appwrite vs supabase
Two of the top projects in Backends and databases, side by side: who leads on each score part and who each one suits, then setup, license, activity and what each review found.
appwrite
Self-hostable backend with auth, databases, storage, functions, messaging and hosting
supabase
Postgres backend with auth, storage, realtime and edge functions
Verdict
appwrite ranks higher, 93 to 73. Of the 5 score parts we measure for both, appwrite leads on 2, supabase on 2 and 1 is even.
- Adoptionsupabase leads by 11 points, 97 to 86.
- FreshnessEven at 100.
- Maintenanceappwrite leads by 19 points, 91 to 72: a wide gap.
- Easy to runappwrite leads by 67 points, 100 to 33: a wide gap.
- Agent-readysupabase leads by 15 points, 85 to 70: a wide gap.
Pick appwrite if you are
Developers who want a self-hosted or managed backend for web and mobile apps
- One Docker-based installer sets up the full stack, with Compose and env files also published
- SDKs for 6 client and 10 server platforms, plus REST, GraphQL and Realtime APIs
Pick supabase if you are
Developers needing a Postgres backend with auth, storage and vectors
- Built on Postgres, PostgREST, GoTrue and Realtime, so the data layer is plain SQL
- Official clients for JavaScript/TypeScript, Flutter, Swift and Python
| What we compare | appwrite | supabase |
|---|---|---|
| Score parts, out of 100 | ||
| Adoption | 86, widely used | 97, widely used |
| Freshness | 100, active | 100, active |
| Maintenance | 91, healthy | 72, fair |
| Easy to run | 100, very easy | 33, some setup |
| Agent-ready | 70, partly | 85, ready |
| Facts from GitHub and the README | ||
| Stars | 57.7k | 111.6k |
| License | BSD-3-Clause (permissive) | Apache-2.0 (permissive) |
| Last commit | Oct 2026 | Oct 2026 |
| Last release | Oct 2026 | Aug 2026 |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Docker | Yes | Yes |
| GPU | Not needed | Not needed |
| arm64 or Apple Silicon | Mentioned | Not stated |
appwrite
Appwrite is a backend platform that bundles Auth, Databases, Storage, Functions, Sites, Messaging, Realtime and a Firewall behind REST, GraphQL and WebSocket APIs. It runs as a managed cloud or self-hosted via a Docker installer, and offers a hosted MCP server so coding agents can operate on a live project. Client and server SDKs cover Web, Flutter, Apple, Android, React Native, Unity, Node.js, Python, PHP, Go, Rust and others.
Who it is for: Developers who want a self-hosted or managed backend for web and mobile apps
Strengths
- One Docker-based installer sets up the full stack, with Compose and env files also published
- SDKs for 6 client and 10 server platforms, plus REST, GraphQL and Realtime APIs
- Hosted MCP server uses OAuth, so no API keys are needed on Cloud
- Same product runs on managed Cloud or on your own infrastructure
Weaknesses
- Installer needs access to the Docker socket on the host
- Self-hosted instances must use a separate local MCP server, not the hosted one
- Hybrid monolith-plus-workers architecture means many services to operate
- RAM and CPU requirements are not stated in the README
- no GPU
- Docker + Compose
- Needs Docker
- port 20080
supabase
Supabase bundles a Postgres database with generated REST and GraphQL APIs, JWT-based auth, S3-backed file storage, realtime change feeds over websockets, and edge functions. It also includes a vector and embeddings toolkit for AI workloads. It runs as a hosted platform, can be self-hosted, or run locally, and has official clients for JavaScript, Flutter, Swift and Python.
Who it is for: Developers needing a Postgres backend with auth, storage and vectors
Strengths
- Built on Postgres, PostgREST, GoTrue and Realtime, so the data layer is plain SQL
- Official clients for JavaScript/TypeScript, Flutter, Swift and Python
- Hosted, self-hosted and local development options
- Apache-2.0 license; vector and embeddings toolkit included
Weaknesses
- Many separate services to run when self-hosting; README gives no resource requirements
- Go, Java, Rust, Ruby and C# clients are community-maintained, some partial
- Repo has no Docker or compose files; self-hosting is documented elsewhere
- no GPU
- Compose
- Needs PostgreSQL, S3-compatible storage, Envoy
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