Quick answer
Supabase - Supabase wins for most builders who want to stay on a free tier longer, because its free plan has higher ceilings and more headroom on usage, while Nhost is the simpler pick if you want a smaller but cardless backend with an easier path to paid flat pricing.
How the free tiers compare
These two free tiers solve similar backend problems, but they differ in how far you can stretch them before paying. Nhost’s free Starter plan is narrower: one project, 1 GB database, 1 GB storage, 5 GB egress, and a small functions allowance, but it is cardless and comes with a managed backend stack that feels straightforward. Supabase gives more breathing room on the free tier: two active projects, 50,000 monthly active users, unlimited API requests, 500,000 Edge Function invocations, and more detailed product surface area around auth, realtime, and storage. The tradeoff is that Supabase requires a card, and its paid plan is usage-based, so costs can rise with traffic and storage. Nhost’s paid ladder is flat until enterprise, which is easier to predict once you outgrow free.
Nhost vs Supabase free tier, side by side
| NhostFTV 55 | SupabaseFTV 50 | |
|---|---|---|
| Active projectsSupabase allows one more active project on free. | 1 project per organization | 2 active projects |
| Database storageNhost gives more free database storage. | 1 GB | 500 MB per project |
| File storageSame free storage limit. | 1 GB | 1 GB |
| Egress bandwidthSame free egress limit. | 5 GB | 5 GB |
| API requestsSupabase states unlimited API requests; Nhost does not give a numeric request cap here. | GraphQL API included | Unlimited API requests |
| UsersNhost is unbounded on auth users in the free tier; Supabase caps MAUs. | Unlimited users | Up to 50,000 monthly active users |
| FunctionsDifferent units, so these are not directly comparable. | Up to 10 functions and 1 GB-hours of execution | 500,000 Edge Function invocations |
| RealtimeSupabase gives a numeric realtime message cap; Nhost does not. | Realtime APIs included | Postgres changes included for realtime, up to 2 million messages/month |
| Credit card requiredOnly stated because the field is present for both products. | No | Yes |
After you outgrow the free tier
Nhost uses simple flat pricing after free: Pro starts at $25/month, Team at $599/month, then Enterprise is custom. Supabase also starts at $25/month on Pro, but that plan is usage-based, so the bill can move with MAUs, disk, egress, storage, and Edge Function invocations. That makes Supabase cheaper at very low paid usage if you stay inside included quotas, but it can climb as traffic grows. Nhost is easier to budget once you pay because the first paid tier is a flat monthly fee.
Cost at real usage
| Usage | Nhost | Supabase |
|---|---|---|
| 100k monthly active users, 8 GB disk, 250 GB egress, 100 GB storage, 2 million Edge Function invocationsSupabase Pro includes these amounts; Nhost Pro is flat and includes 10 GB database, 50 GB storage, 50 GB egress, and 50 functions. | $25/mo | $25/mo |
| 150k monthly active users, 8 GB disk, 250 GB egress, 100 GB storage, 2 million Edge Function invocationsSupabase adds 50k MAUs at $0.00325 each, with other listed quotas still inside Pro. | $25/mo | ~$25.16/mo |
| 100k monthly active users, 8 GB disk, 300 GB egress, 100 GB storage, 2 million Edge Function invocationsSupabase adds 50 GB egress at $0.09 per GB over the included 250 GB. | $25/mo | ~$29.50/mo |
| 100k monthly active users, 8 GB disk, 250 GB egress, 150 GB storage, 3 million Edge Function invocationsSupabase adds 50 GB file storage at $0.021 per GB and 1 million extra Edge Function invocations at $2 per million. | $25/mo | ~$27.57/mo |
Estimates, not quotes. Usage-based rates change - verify with the vendor's pricing page before committing.
When to pick each one
Pick Nhost when…
- You want a free backend without entering card details first.
- You are building one small app and do not need much storage or egress headroom.
- You prefer predictable flat-rate pricing once you upgrade.
- You want GraphQL, auth, storage, and functions in a compact starter setup.
- You need a managed backend that is easy to pause and unpause on the free plan.
Pick Supabase when…
- You expect more than one small project on the free tier.
- You want to prototype with higher user counts before paying.
- You need unlimited API requests or a larger free functions allowance.
- You care about auth, realtime subscriptions, and storage under one Postgres platform.
- You are okay with a card requirement and want a usage-based path after free.
Bottom line
For the common builder choosing a free backend, Supabase is the better default if you want the most room to grow before paying, especially for API-heavy or multi-project prototypes. Nhost is the cleaner choice if you value no-card signup and want a straightforward flat-rate upgrade path later. In practice, Supabase gives more free capacity, while Nhost gives a simpler billing story once you move beyond the starter tier.
Read the full listings: Nhost 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.