> Full Neon documentation index: https://neon.com/docs/llms.txt

# Neon vs Supabase - Aug 2026

Compare the two Postgres backends, service by service

**Note:** Feature and pricing claims in this guide were verified against the live Neon and Supabase documentation on August 13, 2026. Both products change quickly, so confirm the [Neon pricing](https://neon.com/pricing) and [Supabase pricing](https://supabase.com/pricing) pages before making a buying decision.

Neon and Supabase each give you a full backend built around Postgres: a managed database plus authentication, file storage, serverless functions, and data APIs, so a small team can run an application without assembling those services from separate vendors. They make different architectural and product choices, though. Neon builds every service on a branchable, serverless core, where compute scales with demand and a branch clones your whole backend. Supabase pairs a dedicated Postgres instance with a tightly integrated service suite. Which one fits depends on your workload shape, the services you need today, and how you want to pay.

This guide compares Neon and Supabase service by service. For quotas, prices, and worked cost examples, pick the guide that matches where you are:

- [Stage 1: Prototyping](https://neon.com/guides/neon-vs-supabase-free-plan): Compare the free plans for prototypes, side projects, and AI-assisted development
- [Stage 2: MVP and startup](https://neon.com/guides/neon-launch-plan-vs-supabase-pro-plan): Compare the Neon Launch and Supabase Pro plans for an app with real users
- [Stage 3: Scaling](https://neon.com/guides/neon-scale-plan-vs-supabase-team-plan): Compare the Neon Scale and Supabase Team plans for larger production workloads

## At a glance

| Service                   | Neon                                                                                                                                                                           | Supabase                                                                                                                                                             |
| ------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Database                  | Lakebase Postgres: serverless Postgres 14-18 with autoscaling, scale-to-zero, and copy-on-write branching ([source](https://neon.com/docs/introduction/architecture-overview)) | Traditional Postgres: a dedicated instance per project, sized Nano to 16XL ([source](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/platform/compute-and-disk))                    |
| Auth                      | Managed Better Auth; branches with your database; works with or without RLS; up to 1M MAU on paid plans ([source](https://neon.com/docs/auth/overview))                        | Supabase Auth; passwords, social, SSO, MFA; protecting data relies on RLS policies you write ([source](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/api/securing-your-api))      |
| Data API                  | PostgREST-compatible REST API ([source](https://neon.com/docs/data-api/overview))                                                                                              | PostgREST REST API plus GraphQL via `pg_graphql` ([source](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/api))                                                                    |
| Functions                 | Node.js 24 functions deployed onto a branch ([source](https://neon.com/docs/compute/functions/overview))                                                                       | Edge Functions on a Deno runtime ([source](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/functions))                                                                              |
| File storage              | S3-compatible object storage with a namespace per branch; scales independently from your Postgres database ([source](https://neon.com/docs/storage/overview))                  | S3-compatible storage with CDN and image optimization ([source](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/storage))                                                           |
| AI Gateway                | One credential for models from multiple providers (paid plans); inference free during beta, then provider list prices ([source](https://neon.com/docs/ai-gateway/overview))    | Not currently offered                                                                                                                                                |
| Realtime                  | Not offered as a managed service; Functions can host WebSocket backends ([source](https://neon.com/docs/compute/functions/websockets))                                         | Managed Broadcast, Presence, and Postgres Changes ([source](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/realtime))                                                              |
| Jobs and cron             | `pg_cron` available; only runs with active compute; managed jobs planned ([source](https://neon.com/docs/extensions/pg_cron))                                                  | Managed Cron and Queues, built on `pg_cron` and `pgmq` ([cron](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/cron), [queues](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/queues/quickstart)) |
| Projects                  | 100, up to 1,000 on Scale; idle projects consume no compute ([source](https://neon.com/docs/introduction/plans#projects))                                                      | 2 on Free; on paid, first project included, then additional projects from $10/month each, billed as hourly compute ([source](https://supabase.com/pricing))          |
| Network transfer (egress) | 500 GB per project on paid plans, then $0.10/GB ([source](https://neon.com/docs/introduction/plans#public-network-transfer))                                                   | 250 GB pooled across the organization on paid plans, then $0.09/GB ([source](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/platform/manage-your-usage/egress))                    |
| Pricing shape             | Metered usage, no monthly minimum ([source](https://neon.com/docs/introduction/plans))                                                                                         | Base subscription plus hourly per-project compute ([source](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/platform/manage-your-usage/compute))                                    |

The core difference is what a "backend" is on each side: on Neon it's a branch, a copy-on-write clone of the database and every attached service; on Supabase it's a project, one instance with the whole suite wired to it. Most of the rows above follow from that split.

