Vendors can pay for more visibility on this website, for example a higher place in a ranking or more room on a page. Commercial relationships can also affect which products we feature and how prominently. Every vendor link is marked the same, whatever the arrangement behind it. The largest vendors in backend as a service platforms
cannot hold places 1 to 3. Places 1 to 3 go to challengers, vendors outside the best-known brands in a category,
wherever the category has them; the established names follow from place 4 in their ranked order. How it works: placement disclosure ·
editorial process.
The 11 tools, reviewed
#1 Supabase
Postgres database with auth, storage and realtime attached · Singapore · supabase.com
postgres open source self-hostable
The choice that ages best in this list. Your tables are ordinary Postgres, so the schema, the SQL and the migration history are yours, and permissions are written as row-level security policies in the database instead of in a proprietary rules language.
- Pricing: Open source + paid tiers. Free plan at $0 with 50,000 monthly active users and a 500 MB database. Free plan: free plan.
- Best for: Teams that want SQL underneath
- Strengths: Postgres database; Row-level security; Auth with social login.
Where it falls short
Free projects pause after a week of inactivity and are capped at two, so a quiet demo sleeps. Compute is billed per project on top of the plan fee, which surprises teams that run staging, preview and production separately.
Wrong for
A mobile team that wants offline sync and a document model out of the box, or a company with no one who reads SQL.
Visit Supabase →
#2 Appwrite
Open-source backend with hosting and messaging built in · Israel · appwrite.io
open source self-hostable all-in-one
Appwrite is the widest single product here. Besides the expected auth, database and storage, a project includes messaging for email, SMS and push, site hosting and function runtimes in several languages, all under one subscription according to its pricing page. The code is open source, so the same stack that runs on its cloud can be started on your own server with Docker.
- Pricing: Open source + paid tiers. Free and Pro organization plans with usage overage; serverless databases carry no fixed fee and dedicated database compute starts at $10 per month, with $10 of compute credit included monthly. Free plan: free plan.
- Best for: Teams that may self-host later
- Strengths: Authentication; Databases (tables and documents); File storage.
Where it falls short
The newer relational layer is still settling, and the number of database types means more decisions at the start. Payment is by credit or debit card only, per the pricing FAQ, which complicates invoice-based purchasing.
Wrong for
A company whose data must be strict SQL with decades of tooling around it, or one that needs invoice payment from day one.
Visit Appwrite →
#3 Convex
Reactive TypeScript backend where queries update live · United States · convex.dev
typescript realtime transactions
Convex takes a different route from the SQL-first products: server logic and queries are TypeScript functions that run next to the data in transactions, and subscribed clients refresh themselves when a result changes. For a collaborative tool, a dashboard or a chat feature, that removes the cache invalidation and websocket plumbing a team would otherwise write.
- Pricing: Per user / month. Free and Starter tier at $0 with pay-as-you-go use; Professional is $25 per developer per month; Business and Enterprise start at a $2,500 monthly minimum. Free plan: free plan.
- Best for: TypeScript teams building live apps
- Strengths: Reactive database; TypeScript server functions; Automatic client updates.
Where it falls short
Data lives in Convex's own document model, not in SQL, so reporting tools and migrations to another database need export work. Pricing per developer seat plus usage makes costs less predictable than a flat project fee.
Wrong for
A team standardized on SQL reporting, or one whose back end is written in Python or Java.
Visit Convex →
#4 Nhost
Postgres plus GraphQL backend from a Swedish company · Sweden · nhost.io
graphql postgres european
Nhost is the only vendor on this list with its legal home in the EU. Its privacy policy names Nhost AB at an address near Stockholm as data controller. Technically it assembles a dedicated Postgres instance, the Hasura GraphQL engine for the API, and its own auth and storage services, with unlimited users on every plan according to the pricing page.
- Pricing: Open source + paid tiers. Starter is free for one project that pauses after a week of inactivity; Pro from $25 per month including $15 compute credit; Team from $599 per month; Enterprise by quote. Free plan: free plan.
- Best for: GraphQL teams wanting an EU vendor
- Strengths: Postgres database; GraphQL API; Authentication.
Where it falls short
The product depends on Hasura for its API layer, so changes in that project reach Nhost customers. Point-in-time recovery starts at an extra $100, and the free project pauses after a week without activity.
Wrong for
A team with no interest in GraphQL, or one that needs a large library of tutorials and third-party templates.
Visit Nhost →
google mobile nosql
Firebase is the product every other entry is measured against, and its reach is real: client libraries for iOS, Android, Flutter and the web, push messaging, crash reporting and analytics under one console, and the Spark plan asks for no card. Firestore handles offline caching and sync on mobile devices with little code.
