An honest comparison. Cloud backends have managed ops. We acknowledge that. nself wins on ownership, cost at scale, and extensibility. Built by one person, in Brooklyn, with no investors.
| Feature | nself | Supabase | Nhost | Firebase | Appwrite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ownership | |||||
Self-hosted by default | CLI installs on any Linux server | Available but complex setup | Cloud-hosted only | Google Cloud only | Docker-based self-host |
License | MIT | Apache 2.0 (some BSL) | MIT | Proprietary | BSD-3-Clause |
| Data | |||||
Database engine | PostgreSQL 16 | PostgreSQL 15 | PostgreSQL 14+ | Firestore (NoSQL) | MariaDB (abstracted) |
Direct DB access | Full psql / any client | Direct connection string | Direct connection string | SDK only, no SQL | REST API only |
Vector / pgvector | pgvector enabled by default | pgvector extension available | Manual Postgres extension install | Not available | Not available |
| API | |||||
GraphQL API | Hasura with subscriptions | pg_graphql extension (basic) | Hasura with subscriptions | No native GraphQL | REST only |
REST API | Via Hasura REST endpoints | PostgREST auto-generated | Via Hasura REST endpoints | REST + client SDKs | Full REST API |
Realtime subscriptions | Hasura WebSocket subscriptions | Postgres logical replication | Hasura WebSocket subscriptions | Firestore real-time listeners | WebSocket events |
| Auth | |||||
Auth providers | Email, OAuth, magic link, SMS | Email, OAuth, phone, anonymous | Email, OAuth, magic link, SMS | 30+ providers, phone, anonymous | Email, OAuth, phone, anonymous |
RLS / row-level security | Hasura role-based permissions | Postgres RLS policies | Hasura role-based permissions | Security Rules | Document-level permissions |
| Storage | |||||
Storage (S3-compatible) | MinIO on your server | S3-backed cloud storage | S3-backed cloud storage | Cloud Storage (GCS, not S3) | Built-in, not S3-compatible |
| Compute | |||||
Edge / serverless functions | Functions service (optional) | Edge Functions (Deno) | Serverless Functions (Node) | Cloud Functions (Node/Python) | Functions (multiple runtimes) |
| Extensibility | |||||
Full-text search | MeiliSearch (built-in) | Postgres FTS (pg_fts) | No built-in search | Algolia / Typesense (third-party) | Built-in search |
Plugin system | 112 plugins (25 free, 87 pro) | Extensions + Edge Functions | Hasura Actions + webhooks | Extensions marketplace | Functions ecosystem |
| Developer Experience | |||||
CLI tool | Single Go binary, all ops | supabase CLI | nhost CLI | firebase CLI | appwrite CLI |
Admin UI | Local companion (localhost:3021) | Web dashboard (Supabase Studio) | Web dashboard | Firebase Console | Web console |
| Enterprise | |||||
Multi-tenancy model | Table prefixes + Hasura roles | Manual via RLS policies | Manual via Hasura permissions | Manual via Security Rules | Teams + project isolation |
White-label support | Custom domains + branding | ||||
Custom domains | Via nginx config | Custom domains on Pro+ | Custom domains on paid plans | Firebase Hosting | Custom domains supported |
Billing built-in | Stripe plugin, usage metering | Build your own | Build your own | Build your own | Build your own |
SSO / SAML | Via auth plugin config | Enterprise plan only | Via Identity Platform upgrade | ||
SOC 2 path | Self-hosted = your audit scope | SOC 2 Type II certified | In progress | Google Cloud SOC 2 | Self-hosted = your audit scope |
| Operations | |||||
Backup / PITR | CLI backup + PITR via WAL | Daily backups, PITR on Pro+ | Automated backups | Manual export only | Manual backup via CLI |
| Pricing | |||||
Pricing floor (startup, 10K MAU) | $0 CLI + ~$5/mo VPS | $25/mo Pro plan | $25/mo Starter plan | $0 free tier, ~$25/mo at 10K MAU | $0 self-hosted + ~$5/mo VPS |
Comparison based on publicly available information, verified April 2026. Managed cloud providers offer convenience that self-hosting does not. This table shows ownership, cost, and capability tradeoffs.
Where Supabase wins
Where nself wins
Where Firebase wins
Where nself wins
Where Nhost wins
Where nself wins
| Scale | nself | Supabase | Nhost | Firebase | Appwrite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Startup (10K MAU) | $5/mo (VPS) + $0 CLI | $25/mo (Pro plan) | $25/mo (Starter) | ~$25/mo (Blaze pay-as-you-go) | $5/mo (VPS) + $0 self-hosted |
| Growth (100K MAU) | $10-20/mo (larger VPS) | $75-150/mo (Pro + overages) | $75-150/mo (Pro + overages) | ~$200-500/mo (usage-based) | $10-20/mo (larger VPS) |
| Scale (1M MAU) | $50-100/mo (dedicated server) | $500-2000/mo (Enterprise) | $500-1500/mo (Enterprise) | ~$2000-5000/mo (usage-based) | $50-100/mo (dedicated server) |
nself and Appwrite costs are VPS-only since both are self-hosted. Cloud providers charge per usage (reads, writes, bandwidth, storage) which makes costs unpredictable at scale. Prices verified 2026-04-26.
AI personal assistant
ɳClaw: $0.99/mo + your server
ChatGPT Plus: $20/mo
Media server and player
ɳTV: Free (ɳTV bundle $0.99/mo)
Plex Pass: $5/mo or $120 lifetime
Self-hosted messaging
ɳChat: Free (ɳChat bundle $0.99/mo for video)
Signal: Free (centralized servers)
Task management
ɳTasks: Free (free plugins only)
Todoist Pro: $5/mo
AI dev environment
ClawDE: Free (ClawDE bundle $0.99/mo)
Cursor Pro: $20/mo
Everything in one subscription
ɳSelf+: $3.99/mo ($39.99/yr)
Buying separately: $65+/mo
The core CLI is MIT-licensed and free forever. Become a member to enable 87 paid plugins.