The Projects and Network transfer rows show the same split at the commercial level. Neon's transfer allowance is per project, so it scales with the number of projects you run, and idle projects consume no compute; Supabase pools one transfer allowance across the organization and bills each project as its own always-on instance. The [Launch plan vs Pro plan guide](https://neon.com/guides/neon-launch-plan-vs-supabase-pro-plan) works the crossover in dollars.

## Architecture

![Neon runs independent services on Lakebase Postgres, a serverless core that separates compute from storage, while Supabase builds its services on a traditional Postgres instance that couples compute and disk, with auth, API, and storage state living in the database](https://neon.com/docs/guides/neon-vs-supabase-architecture.svg)

The practical difference shows up in two places:

| Key difference | Neon                                                                                                                                                          | Supabase                                                                                                                                                                        |
| -------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Elasticity     | Compute follows load between your limits; suspends when idle, back in a few hundred ms ([source](https://neon.com/docs/introduction/scale-to-zero))           | Fixed instance size billed hourly; manual resize, usually under two minutes of downtime ([source](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/platform/compute-and-disk#compute-upgrades)) |
| Environments   | A branch is a copy-on-write clone of the database and its services, from now or a past point in time ([source](https://neon.com/docs/introduction/branching)) | A branch is a separate environment rebuilt from migrations and seed files, no production data by default ([source](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/deployment/branching))      |

The elasticity difference is measurable. Across Neon's fleet, production databases use 2.4x less compute under autoscaling than the same workloads would provision at P99.5 + 20% ([autoscaling report](https://neon.com/autoscaling-report)).

## Service by service

### Database

Both are real Postgres with the standard drivers and tooling. Neon's database is [Lakebase Postgres](https://neon.com/docs/introduction/architecture-overview): Postgres 14 through 18 running on separated compute and storage ([source](https://neon.com/docs/reference/compatibility)). Supabase runs traditional Postgres: a dedicated instance with its own disk.

| Key difference | Lakebase Postgres (Neon)                                                                                                          | Traditional Postgres (Supabase)                                                                                                                                      |
| -------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Compute        | Autoscales 0.25 to 16 CU, fixed sizes to 56 CU on the Scale plan ([source](https://neon.com/docs/introduction/plans#autoscaling)) | Provisioned instance per project, shared-CPU Nano to 64-core 16XL, with provisioned disk IOPS ([source](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/platform/compute-and-disk)) |
| Read replicas  | Extra computes on the same storage; no data duplication ([source](https://neon.com/docs/introduction/read-replicas))              | Separate instances kept in sync by physical replication ([source](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/platform/read-replicas))                                          |
| Pooling        | PgBouncer, up to 10,000 pooled connections per compute ([source](https://neon.com/docs/connect/connection-pooling))               | Supavisor, scales with instance size, up to 12,000 clients on 16XL ([source](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/platform/compute-and-disk#limits-and-constraints))     |
| Extensions     | [Neon extension list](https://neon.com/docs/extensions/pg-extensions)                                                             | [Supabase extension list](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/database/extensions)                                                                                      |

**How to choose:**

**Pick Neon** if you want the database to manage its own capacity: autoscaling, scale to zero, branches in seconds. **Pick Supabase** if you prefer the traditional model, a fixed instance you size, monitor, and resize yourself.

### Auth

Neon's [Managed Better Auth](https://neon.com/docs/auth/overview) is hosted [Better Auth](https://www.better-auth.com/); [Supabase Auth](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/auth) is Supabase's own product. Both store users in your Postgres.

| Key difference       | Neon Managed Better Auth                                                                                                                                                        | Supabase Auth                                                                                                                                                                        |
| -------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Sign-in methods      | Email/password, OAuth, magic links, email OTP, JWT, organization plugins ([source](https://neon.com/docs/auth/overview))                                                        | Passwords, social login, magic links, OTP, SAML SSO, MFA ([source](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/auth))                                                                           |
| Environments         | Auth state branches with the database, so a preview branch has working sign-in against a copy of real auth data ([source](https://neon.com/docs/auth/branching-authentication)) | Auth data is a project resource; preview branches start without it ([source](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/deployment/branching))                                                 |
| Access control       | Sessions verified server-side by Better Auth; RLS optional, used if you expose tables via the Data API ([source](https://neon.com/docs/data-api/access-control))                | Depends on RLS: clients reach the database directly, and the production checklist requires RLS on all tables ([source](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/deployment/going-into-prod)) |
| Included MAU         | 60,000 Free; 1M on paid plans ([source](https://neon.com/docs/introduction/plans#auth))                                                                                         | 50,000 Free; 100,000 Pro, then $0.00325 per MAU ([source](https://supabase.com/pricing))                                                                                             |
| Default email sender | Shared and rate-limited, verification codes only ([source](https://neon.com/docs/auth/production-checklist))                                                                    | Built-in, 2 auth emails per hour project-wide ([source](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/auth/rate-limits))                                                                          |

