Comparison
tinbase vs Supabase
tinbase and Supabase speak the same protocols, so this is less a rivalry than a division of labour: tinbase for a Docker-free local and embedded backend, hosted Supabase for the managed production platform.
At a glance
tinbase
Local dev and embedded use, no Docker, wire-compatible with Supabase.
Supabase
The full managed production platform, cloud-hosted and battle-tested.
Feature by feature
tinbase vs Supabase, compared
Colour is a hint, not a verdict: green marks a tinbase strength, amber an area where it is still catching up. Footprint figures come from the reproducible benchmarks.
| tinbase | Supabase | |
|---|---|---|
| License | MIT, open source | Apache 2.0, open source |
| Database | Real Postgres 17 (native or WASM) | Managed Postgres |
| Client SDK | supabase-js, unchanged | supabase-js |
| Local dev without Docker | Yes, one process | No, 12-container Docker stack |
| Runs in the browser / embedded | Yes (PGlite / pg-mem in-process) | No |
| Memory (local dev) | ~59 MB native, ~66 MB binary | ~1.4-1.6 GB local stack |
| Boot time (local) | ~2 s | ~1 min (containers) |
| Self-hosting | Single binary, no runtime deps | Docker Compose / Kubernetes |
| Managed cloud hosting | Not yet (on the roadmap) | Yes, mature managed platform |
| Production maturity | Alpha — local / prototype / embedded | Production-ready, widely used |
| Realtime | postgres_changes, broadcast, presence + RLS | Same |
| Auth | Email, OAuth, magic link, MFA/TOTP | Full GoTrue incl. phone, SSO/SAML |
| Storage | S3-style, RLS, signed URLs, TUS | Same, plus image transforms |
| Row Level Security | Postgres RLS, enforced per-request | Postgres RLS |
| Migrations | supabase/migrations, portable both ways | Same conventions |
| pgvector, SSO/SAML, phone auth, image transforms | Some planned | Available |
Which should you choose?
Choose tinbase if
- You want local Supabase development without running Docker
- You need the backend to run in-process, in a browser tab, or inside a single binary
- You care about a tiny memory footprint and ~2s boot for CI and prototypes
- You want to keep supabase-js and your migrations portable to hosted Supabase later
Choose Supabase if
- You need a managed, production-grade cloud backend today
- You rely on features tinbase has not reached yet, such as SSO/SAML, phone auth, pgvector, or image transforms
- You want managed backups, scaling, dashboards, and team collaboration
Keep exploring
Supabase alternativeWhy tinbase works as a Supabase alternative, and the migration path.tinbase vs FirebaseA mature, managed, mobile-first NoSQL cloud at global scale.tinbase vs PocketBaseThe lightest single-binary backend, on SQLite, production-ready.tinbase vs AppwriteA mature multi-SDK platform, self-hosted via Docker.
Frequently asked questions
- Is tinbase a drop-in replacement for Supabase?
- For local development, largely yes: tinbase is wire-compatible, so supabase-js and your supabase/migrations work unchanged. It is not a replacement for the hosted Supabase cloud in production — tinbase is alpha and aimed at local dev, prototypes, CI, and embedded or in-browser use. Hosted Supabase stays the production destination.
- Do I have to rewrite my code to use tinbase?
- No. tinbase implements the same PostgREST, GoTrue, Storage, and Realtime protocols, so you point the official supabase-js client at it and your existing queries, auth flows, and realtime subscriptions run as-is.
- Can I move from tinbase to hosted Supabase later?
- Yes, that is the intended path. tinbase reads and writes the same supabase/migrations/*.sql and seed.sql files with the same tracking table, so you push the same files to hosted Supabase when you are ready for production.
- How much lighter is tinbase than local Supabase?
- The Supabase CLI local stack runs about 12 containers at roughly 1.4-1.6 GB of RAM. tinbase serves the same APIs from one process at about 59 MB (native engine) to 66 MB (single binary) under load, and boots in about two seconds instead of a minute.
Try it in one command
No Docker, no sign-up. Point the supabase-js SDK you already know at a real Postgres backend running in a single process.
npx tinbase start