Supabase vs AWS RDS: Backend Platform or Database (2026)

Q: Can I migrate from Supabase to RDS?

The database is standard Postgres, so pg_dump and restore or logical replication work. Supabase-specific schemas (auth, storage) and code that calls Supabase Auth, Storage, Realtime or Edge Functions must be replaced.

Quick verdict

Short answer

Choose Supabase if you want the database and the common backend pieces in one product: user sign-up and login tied to Row Level Security, file storage, realtime subscriptions and an API your frontend can call directly, under a monthly plan with included quotas. Choose Amazon RDS if you already run on AWS, need the database inside your own VPC with IAM, security groups and AWS compliance coverage, want an engine other than PostgreSQL, or prefer to build auth, APIs and storage with services you choose (for example Cognito, API Gateway, Lambda and S3). RDS is a database, not a backend; comparing them is really comparing "platform" with "build it yourself".

How we know: This comparison is research-based: features, connection options, regions, plans and pricing models were checked against Supabase's documentation and pricing page and against the Amazon RDS user guide, RDS pricing and AWS Free Tier pages in October 2026. We have not run performance tests, so no speed or latency claims are made.

Supabase gives every project its own dedicated Postgres instance (Postgres 17 by default for new projects), billed by compute size per hour. Around the database it provides Auth (users stored in your database and enforced with Row Level Security), Storage, Realtime, Edge Functions, a REST API built on PostgREST and a GraphQL API. Hosted projects run in 16 AWS regions, and the code is Apache-2.0 licensed and can be self-hosted with Docker, without some managed features.

Amazon RDS is AWS's managed relational database service. It runs six engines: PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, Oracle, SQL Server and Db2. You choose an instance class and storage; AWS handles provisioning, patching, automated backups with point-in-time restore, Multi-AZ standbys and read replicas. RDS for PostgreSQL currently offers PostgreSQL 14 to 18 (18.6). Everything above the database, such as authentication, an HTTP API or file storage, comes from other AWS services or your own code.

Both run standard PostgreSQL, so SQL, most extensions and pg_dump carry over. For serverless Postgres with branching on either side, see Supabase vs Neon and Neon vs AWS RDS.

Side by side

Aspect	Supabase	Amazon RDS
Product type	Backend platform built around Postgres	Managed database instances only
Engines	PostgreSQL only	PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, Oracle, SQL Server, Db2
Auth, storage, realtime	Built in: Auth, Storage, Realtime, Edge Functions	Not included; use Cognito, S3, Lambda, AppSync or your own code
APIs	Auto-generated REST (PostgREST) and GraphQL APIs, protected by Row Level Security	Database endpoint only; you build the API
Networking	Public endpoint; direct connections on IPv6 unless you buy the IPv4 add-on; shared pooler is IPv4	Runs inside your VPC with security groups and IAM database authentication
Regions	16 AWS regions (Supabase's account, not yours)	AWS Regions worldwide, in your own account
High availability	Read replicas (reads only; Auth, Storage and Realtime do not use them)	Multi-AZ DB instance or Multi-AZ DB cluster, plus cross-Region read replicas
Self-hosting	Yes, Apache-2.0, via Docker (some managed features missing)	No; AWS only
Billing basis	Monthly plan per organisation plus hourly compute per project and usage overages	Instance-hours plus storage, IOPS, backups and transfer; Reserved Instances available
Main trade-off	Fast to build on, but you accept Supabase's platform choices and network model	Full AWS control, but you build and run the backend yourself

Key differences

Platform versus database

The core difference is scope. A Supabase project is a database plus the services most apps need: Auth stores users in the auth schema of your own database, so a Row Level Security policy can refer to the signed-in user, and the auto-generated API lets a browser or mobile app query tables directly. A typical client call looks like this (JavaScript, supabase-js):

// supabase-js: query through the auto-generated REST API
const { data, error } = await supabase.from('characters').select()

On RDS, the same feature means writing and hosting an API (Lambda, ECS or EC2), choosing an identity service such as Amazon Cognito, and connecting from your server with a standard Postgres driver. That is more work, but every piece is your choice and runs in your account.

When RDS plus your own backend is the better choice

In our assessment RDS is the better base when one or more of these apply: you need an engine other than PostgreSQL (SQL Server, Oracle, MySQL, MariaDB or Db2); the database must sit inside your VPC with no public endpoint and be reachable through IAM and security groups; your compliance programme already relies on AWS's assurance coverage; you need larger instances, Multi-AZ standbys or cross-Region replicas with documented AWS failover behaviour; or you already have backend code and only need a database. RDS also gives you parameter groups, a broad instance catalogue and Reserved Instances for steady workloads.

Supabase is the better base when the team is small, the app is new, and Auth, Storage and an API are things you would otherwise have to build. Its Realtime service (Broadcast, Presence and Postgres Changes) has no direct RDS equivalent.

Networking and connections

Supabase documents three connection paths: a direct connection, which is IPv6 unless the project has the paid IPv4 add-on; a shared Supavisor pooler, which is IPv4 on every plan and offers session mode (port 5432) and transaction mode (port 6543, no prepared statements); and a dedicated pooler on paid plans. Frontends usually skip Postgres connections altogether and use the Data API.

RDS instances live in subnets of your VPC. You control whether they are publicly accessible, and you can use IAM database authentication and RDS Proxy for connection pooling. For teams with strict network controls this is often the deciding factor.

Operations, backups and lock-in

Supabase lists daily backups kept for 7 days on Pro and 14 days on Team, with point-in-time recovery available as an option; free projects have no backups and pause after a week of inactivity. Supabase is SOC 2 audited and supports HIPAA projects under a signed BAA on its hosted platform (not in self-hosted Supabase).

