Quick answer
Supabase - Supabase wins for most builders because its free tier is more useful for real app backends, with generous API, auth, and database limits, while Koyeb is better only if you want general-purpose hosting and compute with a small included credit.
How the free tiers compare
These two free tiers solve different problems. Koyeb is a cloud hosting platform first: serverless containers, compute credit, managed Postgres, many deployment options, and broad infrastructure features like custom domains, scaling, and regional deployment. Its free tier is narrower in practical capacity, but it gives builders a way to run services and a small database without immediate setup cost. Supabase is more opinionated: it is a backend platform centered on Postgres plus auth, storage, realtime, Edge Functions, and API access. For most builders, that makes the free tier more immediately useful for shipping an app backend, especially because API requests are unlimited and the auth stack is included. Koyeb fits better when you need to host arbitrary services, deploy containers, or run compute alongside a small database. Supabase fits better when the core of your app is data and auth.
Koyeb vs Supabase free tier, side by side
| KoyebFTV 40 | SupabaseFTV 50 | |
|---|---|---|
| API requestsSupabase explicitly includes unlimited API requests for database access and operations. | Not specified | Unlimited |
| Database includedKoyeb frames this as included Postgres usage; Supabase ties it to a per-project database limit. | Free Postgres: 5 hours per month at $0/hr, 1 GB storage, 0.25 vCPU, 1 GB RAM | 500 MB database size per project |
| Bandwidth / egressKoyeb is much looser on bandwidth in the free tier. | 1 TB per month included | 5 GB egress bandwidth, plus 5 GB cached egress |
| Projects / servicesThese are not the same unit, but they indicate Koyeb is broader on service count while Supabase constrains active projects. | Up to 100 services | Limit of 2 active projects |
| Users / MAUsKoyeb’s user limit is for platform users; Supabase’s is for end users of the app. | Up to 10 users | Up to 50,000 monthly active users |
| Builds / functionsKoyeb limits build concurrency, while Supabase limits function runtime volume. | 5 concurrent builds | 500,000 Edge Function invocations |
| Logging retentionPaid tiers extend retention on both products. | 7 days of realtime metrics and logs | 1 day of API and database log retention |
| Custom domainsKoyeb includes explicit domain support in the free tier. | 10 custom domains included | Not specified |
After you outgrow the free tier
Koyeb’s paid path starts with Pro at $29/mo plus compute, then Scale at $299/mo plus compute, with Enterprise on custom pricing. That is a mostly flat platform fee layered on top of usage-based compute. Supabase starts at Pro from $25/mo, but it is explicitly usage-based: the plan includes fixed allowances and then charges per MAU, GB, and function invocation. For small teams, Supabase is usually cheaper if usage stays modest, while Koyeb’s base fee is slightly higher but the free tier already covers a lot of hosting surface area. As usage grows, Supabase costs diverge faster when MAUs, storage, egress, or function calls climb.
Cost at real usage
| Usage | Koyeb | Supabase |
|---|---|---|
| 100,000 monthly active users, 8 GB disk, 250 GB egress, 250 GB cached egress, 100 GB storage, 2 million Edge Function invocationsSupabase’s Pro plan includes these allowances; charges start only beyond them. | Not enough pricing data for an exact total beyond $29/mo +compute | $25/mo base, with included quotas covering this usage |
| 150,000 monthly active users onlySupabase: 100,000 included, then 50,000 x $0.00325 = $0.1625 over base, so about $25.16 before any other usage charges. | Not enough pricing data | ~$25.16/mo |
| 500 GB egress onlySupabase: 250 GB included, then 250 x $0.09 = $22.50 over base, so about $47.50 before other usage. | Not enough pricing data | ~$47.50/mo |
| 3 million Edge Function invocations onlySupabase: 2 million included, then 1 million x $2 = $2 over base, so about $27.00 before other usage. | Not enough pricing data | ~$27.00/mo |
Estimates, not quotes. Usage-based rates change - verify with the vendor's pricing page before committing.
When to pick each one
Pick Koyeb when…
- You want to deploy containers, APIs, or worker services without managing infrastructure.
- You need global app hosting with built-in HTTPS, DDoS protection, private networking, and load balancing.
- You want a small included Postgres footprint plus compute credit in one platform.
- You are testing multi-service deployments and want up to 100 services on the free tier.
- You care more about general hosting flexibility than about a full backend toolkit.
Pick Supabase when…
- You are building an app backend around Postgres, auth, storage, and realtime.
- You need unlimited API requests on the free tier for database access and operations.
- You want built-in auth features like social OAuth, MFA, custom SMTP, and JWT hooks.
- You are prototyping a product that needs Edge Functions and realtime without stitching together separate services.
- You want the free tier to cover many backend features before you pay for more scale.
Bottom line
For the most common builder use case, Supabase is the better free-tier pick because it gives you a more complete backend out of the box: Postgres, auth, APIs, storage, realtime, and a lot of room before billing starts. Koyeb is the better choice when your app is really a set of hosted services or containers and you want a broader cloud platform, not a backend suite. If you are deciding where to start for a new app, Supabase is usually the simpler and more useful free tier.
Read the full listings: Koyeb and Supabase. Scores use the FTV methodology at /ftv. Browse more head-to-heads on /compare, or see the top-ranked free tiers on /top.