One production note for both: the default email senders are for development, so connect your own SMTP provider before launch.

Access control is the bigger difference. On Supabase, signing in is only half the job: your data is protected only when every exposed table has a correct RLS policy, which is why the production checklist requires RLS on all tables. On Neon, authorization runs in your application through Better Auth sessions; RLS only matters if you expose tables directly through the Data API.

**How to choose:**

**Pick Neon** if you'd rather control auth in code, with Better Auth sessions verified in your app. **Pick Supabase** if you want to push access governance down to database policies and depend on RLS, or if you need SAML SSO or MFA today.

### Functions

The two runtimes are built for different work.

| Key difference            | [Neon Functions](https://neon.com/docs/compute/functions/overview)                                                                                                                                           | [Supabase Edge Functions](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/functions)                                                                                              |
| ------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Runtime                   | Node.js 24                                                                                                                                                                                                   | Deno-compatible TypeScript runtime                                                                                                                                 |
| Placement                 | Deployed onto a branch, same region as its data, `DATABASE_URL` and service credentials injected                                                                                                             | Distributed at the edge, close to users, integrated with platform secrets and logs                                                                                 |
| Execution                 | Long-running: 15 minutes to first byte, streams stay open while data flows, 2 GiB memory, 100 concurrent invocations by default ([source](https://neon.com/docs/compute/functions/reference/runtime-limits)) | Short handlers: 256 MB memory, 2s CPU per invocation, 150s wall clock on Free and 400s on paid plans ([source](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/functions/limits)) |
| Included usage            | Usage limits ([source](https://neon.com/docs/introduction/plans))                                                                                                                                            | 500,000 invocations Free; 2M Pro ([source](https://supabase.com/pricing))                                                                                          |
| Scheduled and queued work | `pg_cron` for scheduling (runs only while compute is active), or pair Functions with an external queue ([source](https://neon.com/docs/extensions/pg_cron))                                                  | Managed [Cron](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/cron) and [Queues](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/queues/quickstart), built on `pg_cron` and `pgmq`              |

**How to choose:**

**Pick Neon** for long-running work next to your data: agents, WebSocket and SSE servers, multi-minute jobs. **Pick Supabase** for short, globally distributed handlers and built-in Cron and Queues.

### Storage

Both are S3-compatible, which matters because your existing SDKs and tools work.

| Key difference | [Neon Object Storage](https://neon.com/docs/storage/overview)                                                            | [Supabase Storage](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/storage)                                                |
| -------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Model          | Isolated namespace per branch; scales independently from your Postgres database; authenticated with your Neon credential | Project buckets with an [S3-compatible protocol](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/storage/s3/compatibility) |
| Delivery       | Branch environments get isolated file storage automatically                                                              | CDN, image optimization, resumable uploads                                                                  |
| Included usage | Usage limits ([source](https://neon.com/docs/introduction/plans))                                                        | 1 GB Free; 100 GB Pro, then $0.0213/GB ([source](https://supabase.com/pricing))                             |

**How to choose:**

**Pick Neon** if file storage should follow your environments, with an isolated namespace per branch. **Pick Supabase** if you need CDN delivery and image optimization on the bucket today.

### AI

- **Neon**: [AI Gateway](https://neon.com/docs/ai-gateway/overview) (paid plans) routes inference to models from Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Meta, Databricks, and Alibaba through a single Neon credential, free during the beta and at provider list prices with no markup once billing begins ([source](https://neon.com/docs/introduction/plans#ai-gateway)).
- **Supabase**: no AI gateway; its AI surface is [running models from Edge Functions](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/functions/ai-models) and [pgvector workflows](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/ai) for embeddings and search, a different problem than routing inference across providers.
- **Both**: `pgvector` in Postgres. Neither has a claim to "better vector search" without a benchmark for your workload.

