Supabase – Best Free Tier for Relational (PostgreSQL) Databases
Why it leads:
Supabase is an open-source Firebase alternative built on PostgreSQL, offering a generous free tier with real SQL power.
- Free plan includes:
- 500MB database storage
- 1GB file storage (for images, documents, etc.)
- 50MB/month bandwidth
- Full PostgreSQL access (tables, views, functions, Row-Level Security)
- RESTful API + real-time subscriptions
- Authentication, edge functions, and dashboard included
✅ Best for: Web/mobile apps needing a relational database with auth, APIs, and real-time features.
🌐 supabase.com
Firebase Realtime Database / Firestore – Best for NoSQL & Mobile Apps
Free tier (Spark Plan):
- 1GB database storage (Firestore)
- 10GB/month bandwidth
- 50K reads/day, 20K writes/day
- Real-time sync, offline support, and built-in auth
⚠️ Caveats:
- NoSQL only (not relational)
- Costs can spike quickly if usage exceeds free limits
- Google-owned (data subject to Google’s policies)
✅ Best for: Mobile apps, prototypes, and real-time chat or collaboration tools.
🌐 firebase.google.com
PlanetScale – Best for Scalable MySQL-Compatible DBs
- Free tier:
- 5GB storage
- Unlimited read requests
- 1B requests/month
- MySQL-compatible (via Vitess)
- Branching & schema deploy workflows (like Git for databases)
✅ Best for: Developers who want MySQL-like experience with modern dev workflows.
❌ No built-in file storage or auth (pair with other tools).
🌐 planetscale.com
Other Solid Free Options:
| Service | Type | Free Tier Highlights | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neon | Serverless PostgreSQL | 3 projects, 500MB storage, autoscaling | Serverless apps, dev/testing |
| Railway | PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis | $5/month free credit (enough for small DBs) | Full-stack app hosting + DB |
| MongoDB Atlas | NoSQL (MongoDB) | 512MB storage, shared RAM, 1 cluster | NoSQL projects, JSON-heavy apps |
| Aiven | PostgreSQL, Kafka, Redis | $300 free credit (30-day trial) | Short-term testing |
| Turso | SQLite (edge-ready) | 1GB storage, 5B reads/month | Edge apps, low-latency use cases |
What to Avoid:
- Traditional web hosts (like free MySQL on 000webhost): Often unreliable, slow, and insecure.
- Google Sheets / Airtable as DB: Great for lightweight apps, but not true databases (no transactions, poor scaling).
Quick Recommendation Guide:
| Your Need | Best Free DB |
|---|---|
| Relational (SQL) + auth + API | Supabase |
| Real-time mobile app (NoSQL) | Firebase Firestore |
| MySQL with Git-like workflows | PlanetScale |
| Serverless PostgreSQL | Neon |
| Simple NoSQL JSON storage | MongoDB Atlas |
| Edge-ready, ultra-low latency | Turso (SQLite) |
Final Tip:
For learning, prototyping, or small live projects, Supabase offers the best combination of power, privacy, and true free access—without locking you into a walled garden.
All services above offer free tiers with no credit card required to start (except Aiven’s trial).
👉 Start with Supabase if you want SQL + real-time + auth in one free package.
