# Back4App vs PocketBase

**Leader by Vioscale score:** Back4App

| Attribute | Back4App | PocketBase |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 73.7 (55% (medium)) | 59.7 (20% (low)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | - | 63 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | - | 50 |
| adoption.github_stars | - | 60,827 |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true,"hybrid":true,"on_prem":true,"self_hosted":true}` | `{"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | A backend-as-a-service platform that hosts MongoDB databases, authentication, cloud functions, and real-time subscriptions accessible via REST and GraphQL APIs. Supports cloud hosting on AWS or DigitalOcean, plus self-hosted deployments for enterprise customers. | 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. |
| features.capabilities | `{"api_style":"both","file_storage":true,"built_in_auth":true,"pricing_model":"tiered-subscription","self_hostable":true,"database_model":"mongodb-document","deployment_model":"both","row_level_security":true,"serverless_functions":true,"realtime_subscriptions":true}` | - |
| integrations.count | 4 | - |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Stripe"},{"name":"AWS"},{"name":"DigitalOcean"},{"name":"MongoDB Atlas"}]` | - |
| language.primary | - | Go |
| license.spdx | - | MIT |
| market.availability | `{"hqCountry":"US","primaryMarkets":["US"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | - |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true,"ios":true,"web":true,"android":true}` | `{"cli":true,"mac":true,"web":true,"linux":true,"windows":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Free","summary":"Free","features":["REST API","GraphQL API","Cloud Functions","1 day access log retention","Custom domain"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":0,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Development and learning tier","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"apps":"up to 5 projects","requests":"25K/mo","transfer":"1GB","data_storage":"250MB","file_storage":"N/A"}},{"free":false,"name":"MVP","summary":"$15/app/mo (save 40% annually)","features":["REST API","GraphQL API","Cloud Functions","7 collaborators","Daily backups","7 day access log retention","Custom domain","NPM packages"],"minSeats":1,"commitment":"monthly","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":15,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Validate ideas quickly, launch fast","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"requests":"500K/mo","transfer":"250GB","data_storage":"1GB","file_storage":"50GB"}},{"free":false,"name":"Pay As You Go","summary":"$80/app/mo (save 20% annually)","features":["REST API","GraphQL API","Cloud Functions","Unlimited collaborators","28 day access log retention","Custom domain","Priority support","Monitoring"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":80,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Run and scale applications on serverless infrastructure","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"requests":"5M/mo","transfer":"1TB","data_storage":"3GB","file_storage":"N/A"}},{"free":false,"name":"Dedicated","summary":"$400/app/mo","features":["REST API","GraphQL API","Cloud Functions","Point-in-time backups","Custom domain","HIPAA after BAA","Dedicated engineer","SLA support"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":400,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Production-grade speed, isolation, and flexibility","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"requests":"Unlimited (hardware-constrained)","transfer":"2TB","resources":"10 CPUs / 14GB RAM","data_storage":"8GB","file_storage":"Unlimited"}},{"free":false,"name":"Enterprise","summary":"Contact for custom pricing","features":["Custom infrastructure","Custom SLAs","On-premises deployment","Multi-region","Pro services","Monitoring","Training","Dedicated engineer"],"description":"Custom solution for unique infrastructure needs","contactSales":true}],"addOns":[{"name":"Extra data storage","components":[{"kind":"fixed","unit":"GB","amount":15,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}]},{"name":"Extra requests (MVP plan)","components":[{"per":{"qty":100000,"unit":"requests"},"kind":"fixed","amount":5,"currency":"USD"}]},{"name":"Extra requests (Pay-as-you-go plan)","components":[{"per":{"qty":100000,"unit":"requests"},"kind":"fixed","amount":2,"currency":"USD"}]},{"name":"Extra file storage","components":[{"per":{"qty":10,"unit":"GB"},"kind":"fixed","amount":1,"currency":"USD"}]},{"name":"Extra data transfer","components":[{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"GB"},"kind":"fixed","amount":0.1,"currency":"USD"}]},{"name":"Point-in-time backups (add-on)","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":100,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}]}],"summary":"From $15/app/month for MVP tier, free tier available","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.back4app.com/pricing/backend-as-a-service","retrievedAt":"2026-08-25T08:36:27.977Z","startingPrice":{"amount":15,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month","year"]}` | `{"type":"open_source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://pocketbase.io","retrievedAt":"2026-08-20T16:30:59.949Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | freemium | open_source |