RDS provides automated backups with point-in-time restore within a retention period you set, plus manual snapshots (up to 100 per Region). Performance Insights reached end of life on 31 July 2026 and is replaced by CloudWatch Database Insights. On lock-in: the data in both is standard Postgres, but Supabase Auth, Storage and Edge Functions code is platform-specific, while an RDS stack is tied to the AWS services you build around it.

Pricing and licensing

Supabase. Listed on the Supabase pricing page in October 2026, in USD, per organisation. Free: 0 USD, 500 MB database, 50,000 monthly active users, 1 GB file storage, 5 GB egress, 2 active projects, paused after 1 week of inactivity, no backups. Pro: from 25 USD per month including 10 USD of compute credits (one Micro instance), 8 GB database then 0.125 USD per GB, 100,000 MAUs then 0.00325 USD per MAU, 100 GB file storage, 250 GB egress then 0.09 USD per GB, 7-day backups. Team: from 599 USD per month with 14-day backups. Enterprise: custom. Each additional project adds hourly compute.

Amazon RDS. AWS bills On-Demand instance-hours (or discounted Reserved Instances on 1- or 3-year terms) plus allocated storage per GB-month, provisioned IOPS, backup storage beyond the free allowance and data transfer. Multi-AZ adds standby instances and read replicas are billed as instances. Prices vary by engine, instance class and Region, and the price tables did not load in a form we could quote, so use the AWS Pricing Calculator. The AWS Free Tier for new accounts is now credit-based: 100 USD on sign-up and up to 100 USD more, over a 6-month free plan, and RDS is included.

In short, Supabase bundles backend services into a plan price, while RDS charges only for the database and you pay separately for whatever you build around it.

Pricing checked on the vendors' official pages on 7 October 2026. Prices change; confirm before buying.

Where each one leads

Supabase strengths

Auth, Storage, Realtime, Edge Functions and REST/GraphQL APIs included with the database
Row Level Security integrated with Auth, so frontends can query the database safely
Plan pricing with included quotas for users, storage and egress
Apache-2.0 code with documented self-hosting
Free plan for prototypes

Amazon RDS strengths

Six engines, including SQL Server, Oracle and Db2
Runs in your own AWS account and VPC, with IAM and security groups
Multi-AZ standbys and cross-Region read replicas
Reserved Instances for steady-state discounts
Integrates with the rest of AWS (Lambda, ECS, Cognito, S3, CloudWatch)

Limitations

Supabase limitations

PostgreSQL only
Runs in Supabase's account, not inside your own VPC
Direct connections are IPv6 unless you pay for the IPv4 add-on
Auth, Storage and Realtime cannot use read replicas
Free projects pause after 1 week of inactivity and have no backups

Amazon RDS limitations

No auth, API, storage or realtime layer: you build and operate those
Instances bill around the clock; no scale to zero
No database branching for preview environments
Pricing has many parts (instance, storage, IOPS, backups, transfer) and needs a calculator

When to choose each

Choose Supabase if

A new web or mobile app on Postgres where you want auth, storage and an API without building them
A small team that would rather configure than operate backend services
You need realtime features such as Broadcast and Presence
You want the option to self-host the same stack later

Choose Amazon RDS if

Your organisation already runs on AWS and requires databases inside its own VPC
You need SQL Server, Oracle, MySQL, MariaDB or Db2
You already have an application backend and only need a managed database
Your compliance or security review relies on AWS's controls and assurance programmes
A steady production workload where Reserved Instances lower the cost

When neither is right

You want scale to zero and database branching: see Neon vs AWS RDS and Supabase vs Neon.
You want a NoSQL backend with offline-first mobile sync: see Supabase vs Firebase.
You want a SQLite-based database per user or tenant at the edge: see Turso vs Supabase.
You want serverless Postgres-compatible storage on AWS with copy-on-write clones: see Amazon RDS vs Amazon Aurora.

Final recommendation

Bottom line

Supabase is the faster route to a working application on Postgres, because auth, storage, realtime and an API come with the database. Amazon RDS is the better foundation when the database must live inside your AWS account, when you need another engine, or when you already have (or want to own) the backend layer. Some teams start on Supabase and later move the database to RDS with pg_dump or logical replication; plan for the platform-specific parts (Auth, Storage, Edge Functions) if you think you might.

Frequently asked questions

Does Supabase run on AWS?

Yes. Supabase's regions page lists 16 AWS regions for hosted projects. The databases run in Supabase's AWS infrastructure, not in your own AWS account, so you cannot place them inside your VPC.

Can I use Supabase Auth with an RDS database?

Supabase Auth is designed around the project's own Postgres database, where users live in the auth schema and Row Level Security policies refer to them. With RDS you would typically use Amazon Cognito or another identity provider and enforce access in your API.

Is Supabase cheaper than RDS?

It depends on what you count. Supabase's plan price includes auth, storage, egress and API quotas; RDS charges only for the database, and you pay separately for the services you build around it. Compare the full stack, not just the database line.

Can I migrate from Supabase to RDS?

The database is standard Postgres, so pg_dump and restore or logical replication work. Supabase-specific schemas (auth, storage) and code that calls Supabase Auth, Storage, Realtime or Edge Functions must be replaced.

Does RDS have a free tier?

New AWS accounts now get credits rather than 12 months of free instance hours: 100 USD on sign-up and up to 100 USD more during a 6-month free plan, usable on RDS among other services.

Sources

Checked October 2026.

How we research comparisons: our editorial method.