Better Auth vs Supabase
Two sides of the authentication decision: library in your app and bundled with your backend. When each fits, what it costs, who moves from one to the other, and what makers who chose it say.
SupabaseBundled with your backendllms.txtMCPCLIIn Bolt, Lovable, v0Ask your AI about this, with this page as the source:ChatGPT ↗Claude ↗Perplexity ↗
Which fits you
Choose Better Auth if- You want users in your own database and no per-user bill
Use it whenYou'd rather own the code than pay per user.
Trade-offYou host it and keep it patched; UI is yours to build.
Choose Supabase if- Your data is already in Supabase or Firebase
Use it whenYou want row-level security in Postgres tied directly to the signed-in user.
Trade-offLess polished UI components than dedicated auth services.
At a glance
| Better Auth | Supabase | |
|---|---|---|
| Used by | 6 makers' products · 94 open-source projects | 13 makers' products |
| Cost at default usagemonthly active users 10k MAU | $0/mo Self-hosted (open source) | $0/mo Free |
| Moved to it on GitHubpull requests since Oct 2024 | 19 from Supabase | 5 from Better Auth |
| Downloads | 6.5M/wk8.4× vs npm | 25.4M/wk+96% vs npm |
| Pricing | Free (open source). | Free tier (inactive projects pause); paid plans per project plus usage. · paid from $25/mo |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Yes · self-hostable | Yes · self-hostable |
| Incidents, 90 daysfrom its status page | no public status feed | 50+ (16 major) |
Cost as you grow
Both cost $0 up to 50k MAU; from 100k MAU Better Auth costs less ($0 vs $25); and still does at 1M MAU ($0 vs $2,950). They're different kinds of tool — library in your app and bundled with your backend — so the prices don't buy the same thing.
The numbers, plan by plan
| Monthly active users | Better Auth | Supabase |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | $0 Self-hosted (open source) | $0 Free |
| 1,000 | $0 Self-hosted (open source) | $0 Free |
| 5,000 | $0 Self-hosted (open source) | $0 Free |
| 10,000 | $0 Self-hosted (open source) | $0 Free |
| 25,000 | $0 Self-hosted (open source) | $0 Free |
| 50,000 | $0 Self-hosted (open source) | $0 Free |
| 100,000 | $0 Self-hosted (open source) | $25 Pro |
| 250,000 | $0 Self-hosted (open source) | $513 Pro |
| 1,000,000 | $0 Self-hosted (open source) | $2,950 Pro |
From each vendor's pricing page: Better Auth, Supabase.
Who moves from one to the other
Public pull requests on GitHub since Oct 2024 whose title says "Better Auth to Supabase" or the reverse — real code changes, by developers in general rather than makers only.
Supabase → Better Auth19 PRs- Migrate authentication from Supabase Auth to Neon Managed Better AuthManu-del-source/Malihub--kenya · 2026-09-25
- Phase 3: flip frontend auth from Supabase to Better Auth (Stage B)shainamofficial/okroutcomeflow · 2026-07-16
- Migrating from supabase supabase auth to better auth and convexMakuIan/step-chef · 2026-06-25
- Step 3.final PR-B: flip auth from Supabase to Better AuthArt-of-Technology/maestro-desk · 2026-06-09
- refactor: migrate Supabase to Better Auth + Prisma + Neonremcostoeten/skriuw · 2026-05-22
- feat: migrate Supabase Auth to Better Auth with Hyperdrivemau671/claustrum · 2026-05-21
- Migrate from Supabase to Neon and Better Authcfrome77/InfiniteTrailBrewing · 2026-05-18
- feat(auth): migrate from Supabase Auth to Better Authbuchungapp/nationaal-watersportdiploma · 2026-04-23
- migrate from Supabase Auth to Better Auth (local)rice-apps/thi-data · 2026-04-18
- feat: migrate auth from Supabase to Better AuthOrbasker/nutri-balance · 2026-03-27
Better Auth → Supabase5 PRs- Move admin authentication from Better Auth to Supabase Authyiguanliu/physical-io-community · 2026-08-14
- Release auth migration better auth to supabase authwickeddd3/chat-app · 2026-06-11
- feat: Migrate from Better Auth to Supabase Auth (self-hosted)Fenar7/Slipwise · 2026-04-04
- Migrate MongoDB+Better Auth to Supabase+Prismadave-sucks/hindsight · 2026-03-08
- Migrate from MongoDB+Better Auth to Supabase+Prisma, add Google OAuthadrianhajdin/signalist_stock-tracker-app · 2026-03-08
What makers say
Makers on using it for authentication, from Product Hunt and Starter Story interviews, each linked to the source. Products with a page of their own and fuller notes first.
On Better AuthAuthentication is always a time sink, but not with better_auth. Simple, secure, and extendable. Got magic links and login flow done in under an hour.
Better-Auth gave us a clean, flexible auth layer with minimal code. Performance, adaptability, and dev-experience were all wins.
It came out of nowhere and became popular for a good reason - it's really good!
On SupabaseOur real-time database and auth backbone. Supabase’s hosted PostgreSQL and Edge Functions give us version control, user management, and lightning-fast reads/writes out of the box.