| pricing.price_level | mid | free |
| pricing.starting_price | `{"amount":15,"currency":"USD"}` | - |
| pricing.transparent | yes | - |
| release.cadence_days | - | 3 |
| release.history | - | `[{"url":"https://github.com/pocketbase/pocketbase/releases/tag/v0.40.1","date":"2026-08-24T15:23:08Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.40.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/pocketbase/pocketbase/releases/tag/v0.40.0","date":"2026-08-23T04:47:56Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.40.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/pocketbase/pocketbase/releases/tag/v0.22.53","date":"2026-08-23T04:46:51Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.22.53"},{"url":"https://github.com/pocketbase/pocketbase/releases/tag/v0.39.11","date":"2026-08-14T04:28:29Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.39.11"},{"url":"https://github.com/pocketbase/pocketbase/releases/tag/v0.22.52","date":"2026-08-14T04:27:22Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.22.52"},{"url":"https://github.com/pocketbase/pocketbase/releases/tag/v0.39.10","date":"2026-07-30T04:19:15Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.39.10"},{"url":"https://github.com/pocketbase/pocketbase/releases/tag/v0.22.51","date":"2026-07-30T04:18:51Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.22.51"},{"url":"https://github.com/pocketbase/pocketbase/releases/tag/v0.39.9","date":"2026-07-22T17:22:44Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.39.9"},{"url":"https://github.com/pocketbase/pocketbase/releases/tag/v0.22.50","date":"2026-07-22T17:22:02Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.22.50"},{"url":"https://github.com/pocketbase/pocketbase/releases/tag/v0.39.8","date":"2026-07-19T14:02:01Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.39.8"},{"url":"https://github.com/pocketbase/pocketbase/releases/tag/v0.22.49","date":"2026-07-19T14:01:25Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.22.49"},{"url":"https://github.com/pocketbase/pocketbase/releases/tag/v0.39.7","date":"2026-07-16T07:22:36Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.39.7"},{"url":"https://github.com/pocketbase/pocketbase/releases/tag/v0.22.48","date":"2026-07-16T07:20:54Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.22.48"},{"url":"https://github.com/pocketbase/pocketbase/releases/tag/v0.39.6","date":"2026-07-08T04:29:17Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.39.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/pocketbase/pocketbase/releases/tag/v0.22.47","date":"2026-07-08T04:28:24Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.22.47"},{"url":"https://github.com/pocketbase/pocketbase/releases/tag/v0.39.5","date":"2026-06-28T08:17:21Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.39.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/pocketbase/pocketbase/releases/tag/v0.39.4","date":"2026-06-14T15:58:34Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.39.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/pocketbase/pocketbase/releases/tag/v0.39.3","date":"2026-06-08T16:21:29Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.39.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/pocketbase/pocketbase/releases/tag/v0.39.2","date":"2026-06-07T08:51:28Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.39.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/pocketbase/pocketbase/releases/tag/v0.39.1","date":"2026-06-03T13:28:35Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.39.1"}]` |
| security.disclosure_policy | yes | yes |
| security.gdpr | yes | - |
| security.hipaa | yes | - |
| security.iso27001 | yes | - |
| security.scorecard | - | 4.6 |
| security.soc2 | yes | - |
| security.vulnerabilities | - | `{"count":2,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=go&package_name=github.com%2Fpocketbase%2Fpocketbase&per_page=100","last_12m":1,"max_severity":"MODERATE"}` |

## Capabilities (Backend As A Service)

| Capability | Back4App | PocketBase |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Capabilities** |  |  |
| Database model | Mongodb document | - |
| Built in auth | ✓ | - |
| Row level security | ✓ | - |
| File storage | ✓ | - |
| Serverless functions | ✓ | - |
| Edge functions | - | - |
| Realtime subscriptions | ✓ | - |
| API style | Both | - |
| Offline sync | - | - |
| Vector AI support | - | - |
| Self hostable | ✓ | - |
| Deployment model | Both | - |
| Pricing model | Tiered subscription | - |

*Source: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T16:35:14.870Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*