Firebase vs Supabase vs Heroku vs AWS

There is no free backend. There are tradeoffs you choose early. This page explains when each choice makes sense and when it starts hurting.

The quick decision shortcuts

  • Firebase: fastest to ship, cost surprises come from reads, listeners, and bandwidth.
  • Supabase: feels cheaper early, surprises shift to compute, storage, and realtime scale.
  • Heroku: convenience premium, costs multiply with always-on dynos and environments.
  • AWS: highest flexibility, you pay for control and operational overhead from day one.

Side by side comparison

Dimension Firebase Supabase Heroku AWS
Speed to MVP Very high High High Medium
Cost predictability Medium to low Medium Medium Low to medium
Operational overhead Low Medium Low to medium High
Lock-in risk Medium to high Medium Low to medium Medium
Best for Fast iteration and small teams SQL teams that want speed with more control Teams paying a convenience premium Compliance, control, and enterprise constraints

These are directional. Your data model, permissions, and realtime patterns often matter more than vendor branding.

When Firebase makes sense

MVP speed matters Small team Simple permissions Realtime is light

When Firebase starts hurting

  • Read amplification and listeners
  • Complex permissions and fan-out data
  • Bandwidth and storage growth
  • Analytics, reporting, and joins
Kotlin + Firebase Cost Calculator SwiftUI + Firebase Cost Calculator

When Supabase makes sense

SQL is a feature You want more control You still want to ship fast

When Supabase starts hurting

  • Compute and function usage creeps upward
  • Storage and bandwidth become real costs
  • Realtime at scale needs care
  • Operational complexity rises with growth
Supabase Cost Reality Calculator

When Heroku makes sense

You want convenience now Always-on workloads Small ops team

When Heroku starts hurting

  • Dynos and environments multiply spend
  • Add-ons become the real bill
  • Scaling and observability constraints
  • Eventually you want more control
Heroku Cost Reality Calculator

When AWS makes sense

Compliance Data control Complex domains Multiple teams

When AWS hurts early teams

  • You pay a cost floor for flexibility
  • Operational overhead becomes real work
  • Iteration slows without strong engineering process
  • Service sprawl appears quickly
AWS Backend Cost Reality Check

Related tools

Software Decision Toolbox Strategic Invariant Analyzer Custom Software Cost Reality Check
Want a second opinion? Contact me

Backend choices are rarely wrong in isolation. They become wrong when the product, data shape, and team constraints change.

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