscriptions via websockets, database functions, and vector search capabilities. It combines open source components to provide a managed alternative to proprietary backend platforms. It is indexed under Relational Databases.","source":"https://supabase.com","question":"What is Supabase?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Supabase offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Paid plans start at $0.00. Prices are published openly on the vendor's own pricing page. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://supabase.com/blog/pricing","question":"Is Supabase free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Supabase supports the web and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://supabase.com/blog/pricing","question":"What platforms does Supabase support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for Supabase, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://supabase.com","question":"Can Supabase be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 12 integrations for Supabase, including OpenAI, Hugging Face, Stripe, Algolia, AWS, Amazon Bedrock, Figma and LangChain, plus 4 more. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://supabase.com/blog/pricing","question":"What does Supabase integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA and GDPR for Supabase. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as Supabase not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://supabase.com/blog/security-performance-advisor","question":"What security certifications does Supabase have?","confidence":0.7},{"answer":"Supabase is available worldwide. Its primary market is the United States.","source":"https://supabase.com/blog/pricing","question":"Where is Supabase available?","confidence":0.5}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true,"self_hosted":true}` | `{"cloud":true}` |
| description.long | PostgreSQL is an open source relational database with over 35 years of active development. It supports transactions, user-defined functions, and a broad subset of SQL, widely used for data storage and retrieval in applications ranging from small projects to enterprise deployments. | Supabase is a PostgreSQL-based platform offering hosted databases with automatically generated REST and GraphQL APIs, real-time subscriptions via websockets, database functions, and vector search capabilities. It combines open source components to provide a managed alternative to proprietary backend platforms. |
| features.capabilities | `{"hosting":"both","sql_model":"full_sql","data_model":"relational","deployment":"self_hosted","serverless":false,"geo_spatial":"extension","sql_support":true,"extensibility":true,"json_document":true,"license_class":"permissive","managed_cloud":true,"vector_search":true,"horizontal_scale":"read_replica","acid_transactions":"full","automatic_failover":true,"horizontal_scaling":true}` | `{"hosting":"both","isolation":"serializable","sql_model":"full_sql","data_model":"relational","deployment":"managed","consistency":"strong","replication":"async","sql_support":true,"extensibility":true,"json_document":true,"license_class":"permissive","managed_cloud":true,"vector_search":true,"full_text_search":true,"acid_transactions":"full","wire_compatibility":"postgres"}` |
| integrations.count | 6 | 12 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"CloudNativePG"},{"name":"Kubernetes"},{"name":"Patroni"},{"name":"pgAdmin"},{"name":"pgVector"},{"name":"PostGIS"},{"name":"pgAudit"},{"name":"Spock"},{"name":"Cilium"},{"name":"Submariner"}]` | `[{"name":"OpenAI"},{"name":"Hugging Face"},{"name":"Stripe"},{"name":"Algolia"},{"name":"AWS"},{"name":"Amazon Bedrock"},{"name":"Figma"},{"name":"LangChain"},{"name":"Vercel"},{"name":"Next.js"},{"name":"React"},{"name":"Flutter"}]` |
| language.primary | C | - |
| license.spdx | PostgreSQL | - |
| market.availability | `{"source":"https://www.postgresql.org","confidence":0.95,"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"primaryMarkets":["US"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"mac":true,"linux":true,"windows":true}` | `{"cli":true,"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.postgresql.org","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T12:11:14.172Z"}` | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Free","summary":"Free with 2 active projects max, paused after 1 week of inactivity","features":["Unlimited API requests","50,000 monthly active users","500 MB database size","Shared CPU, 500 MB RAM","5 GB egress","5 GB cached egress","1 GB file storage","Community support"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":0,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Perfect for passion projects & simple websites.","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"egress":"5 GB","file_storage":"1 GB","cached_egress":"5 GB","database_size":"500 