The short version: pick Supabase if a small team building a web app that wants postgres and auth without running either. Pick Neon if a team running preview environments that wants a throwaway database branch for every pull request.
Head to head
| Supabase | Neon | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Freemium | Freemium |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Platforms | Web, CLI | Web |
| Best for | A small team building a web app that wants Postgres and auth without running either. | A team running preview environments that wants a throwaway database branch for every pull request. |
| Weakness | Free projects pause after inactivity, and row-level security policies take real effort to get right. | The free tier suspends idle databases and the first query afterwards is slow, and the branching model is a concept your team has to learn before it pays off. |
The verdict
Supabase and Neon overlap less than the marketing suggests. Supabase exists for a small team building a web app that wants postgres and auth without running either. Neon exists for a team running preview environments that wants a throwaway database branch for every pull request. If you are both, you are the rare case where running two tools is cheaper than picking one badly.
Where they both fall down: free projects pause after inactivity, and row-level security policies take real effort to get right. and the free tier suspends idle databases and the first query afterwards is slow, and the branching model is a concept your team has to learn before it pays off.
Frequently asked
Is Supabase or Neon better?
Neither in general. Supabase is the better pick if a small team building a web app that wants postgres and auth without running either. Neon wins if a team running preview environments that wants a throwaway database branch for every pull request.
Is Neon cheaper than Supabase?
Supabase is freemium, Neon is freemium. The sticker price is rarely the bill — check the pricing section of each review.
Can I use both Supabase and Neon?
Plenty of teams do, usually with one as the system of record and the other for a specific workflow. It doubles the migration cost later, so pick a side before year two.