- Pricing: Usage-based. No-cost Spark plan with usage limits and no payment method; the Blaze pay-as-you-go plan unlocks more services and is billed per product, with a $300 credit if eligible. Free plan: free plan.
- Best for: Mobile apps inside Google Cloud
- Strengths: Firestore; Realtime Database; Authentication.
Where it falls short
Firestore is document-based with limited querying, so relational reporting means exporting to BigQuery. Billing per read and write makes inefficient queries expensive, and cost forecasts are hard before launch. Moving off means rewriting security rules, auth and data access, since none of it is portable.
Wrong for
A company with relational data, finance-style reporting or a requirement to avoid US-owned infrastructure.
Visit Firebase →
#6 AWS Amplify
Front-end toolkit that provisions backends inside AWS · United States · aws.amazon.com
aws hosting serverless
Amplify earns its place for organizations that already run on AWS. A developer defines data and auth in TypeScript, and the toolchain deploys real AWS services into the company's account, which means IAM, billing and compliance reviews work the way the security team expects. It also hosts the front end with branch builds and previews.
- Pricing: Usage-based. Pay as you go per build minute, hosting and backend resource; new AWS accounts receive up to $200 in Free Tier credits applicable to Amplify. Free plan: free trial.
- Best for: Teams already committed to AWS
- Strengths: Hosted authentication; Data modeling in TypeScript; GraphQL API.
Where it falls short
The abstraction leaks: when something breaks, you debug CloudFormation, Cognito or AppSync directly. Costs sit across several AWS services, so one bill answers few questions. Learning curve and configuration weight exceed Supabase or Firebase for a small team starting from nothing.
Wrong for
A two-person startup without AWS experience or a team that needs a quick prototype this week.
Visit AWS Amplify →
#7 Xano
Visual API builder on managed Postgres · United States · xano.com
no-code api builder postgres
Xano suits people who think in endpoints more than in tables. You build each API as a function stack in a visual editor, attach business logic, and expose it to a web or mobile front end made in Bubble, FlutterFlow or code. The plans are flat monthly figures, which makes budgeting easier than with request-metered rivals, and the Essential tier adds dedicated infrastructure, no API rate limit and branching.
- Pricing: Flat monthly. Free plan for development with a rate limit; Essential $85 per month billed annually ($99 monthly); Pro $224 per month billed annually ($249 monthly). Free plan: free plan.
- Best for: No-code front-end teams needing APIs
- Strengths: Visual API builder; Postgres database; Server-side business logic.
Where it falls short
The free plan is limited to ten API requests per twenty seconds, which rules out real traffic tests. Logic built in the visual editor lives inside Xano, so leaving means rebuilding it elsewhere.
Wrong for
A developer team that prefers code-first backends in its own repository.
Visit Xano →
#8 Back4App
Managed Parse Server hosting with flat app plans · United States · back4app.com
parse server hosted open source
Back4App takes the Parse Server open-source codebase, originally Facebook's, and runs it as a hosted product. The appeal is bounded cost: each app gets a fixed monthly plan with stated request, storage and transfer allowances, so a surge in traffic does not turn into an open-ended invoice. Because the engine is Parse, a team can move to its own Parse Server with the same SDKs.
- Pricing: Per unit / month. Free plan with 25,000 requests; MVP $15, Pay As You Go $80 and Dedicated $400 per app per month, with annual billing discounts; enterprise by quote. Free plan: free plan.
- Best for: Parse users wanting hosted simplicity
- Strengths: Managed Parse Server; Database with GraphQL and REST; Cloud Code functions.
Where it falls short
The platform is built on an aging open-source base, and the Parse community is smaller than it once was. Plans are per app, so several environments multiply the cost. Realtime features and the surrounding tooling feel dated beside Supabase or Convex.
Wrong for
A team starting a new project that wants a modern Postgres stack, or one needing many environments cheaply.
Visit Back4App →
#9 Hasura
GraphQL API layer over databases and services · United States · hasura.io
graphql api layer connectors
Hasura belongs on the list as a narrower tool. It does not give you auth, file storage or push messaging; it gives you a typed GraphQL API with filtering, pagination and authorization over PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server, MongoDB and other sources. Its Data Delivery Network version prices on active models, so cost follows the size of the data model, not the traffic, and the free tier has no request limit.
- Pricing: Usage-based. DDN Free at $0 for one supergraph developer; paid plans start at $5 per active model per month (Base) and $30 per active model per month (Advanced). Free plan: free plan.
- Best for: Teams with existing databases to expose
- Strengths: GraphQL API generation; Database connectors; Field-level authorization.