MB","monthly_active_users":"50,000"}},{"free":false,"name":"Pro","summary":"$25/month for first project, additional projects $10/month","features":["Everything in Free Plan","100,000 monthly active users (overage: $0.00325/MAU)","8 GB database size (overage: $0.125/GB)","250 GB egress (overage: $0.09/GB)","250 GB cached egress (overage: $0.03/GB)","100 GB file storage (overage: $0.0213/GB)","Email support","Daily backups (7-day retention)","7-day log retention","$10/month compute credits"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":25,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"MAU"},"kind":"metered","amount":0.00325,"currency":"USD"},{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"GB"},"kind":"metered","amount":0.125,"currency":"USD"},{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"GB"},"kind":"metered","amount":0.09,"currency":"USD"}],"description":"For production applications with the power to scale.","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"egress":"250 GB","file_storage":"100 GB","cached_egress":"250 GB","database_size":"8 GB","log_retention_days":"7","monthly_active_users":"100,000","backup_retention_days":"7"}},{"free":false,"name":"Team","summary":"$599/month","features":["Everything in Pro Plan","SOC2 Type II & ISO 27001 compliance","Project-scoped and read-only access controls","HIPAA available as paid add-on","Single Sign-On (SAML 2.0) for Dashboard","Priority email support with SLAs","Daily backups (14-day retention)","28-day log retention"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":599,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Add features such as SSO, control over backups, and industry certifications.","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"log_retention_days":"28","backup_retention_days":"14"}},{"free":false,"name":"Enterprise","summary":"Custom pricing and features","features":["Custom pricing","Designated support manager","Uptime SLAs","AWS PrivateLink support","24×7×365 premium enterprise support","Private Slack channel","Custom security questionnaires"],"description":"For large-scale applications running Internet scale workloads.","contactSales":true}],"addOns":[{"name":"Log Drains","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":60,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},{"per":{"qty":1000000,"unit":"events"},"kind":"metered","amount":0.2,"currency":"USD"}]},{"name":"Custom Domain","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":10,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}]},{"name":"Point in Time Recovery"}],"summary":"Free tier available. Pro from $25/month, Team $599/month, Enterprise custom pricing. Usage-based billing for compute and overages.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://supabase.com/blog/pricing","retrievedAt":"2026-10-05T11:11:46.609Z","startingPrice":{"amount":25,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | open_source | freemium |
| pricing.price_level | free | mid |
| pricing.starting_price | - | `{"amount":25,"currency":"USD"}` |
| pricing.transparent | - | yes |
| release.cadence_days | 90 | - |
| reliability.status_page | - | yes |
| security.certifications | - | `[{"name":"SOC 2","status":"active"},{"name":"ISO 27001","status":"active"}]` |
| security.disclosure_policy | yes | yes |
| security.gdpr | - | yes |
| security.hipaa | - | yes |
| security.iso27001 | - | yes |
| security.pci | - | yes |
| security.scorecard | 6.1 | - |
| security.soc2 | - | yes |
| security.trust_center | https://www.postgresql.org/support/security/faq/2013-04-04/ | https://supabase.com/blog/security-performance-advisor |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=helm&package_name=openstack-helm%2Fpostgresql&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` | - |

## Capabilities (Relational Databases)

| Capability | PostgreSQL | Supabase |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| SQL model | Full SQL | Full SQL |
| **Transactions** |  |  |
| ACID transactions | Full | Full |
| Highest isolation level | - | Serializable |
| **Consistency** |  |  |
| Consistency | - | Strong |
| **Scale** |  |  |
| Horizontal scale | Read replicas | - |
| **Replication** |  |  |
| Replication | - | Async |
| **Availability** |  |  |
| Automatic failover / HA | ✓ | - |
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Deployment | Self-hosted | Managed |
| Serverless / scale-to-zero | ✗ | - |
| **Compatibility** |  |  |
| Wire compatibility | - | Postgres protocol |
| **Extensibility** |  |  |
| Extensions / plugins / UDFs | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Licensing** |  |  |
| Licence class | Permissive OSS | Permissive OSS |
| **Data types** |  |  |
| JSON / document support | ✓ | ✓ |
| Geo / spatial | Extension | - |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T18:31:00.919Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*