Supabase
Upstash
| Feature | Supabase | Upstash |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $25/mo | Free / from $0.2/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.7 / 5 | 4.4 / 5 |
| Best For | developers, startups, indie-hackers, full-stack-teams | serverless-developers, next-js-developers, edge-functions, rate-limiting |
| Founded | 2020 | 2021 |
| Postgres Database | ✓ | ✗ |
| Authentication | ✓ | ✗ |
| Edge Functions | ✓ | ✗ |
| Real Time | ✓ | ✗ |
| Storage | ✓ | ✗ |
| Vector Embeddings | ✓ | ✗ |
| Self Hosting | ✓ | ✗ |
| Serverless Redis | ✗ | ✓ |
| Kafka Messaging | ✗ | ✓ |
| Vector Database | ✗ | ✓ |
| Global Replication | ✗ | ✓ |
| Rest Api | ✗ | ✓ |
| Qstash Scheduling | ✗ | ✓ |
| Rate Limiting | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Supabase Pros
- Full Postgres with SQL access
- Generous free tier (500MB, 50K monthly active users)
- Auth, storage, and edge functions included
- Open-source and self-hostable
✗ Supabase Cons
- Can be complex for non-developers
- Pauses inactive free projects after 7 days
- Real-time can be expensive at scale
✓ Upstash Pros
- True serverless with per-request pricing
- Redis-compatible API for caching and rate limiting
- Global replication for low-latency access
- Built for serverless and edge environments
✗ Upstash Cons
- Performance slightly lower than dedicated Redis
- Costs can spike with unexpected traffic
- Not a full database replacement
The Verdict
Supabase is built for developers and startups, with a focus on postgres-database and authentication. Upstash targets serverless developers and next js developers and leads with serverless-redis and kafka-messaging.
On pricing, Upstash is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $0.2/mo compared to $25/mo for Supabase. That $24.8/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
Bottom line: Supabase has a slight overall edge — but if true serverless with per-request pricing matters most to you, Upstash may still be the right call.