When should I pick PostgreSQL over Supabase?

Pick PostgreSQL if: You already run your own server and want a flat monthly cost.

When should I pick Supabase over PostgreSQL?

Pick Supabase if: You want the database, auth and file storage in one project, and plain SQL you can take elsewhere.

Which do more makers use for database?

Among makers' products we track: PostgreSQL 74, Supabase 564.

Are people switching from PostgreSQL to Supabase?

Public GitHub pull requests since 2024-10-02: 29+ from PostgreSQL to Supabase, 48+ from Supabase to PostgreSQL.

PostgreSQL vs Supabase for database: which fits you

Which fits you

Choose PostgreSQL if

You already run your own server and want a flat monthly cost

Use it whenYou already run a server, or want extensions and settings a managed provider doesn't offer.

Trade-offBackups, upgrades, failover and connection pooling are yours to set up and watch.

Choose Supabase if

You want the database, auth and file storage in one project, and plain SQL you can take elsewhere

Use it whenYou want one service for most of the backend and a SQL database you can take with you.

Trade-offAuth, storage and database in one vendor makes leaving harder later, and free projects pause after a week without activity.

At a glance

	PostgreSQL	Supabase
Used by	74 makers' products · 542 open-source projects	564 makers' products · 75 open-source projects
Cost at default usagedatabase size 8 GB, data transfer 50 GB, document or row reads 10 million reads, document or row writes 2 million writes	—	$25/mo Pro
Moved to it on GitHubpull requests since Oct 2024	48+ from Supabase	29+ from PostgreSQL
Downloads	45.1M/wk+18% vs npm	25.4M/wk+96% vs npm
Pricing	Free and open source under the PostgreSQL License; you pay only for the server or managed service that runs it.	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)

Who moves from one to the other

Public pull requests on GitHub since Oct 2024 whose title says "PostgreSQL to Supabase" or the reverse — real code changes, by developers in general rather than makers only.

Supabase →

PostgreSQL48+ PRs

Move backend from Supabase to Neon Postgres with Better Authsaadibnainan/edu-tracker · 2026-10-02
Migrate CRM routes from Supabase to Neon PostgresOverclock-Accelerator/overclock-tool-calling · 2026-10-01
Migrate snapshot storage from Supabase to Neon Postgresafhaque/MeridianHealth-App · 2026-10-01
Migrate from Supabase to self-hosted Postgres + Auth.jsynni-llan-energy/ynni-llan-energy · 2026-09-21
BRAWUKA-507: staging app data moved off Supabase to Dokploy VPS Postgreslyuzizheng/coffeemode · 2026-09-20
Migrate from Supabase to Railway Postgresbrawlstarsleon538/rabka-bloom-boutique · 2026-09-19
Build the monitoring system and move off Supabase to Postgres, Prisma and Better Authtariq-khan9/webpulse · 2026-09-18
feat(db): migrate from Supabase to Neon Postgres + Drizzle ORM (phase 1)thisisouvik/trustlend-stellar · 2026-09-12
Migrate from Supabase to Railway Postgresair-planes/3rd-bass · 2026-09-09
Migrate storage and auth from Supabase to Neon Postgres.Ed1305/Demographics · 2026-09-07

All matching pull requests on GitHub ↗

PostgreSQL →

Supabase29+ PRs

Database: plain Postgres driver, so the site can move to Supabasesalamituns/ng-gov-graph · 2026-10-02
fix(db): move production Postgres from Neon to Supabase (v1.21.2)batashof/JobRadar · 2026-09-30
Media: move files from Postgres to Supabase StorageElAmir-Mansour/instagram-dm-automation · 2026-09-26
ops: move Postgres from Railway to self-hosted Supabaseprofullstack/niche-db · 2026-09-23
add Postgres schema via Flyway and connect to Supabasecs203-proj/cs203-project · 2026-09-22
chore(deploy): move production Postgres from Render to SupabaseSiddharthP123/Project-3-Kelly-Poker-Simulator · 2026-09-13
Migrate database from local Postgres to SupabaseHDAli00/MySaldo · 2026-09-03
Move prod's Postgres from self-hosted CNPG to Supabaseyesid-lopez/homelab · 2026-08-24
Migrate active n8n workflows from Postgres to Supabase nodeDenckerStudio/Folkets-meninger · 2026-08-23
Migrate Postgres to Supabase (managed DB + Realtime)PeopleDrivenMusic/pdm · 2026-08-20

All matching pull requests on GitHub ↗

What makers say

Makers on using it for database, from Product Hunt and Starter Story interviews, each linked to the source. Products with a page of their own and fuller notes first.

On PostgreSQL

Postgres is rock-solid. It handles complex data relationships gracefully and gives us the querying power we need as we scale. For relational data, it’s hands down the best choice for us.

VisionAR, the makerSep 2026 ↗

We picked PostgreSQL over MongoDB and dedicated vector databases because one proven database handles our relational data, JSON and agent memory, with no extra stores to run.

Semos.ai Manager Agents, the makerSep 2026 ↗

Postgres is so nice to work with. pg_dump was a lifesaver when we had to move database providers. Extensions like pgvector make it the best database for building AI apps.

CamelAI, the makerSep 2026 ↗

48 more on the PostgreSQL page →

On Supabase

One Postgres with RLS on every table is the reason a solo founder can ship contracts, invoices and a client portal without a backend team. Auth, storage and realtime came for free.

Accordio AI, the makerSep 2026 ↗

Supabase made it dead simple to manage db and the best part is that we can connect it to Claude for product analysis without having to set up Posthog or other event tracking tools.

Clico, the makerSep 2026 ↗

For powering our backend and database. Managing user uploads and conversion jobs efficiently is critical, and Supabase's real-time capabilities keep everything running smoothly! 🔥

Segwise, the makerSep 2026 ↗

403 more on the Supabase page →

Loved and watch-outs

Themes that recur in makers' words and Hacker News comments, each linked to what it summarises.

PostgreSQL

Most loved

It is rock-solid, keeps data consistent with strong transactions, and handles complex relational queries well. PH PH 2 PH 3 PH 4
With pgvector, embeddings live next to relational data, so AI features need no separate vector database. PH PH 2 PH 3 PH 4
Extensions and features like PostGIS, JSON support and advanced indexing cover geospatial and semi-structured data too. PH PH 2 PH 3

Watch-outs

Built-in full-text search lacks corpus-wide relevance ranking like BM25 and can need very large indexes. HN HN 2
It has no loose index scan, so SELECT DISTINCT over large tables needs manual workarounds. HN HN 2
Timestamp versus timestamptz and AT TIME ZONE behavior are easy to get wrong, with edge-case bugs around daylight saving. HN HN 2 HN 3

On Product Hunt: 5.0★, 77 reviews · mentioned most: reliability, performance, scalability

Supabase

Most loved

One project covers Postgres, auth, storage and realtime, so a solo founder ships without stitching vendors or hiring a backend team. PH PH 2 PH 3 PH 4
It is real Postgres with SQL, row-level security and pgvector rather than a proprietary store. PH PH 2 PH 3 PH 4
Open source and self-hostable, which reduces vendor lock-in. PH PH 2 HN PH 3

Watch-outs

Row-level security policies are hard to get right, so many apps end up exposing data publicly. HN HN 2 HN 3 HN 4
Reliability has been shaky for some, and it is not really built for self-hosting in practice. HN
Per-project billing adds up for developers running many small side projects. HN

On Product Hunt: 5.0★, 899 reviews · mentioned most: authentication features, easy setup, PostgreSQL integration · complaints: documentation gaps