**How to choose:**

**Pick Neon** for managed model routing: one credential, every major provider, list prices. **On Supabase**, there's no gateway, so plan to bring in a dedicated AI gateway vendor alongside it.

### Only on one side

- **Only on Supabase**: managed [Realtime](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/realtime) (Broadcast, Presence, Postgres Changes), GraphQL out of the box, and managed Cron and Queues products (built on `pg_cron` and `pgmq`). Neon has no managed cron or queue product today, though it supports the `pg_cron` extension (jobs run only while compute is active) and Functions can host WebSocket backends ([source](https://neon.com/docs/compute/functions/websockets)).
- **Only on Neon**: a database core that scales to zero, autoscales in place, and branches with data. Supabase's instance model doesn't offer those behaviors ([source](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/platform/compute-and-disk)).

## Branching

| Key difference | Neon branch                                                                                                                                                               | Supabase branch                                                                                                                                                                     |
| -------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| What it is     | Copy-on-write clone of the database at a point in time ([source](https://neon.com/docs/introduction/branching))                                                           | Separate environment with the full service stack and its own credentials ([source](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/deployment/branching))                                          |
| Data           | Production-shaped by default; schema-only branches and [anonymization workflows](https://neon.com/docs/workflows/data-anonymization) when production data should stay put | Built by rerunning migrations and seed files; production data is not copied by default ([source](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/deployment/branching/github-integration#seeding)) |
| Services       | Auth users, storage namespaces, and function deployments are branch-scoped                                                                                                | Full stack per branch; every branch exercises your migration history, catching migration bugs before production                                                                     |
| Cost and speed | Ready in seconds; stores only what diverges                                                                                                                               | Billed per hour of branch compute                                                                                                                                                   |

Both integrate with pull requests. For the workflow-level comparison, see [Branch-per-PR vs a shared staging database](https://neon.com/guides/branch-per-pr-vs-staging-database).

**How to choose:**

**Pick Neon** when previews need production-shaped data in seconds. **Pick Supabase** only if you want branches that hold nothing but a small amount of seed data you write and maintain yourself.

## Pricing models

**Neon meters usage across the backend.** No monthly minimum. Compute bills in CU-hours (a CU is ≈4 GB RAM; suspended computes accrue none), storage in GB-months, and Object Storage and Functions are included with usage limits ([source](https://neon.com/docs/introduction/plans)). Database storage bills even while compute is suspended.

**Supabase bundles services into a subscription plus compute.** The base fee ($25/month Pro, $599/month Team) includes quotas for Auth MAU, Storage, Realtime, and Edge Functions, plus a $10 compute credit; each running project bills its instance hourly regardless of traffic, and quota overages bill per unit ([source](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/platform/manage-your-usage/compute)).

The stage guides work through the dollars: [free plans](https://neon.com/guides/neon-vs-supabase-free-plan), [Launch plan vs Pro plan](https://neon.com/guides/neon-launch-plan-vs-supabase-pro-plan), [Scale plan vs Team plan](https://neon.com/guides/neon-scale-plan-vs-supabase-team-plan).

## Using both, and migrating

Neon and Supabase aren't mutually exclusive: some teams run Supabase's services next to Neon databases for workloads that need elastic compute or many isolated databases. If you're consolidating, [Migrate from Supabase to Neon Postgres](https://neon.com/docs/import/migrate-from-supabase) covers the database, [Migrate from Supabase Auth](https://neon.com/docs/auth/migrate/from-supabase) covers auth, and the [complete Supabase migration guide](https://neon.com/guides/complete-supabase-migration) covers the full backend.

## Resources

**Neon**

- [Architecture](https://neon.com/docs/introduction/architecture-overview)
- [Plans and pricing](https://neon.com/docs/introduction/plans)
- [Managed Better Auth](https://neon.com/docs/auth/overview), [Functions](https://neon.com/docs/compute/functions/overview), [Object Storage](https://neon.com/docs/storage/overview), [AI Gateway](https://neon.com/docs/ai-gateway/overview)
- [Branching](https://neon.com/docs/introduction/branching)
- [neon.ts configuration](https://neon.com/docs/reference/neon-ts)

**Supabase**

- [Architecture](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/getting-started/architecture)
- [Pricing](https://supabase.com/pricing)
- [Auth](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/auth), [Edge Functions](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/functions), [Storage](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/storage), [Realtime](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/realtime)
- [Branching](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/deployment/branching)
- [Compute and disk](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/platform/compute-and-disk)

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