Supabase is CatDoes' backend. We use their database, auth, storage, and real-time features. A platform like CatDoes requires a stable and scalable backend, and Supabase is providing that!
Supabase makes backend work a breeze with instant APIs and real-time sync. We skip building auth and complex DB setups, letting us launch features faster and focus on what really matters.
Loved and watch-outs
Themes that recur in makers' words and Hacker News comments, each linked to what it summarises.
Better AuthMost loved
- A library that keeps users and sessions in your own database, with no vendor dependency and no per-user fees. HNHN 2HN 3HN 4
- Plugins cover OAuth providers, magic links, RBAC, SSO and SAML, going well beyond Auth.js. HNHN 2HN 3PH
- Hackable and transparent, so custom flows such as iframe login work without fighting hidden internals. HNHN 2PH
Watch-outs
On Product Hunt: 5.0★, 5 reviews- Built-in assumptions force hacks, such as OIDC providers without email or request-header-based admin scripts. HNHN 2
- Code quality felt rushed, with few tests and little logging, and audit logs need the managed service. HNHN 2
- Breaking changes appear in patch releases, and the OpenAPI spec gets little care for non-JS clients. HN
SupabaseMost loved
- One project covers Postgres, auth, storage and realtime, so a solo founder ships without stitching vendors or hiring a backend team. PHPH 2PH 3PH 4
- It is real Postgres with SQL, row-level security and pgvector rather than a proprietary store. PHPH 2PH 3PH 4
- Open source and self-hostable, which reduces vendor lock-in. PHPH 2HNPH 3
Watch-outs
On Product Hunt: 5.0★, 899 reviews · mentioned most: authentication features, easy setup, PostgreSQL integration · complaints: documentation gapsWho uses each
Clarm
PicMotionAI
Prism AISupabase13 makers' products
giselle
Greta
Lamatic.ai
Not Diamond
Slashy
Snapdeck
VC Boom
Zivy
Dodo Payments
HeliconeWhat makers pair each with
With Better AuthFrontend Framework
Better Auth + React:agentsetarchestraarkAutoGPTCallcustomermatesDatabuddydeepcrawldoryelmoever-works
inbox-zeroand 77 more
inbox-zeroand 77 moreDatabase
Better Auth + PostgreSQL:agentsetarchestraarkAutoGPTCallcustomermatesDatabuddydoryelmoever-worksinbox-zero
Latitudeand 59 more
inbox-zeroLatitudeand 59 more
superset
BlockNote
MastraDatabase Access & ORMs
Better Auth + Drizzle ORM:
RybbitarchestraCallDatabuddydeepcrawldoryelmoLatitudenelsonlai.devpaperclipscirasuperlogand 46 more
RybbitarchestraCallDatabuddydeepcrawldoryelmoLatitudenelsonlai.devpaperclipscirasuperlogand 46 more
Dokploy
NovuWith SupabaseFrontend Framework
Supabase + Next.js:21st
a0.dev
Accordio AI
Aident AI
Airbook AI
Almanac
appdesigns
AppReplyAppSignalsAudienceCue
BeamUp
BeforeSunset AIand 149 more
a0.devAccordio AIAident AIAirbook AIAlmanacappdesignsAppReplyAppSignalsAudienceCueBeamUpBeforeSunset AIand 149 more
documenso
Moneo AI
onlook
Pluto Door
Rankfender
RPCForge
VisionAR
Howdy
Chinilla
Flowmo
Katalog
UXAudit.NowTransactional Email
Supabase + Resend:21sta0.devAccordio AIAirbook AI
AlaiAlmanacappdesignsAppReplyBeam AnalyticsBland AI
Blink.new
BrandMyLaptopand 128 more
a0.devAccordio AIAirbook AIAlaiAlmanacappdesignsAppReplyBeam AnalyticsBland AIBlink.newBrandMyLaptopand 128 more
Atla
Browzer
Curiosity Quench
FirstQuadrant
Formcrafts
Gradient Bang
CopyCopter
Forecastio
Korl
Midday
ProspectEchoHosting
Supabase + Amazon Web Services:Blink.new
Flexprice
Glitter AI
Laminar
Minicule
Notte
PallyPrimeshot AI
QualGent
Reloop
RemyRerunand 22 more
Blink.newFlexpriceGlitter AILaminarMiniculeNottePallyPrimeshot AIQualGentReloopRemyRerunand 22 more
BurnLink
Chronock
Contrive
CubeOne AI
Integral
Klariqo AI Voice Assistants
LinkedditLLM API
Supabase + OpenAI API:AnamapArcitext.comBeforeSunset AIBevellBlink.new
CatDoes
Chat ThingCheers GEO (YC S24)
Church LoomClaroCohesive AI
CreatorCube AIand 79 more
BeforeSunset AIBevellBlink.newCatDoesChat ThingCheers GEO (YC S24)Church LoomClaroCohesive AICreatorCube AIand 79 more
dr.aft
fyli
gptengineer.app
Konfide
WebhoundNeither quite right?
See the whole authentication decision →
ClerkHosted serviceDropping prebuilt sign-in, profile and organization UI into a React or Next.js app.vs Better Auth →vs Supabase →
Firebase
WorkOSHosted serviceB2B SaaS that will need enterprise SSO and directory sync.vs Better Auth →vs Supabase →
Auth0