Quick answer
Prisma - For most builders, Prisma wins if you want the smallest, no-card starter tier for database work; Supabase wins if you need a broader backend in one place, but its free plan is more constrained by account-level limits and requires a card.
How the free tiers compare
Prisma and Supabase both start with capped free tiers, but they optimize for different jobs. Prisma’s free plan is narrower and more database-centric: Postgres operations, storage, database count, and Prisma Accelerate usage, with no credit card required. That makes it a cleaner fit if you mainly want a managed database plus ORM tooling and you want to test without payment friction. Supabase’s free plan is broader: it bundles Postgres, auth, storage, realtime, Edge Functions, logs, and dashboard access, so it can replace more backend pieces at once. The tradeoff is that its free tier has more visible operational limits, including 2 active projects, 50,000 MAUs, 500 MB database size, and 500,000 Edge Function invocations, and the input says a card is required. After the free tier, Prisma’s pricing stays tightly tied to database operations, storage, and egress, while Supabase quickly adds per-MAU and per-resource charges.
Prisma vs Supabase free tier, side by side
| PrismaFTV 58 | SupabaseFTV 50 | |
|---|---|---|
| No credit card requiredOnly claim this because the field is present in the input. | Yes | Not stated as no; card is required |
| Free database size / storageDifferent quota types, but both cap the free tier at 500 MB. | 500 MB storage included | 500 MB database size per project |
| Free databases / projectsNot the same unit, but it shows Prisma allows more free database instances while Supabase limits active projects. | Up to 5 databases included | Limit of 2 active projects |
| Free API / database operationsSupabase is unlimited for API requests, while Prisma caps operations. | 100,000 Prisma Postgres operations included | Unlimited API requests for database access and operations |
| Free edge / compute usageThese are different products of the platform, but both expose a capped free usage bucket. | 60,000 Prisma Accelerate operations included | 500,000 Edge Function invocations |
| Free bandwidth / egressPrisma’s egress is query-based; Supabase uses bandwidth caps. | First 1 KiB per query egress included | 5 GB egress bandwidth and 5 GB cached egress bandwidth |
After you outgrow the free tier
Prisma’s paid plans are usage-based with a low entry point: Starter begins at $10/month, then charges per million Postgres operations, per GB of storage, and per GiB of egress above included amounts. Supabase also starts usage-based at $25/month for Pro, with charges for MAUs, disk, egress, cached egress, file storage, and Edge Functions. In common small-team use, Prisma is cheaper if you mainly need database operations and modest storage; Supabase can stay close on light usage, but it adds more metered dimensions as soon as you use auth, functions, or bandwidth heavily.
Cost at real usage
| Usage | Prisma | Supabase |
|---|---|---|
| Low-traffic app with 1 database and under free-tier limitsSupabase free tier still has the 2 active project and other caps. | Free (within tier) | Free (within tier) |
| Around 1M Prisma Postgres ops / 1 project database workloadPrisma Starter includes 1,000,000 operations; Supabase Pro starts at $25 regardless. | $10/mo | From $25/mo |
| 100,000 MAUs, light storage, and moderate bandwidthPrisma does not price by MAU in the input. | No MAU-based pricing provided | From $25/mo plus overages if usage exceeds included quotas |
| 2 million Edge Function invocationsSupabase Pro includes 2 million invocations, then $2 per 1 million. | No comparable compute pricing provided | From $25/mo |
Estimates, not quotes. Usage-based rates change - verify with the vendor's pricing page before committing.
When to pick each one
Pick Prisma when…
- You want a database-first free tier with no credit card required.
- You are evaluating Prisma ORM and want the hosting layer to match that workflow.
- Your app is small and you mainly need Postgres operations, modest storage, and a few databases.
- You want predictable starter costs at low scale, with a $10/month entry tier.
- You do not need auth, realtime, or Edge Functions yet.
Pick Supabase when…
- You want one platform for Postgres, auth, storage, realtime, and serverless functions.
- You need unlimited API requests for database access in the free tier.
- You are building a prototype that needs social OAuth, basic MFA, or custom auth hooks.
- You want a free tier that includes realtime subscriptions and Edge Functions.
- You expect to grow into MAU-based pricing and want a backend platform rather than just database infrastructure.
Bottom line
For the most common builder choosing a free tier, Prisma is the better pick if your priority is a no-card database starter with straightforward caps and an easy path into paid usage-based scaling. Supabase is the better choice if you want the free tier to cover more of the backend stack, especially auth, realtime, storage, and functions. If you are deciding purely on free-tier convenience and database workflow, Prisma is simpler. If you want a broader backend in one place, Supabase gives you more surface area, but with more limits to watch.
Read the full listings: Prisma 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.