Supabase vs Turso
Supabase and Turso both answer the same question: where does your data live? Managed Postgres bundled with auth, storage, realtime and an auto-generated REST and client API. SQLite as a hosted service, replicated to the edge, with the option of one small database per customer. Supabase covers more of the ecosystem, so it survives a change of framework; Turso is the better fit while you stay where it is strongest.
Verdict
Supabase covers more of the ecosystem, so it survives a change of framework; Turso is the better fit while you stay where it is strongest.
Pick Supabase if
- ✓Real Postgres underneath, so extensions, SQL and standard tooling all apply.
- ✓Auth, storage and realtime included, which removes several vendor decisions at once.
- ✓Client libraries let simple apps query straight from the browser safely.
Pick Turso if
- ✓Database per tenant is cheap, which makes hard isolation between customers practical.
- ✓Edge replicas put reads physically close to the user.
- ✓SQLite semantics are simple and identical to what you run in tests locally.
| Comparison | Supabase | Turso |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing shape | Free tier for hobby projects, then a flat per-project fee plus usage for compute, storage and bandwidth. | Generous free tier, then usage-based on rows read and written plus stored data. |
| Frameworks | Next.js, SvelteKit, Nuxt, React Native, Expo, Flutter | Next.js, SvelteKit, Nuxt |
| In one line | Managed Postgres bundled with auth, storage, realtime and an auto-generated REST and client API. | SQLite as a hosted service, replicated to the edge, with the option of one small database per customer. |
Pricing described qualitatively because published plans change often. Checked 2026-08-23. Confirm current terms on Supabase and Turso.
Supabase
Strengths
- ✓Real Postgres underneath, so extensions, SQL and standard tooling all apply.
- ✓Auth, storage and realtime included, which removes several vendor decisions at once.
- ✓Client libraries let simple apps query straight from the browser safely.
- ✓Open source core, so self-hosting is a genuine escape hatch.
Tradeoffs
- ✗Querying from the client pushes authorization into policies that are easy to misconfigure.
- ✗The bundled services encourage coupling that is painful to untangle later.
- ✗Dashboard-driven changes can drift from what is in your migration files.
- ✗Connection pooling behaviour surprises people moving from a classic long-lived server.
Turso
Strengths
- ✓Database per tenant is cheap, which makes hard isolation between customers practical.
- ✓Edge replicas put reads physically close to the user.
- ✓SQLite semantics are simple and identical to what you run in tests locally.
- ✓Embedded replicas let a server read locally and sync writes upstream.
Tradeoffs
- ✗SQLite has one writer, so write-heavy workloads hit a ceiling by design.
- ✗Fewer data types and functions than Postgres, so some modelling gets manual.
- ✗Managing thousands of small databases becomes its own operational surface.
- ✗Replication lag means a read after write can return stale data.
Frequently asked questions
Is Supabase or Turso better?
Neither is better in the abstract. Supabase covers more of the ecosystem, so it survives a change of framework; Turso is the better fit while you stay where it is strongest. Decide on the tradeoff you can live with, then stop reading comparisons and ship.
What is the main drawback of Supabase?
Querying from the client pushes authorization into policies that are easy to misconfigure. The bundled services encourage coupling that is painful to untangle later.
What is the main drawback of Turso?
SQLite has one writer, so write-heavy workloads hit a ceiling by design. Fewer data types and functions than Postgres, so some modelling gets manual.
Can you switch from one to the other later?
Usually, at a cost that grows with how much of your product leans on the database layer. The sooner you wrap it in your own interface, the cheaper the exit stays.