Where it falls short
You must bring your own authentication, storage and business logic, so it is a component, not a full backend. Version 3 changed the architecture and metadata format, which left earlier users facing migration work. Pricing by active model is unfamiliar and needs a worked quote.
Wrong for
A small team that wants login, uploads and a database ready on day one.
Visit Hasura →
#10 PocketBase
Single-file open-source backend built on SQLite · Not specified · pocketbase.io
open source sqlite self-hosted
PocketBase is the cheapest way to get a working backend: download one binary, run it, and you have a database with a schema builder, user sign-up, file uploads and a dashboard. It extends through Go or JavaScript hooks and can be used as a Go framework.
- Pricing: Open source. Free and open source; the only cost is the server you run it on, since there is no hosted plan or paid support. Free plan: open source.
- Best for: Hobby and internal projects, cheap hosting
- Strengths: Embedded SQLite database; Realtime subscriptions; Email and OAuth2 authentication.
Where it falls short
A single SQLite file on one server means no built-in horizontal scaling or managed backups, and you handle both. No company, no support contract and no promise of maintenance, as the FAQ itself says. The project is still pre-1.0, so breaking changes are possible.
Wrong for
Any business that needs a vendor, an SLA or compliance paperwork.
Visit PocketBase →
#11 Backendless
Visual app builder with codeless backend logic · United States · backendless.com
low-code visual builder self-hosted
Backendless tries to cover both halves of an app: a visual UI builder for the front end and a codeless logic designer for the server, with the data and user services underneath. Its pricing page offers the free cloud plan with every feature, then points larger firms to Backendless Pro, which can be installed on a laptop, a private data center or a public cloud.
- Pricing: Open source + paid tiers. Free cloud plan with all features and no card; paid cloud plans scale with server and database resources; Pro self-hosted licensing is free and Managed Backendless is a paid service. Free plan: free plan.
- Best for: Non-developers building apps visually
- Strengths: Codeless logic builder; UI builder; Database and REST API.
Where it falls short
Documentation and community activity are quieter than around the leaders, and the visual approach grows awkward as logic becomes complex. Paid cloud tiers are not detailed in the summary page, so budgeting requires a closer read.
Wrong for
A developer team wanting code in Git, TypeScript tooling and modern CI.
Visit Backendless →
Questions and answers
What is the best backend as a service platform in 2026?
Supabase ranks first of 11, best for teams that want SQL underneath. Appwrite is second (teams that may self-host later) and Convex third (typeScript teams building live apps). Places 1 to 3 go to challengers, vendors outside the best-known brands, wherever the category has them.
What is the difference between BaaS and PaaS?
A BaaS supplies backend features such as a database, login and file storage that your client code calls directly. A PaaS runs your own server code and leaves the backend design to you.
Is Firebase still a good choice?
For a mobile-first app that needs push messaging, crash reporting and offline sync, yes. Spark costs nothing to start and the client libraries are mature.
Which backend as a service can I self-host?
Supabase, Appwrite, Convex, Nhost, Hasura, PocketBase and the Pro edition of Backendless can all be run on infrastructure you control, though each has limits on which features and support come along. Firebase and AWS Amplify cannot leave their clouds.
Is there a European backend as a service?
Nhost AB is registered in Sweden and names a Stockholm-area address in its privacy policy. Appwrite is Israeli, Supabase is Singapore-based, and the rest on our list are American.
How much does a BaaS cost for a small production app?
A small production app on Supabase or Nhost typically starts at the $25 Pro tier plus compute and usage. Back4App begins at $15 per app, Xano at $85 per month billed annually, and Convex at $25 per developer.
Can I use SQL with a backend as a service?
Yes with Supabase and Nhost, which expose a real Postgres database, and with Xano, which sits on Postgres but steers you toward its visual builder. Hasura generates GraphQL over SQL sources.
What happens to my users' passwords if I leave?
That depends on the vendor. Self-hosted open-source platforms let you read the auth tables directly, including password hashes, so migration is feasible. Firebase offers a documented hash export for its own auth, while some others require users to reset passwords.
Is a no-code backend like Xano or Backendless enough for production?
For internal tools, MVPs and APIs behind a no-code front end, often yes. Xano's paid tiers add dedicated infrastructure, and Backendless offers on-premise installs.
Should I choose PocketBase for a business app?
Only with open eyes. It is excellent for prototypes, internal tools and low-traffic apps on one cheap server, and its single-binary design is easy to run.
How do I avoid surprise bills on usage-based plans?
Set budget alerts and, where offered, hard spending caps before launch. Index your queries, cache reads on the client and avoid listeners that re-fetch whole collections. Review usage dashboards weekly in the first months.
