your ad here · $149/weekyour ad here · $149/weekyour ad here · $149/weekyour ad here · $149/weekyour ad here · $149/weekyour ad here · $149/weekyour ad here · $149/weekyour ad here · $149/weekyour ad here · $149/weekyour ad here · $149/weekyour ad here · $149/weekyour ad here · $149/week

Backend

Free and open-source Firebase alternatives

Firebase (Google's platform to build and run apps) is a commercial product. These 3 tools do the same job and are free to use or to self-host.
Short answer: the best free alternatives to Firebase are Supabase, Appwrite and PocketBase. Firebase is priced by usage. Self-hosting is free; you pay only for the server (a small VPS is about $4–6/mo). Licenses and prices checked 2026-10-01.
  1. 1
    Supabase

    Open-source Postgres development platform

    Postgres backend with auth, storage and realtime; self-hostable.

    Open source (Apache-2.0) ·★ 111k GitHub stars · last commit 2026-10-07 · details

  2. 2
    Appwrite

    Open-source backend for web and mobile apps

    Backend server for web and mobile apps.

    Open source (BSD-3-Clause) ·★ 58k GitHub stars · last commit 2026-10-07 · details

  3. 3
    PocketBase

    Open-source backend in one file

    Backend in one Go binary with SQLite.

    Open source (MIT) ·★ 61k GitHub stars · last commit 2026-10-02 · details

Want paid options too? See all Firebase alternatives or the full free alternatives list. Beyond developer tools, OSS Software lists more open-source Firebase alternatives.

FAQ

Is there a free alternative to Firebase?+

Yes. Supabase, Appwrite and PocketBase do the same job for free; Supabase, Appwrite and PocketBase are open source.

What is the best open-source alternative to Firebase?+

Supabase is the most starred on GitHub (111k stars). Postgres backend with auth, storage and realtime; self-hostable.

Open source: OSI-approved license. Free to self-host: the code is public and free to run yourself, with limits in the license.