Supabase vs Neon: Postgres Platform Compared (2026)

Quick verdict

Short answer

Choose Supabase if you want a backend platform with a long-established set of pieces around Postgres (Auth, Storage, Realtime, Edge Functions, PostgREST API) and a fixed monthly plan with included quotas. Choose Neon if your priority is the database itself: copy-on-write branches that include data, compute that scales to zero when idle, and pay-per-use billing with no monthly minimum. Neon has added its own backend services (Auth, Data API, Functions, Object Storage), so the gap is narrower than it was; note too that Neon now belongs to Databricks.

How we know: This comparison is research-based: architecture, branching, scale to zero, supported Postgres versions, regions, ownership and plans were checked against the official Supabase and Neon documentation, pricing pages, blogs and GitHub repositories in October 2026. We have not run performance tests, so no speed, cold-start or latency claims are made.

Supabase is a backend platform. The compute documentation states that every project on the Supabase Platform comes with its own dedicated Postgres instance, billed by compute size per hour. Around it Supabase provides Auth, Storage, Realtime, Edge Functions, a REST API built on PostgREST, a GraphQL API, vectors, queues and cron. The code is Apache-2.0 licensed and can be self-hosted with Docker.

Neon started as serverless Postgres: its open source repository (Apache-2.0) describes separating storage and compute to offer autoscaling, code-like database branching and scale to zero. Ownership: Databricks announced an agreement to acquire Neon in May 2025, and Neon's documentation now states that "in 2025, Neon joined Databricks"; its pricing page describes Neon as "from Databricks". The same architecture underpins Databricks Lakebase, and Neon now calls its database Lakebase Postgres. On 17 September 2026 Neon announced that its backend services (Lakebase Postgres, Object Storage, Functions, Managed Better Auth and an AI Gateway) are generally available, and it also offers a PostgREST-compatible Data API.

Both are managed PostgreSQL, so SQL, extensions and drivers largely carry over. For the engine itself versus MySQL, see MySQL vs PostgreSQL.

Side by side

Aspect	Supabase	Neon
Product focus	Backend platform around Postgres: Auth, Storage, Realtime, Edge Functions, APIs	Serverless Postgres first; now adds Auth, Data API, Functions, Object Storage and AI Gateway
Architecture	Dedicated Postgres instance per project, sized by compute add-on	Compute separated from a distributed, versioned storage layer
Idle behaviour	Paid compute runs continuously and is billed hourly; free projects pause after 1 week of inactivity	Scale to zero after 5 minutes idle (configurable on Scale; fixed on Free)
Branching	Preview branches start without data by default (seed files or "Include data" option); GitHub integration	Copy-on-write branches include schema and data; branch from a past point in time
Autoscaling	Choose a compute size per project and change it	Autoscaling between limits per plan (up to 16 CU on paid plans)
Cloud regions	Hosted Supabase projects; self-hosting possible anywhere Docker runs	Eight AWS regions; Azure regions deprecated for new projects
Ownership and licence	Supabase, Inc.; Apache-2.0, self-hostable	Part of Databricks; core storage engine Apache-2.0
Billing basis	Monthly plan per organisation plus hourly compute per project and overages	Usage-based: CU-hours, GB-months of storage, extra branches; no monthly minimum
Main trade-off	Broad, established platform, but always-on compute per project	Branching and scale to zero, but a newer backend layer and a change of owner

Key differences

Architecture: dedicated instance versus separated storage and compute

On Supabase each project is a dedicated Postgres instance running on its own server. You pick a compute size (Nano on the free plan, then Micro, Small, Medium, Large and up), and the billing documentation notes that every project you launch increases your monthly compute costs. This is a conventional, predictable model: the database is always on while the project is active.

Neon rebuilt the layer under Postgres. Its announcement describes keeping Postgres intact while separating compute from a distributed, versioned object storage engine. Compute is measured in compute units (Neon's plans page defines one CU as about 4 GB of RAM with associated CPU and local SSD), it can autoscale between limits, and it can scale to zero when idle. Neon's compatibility page lists consequences of this design: no tablespaces, unlogged tables do not persist across compute restarts or scaling, a neon_superuser role instead of a true superuser, and logical replication must be enabled explicitly.

Branching

Neon's documentation describes a branch as a copy-on-write clone of your data, created from the current state or a past one, without adding load to the parent. Branches include schema and data, and on Neon the Auth configuration, Object Storage, Functions and AI Gateway branch too. Instant restore rolls a branch back to any point inside the history window (up to 6 hours on Free, 7 days on Launch, 30 days on Scale).

Supabase branching creates separate preview environments, with GitHub integration that deploys on each commit. The documentation states that new branches do not start with any data or storage objects from the main project by default; you populate them with seed files or the "Include data" option. Branch compute is billed hourly (from the Micro rate), counted against your plan.

In our assessment, Neon's branching is the more distinctive feature of the two if you want per-pull-request databases holding realistic data.

Backend services around the database

Supabase's platform pieces have been part of its offering for years: Auth stores users in your Postgres database and works with Row Level Security; Storage, Realtime (Broadcast, Presence, Postgres Changes) and Edge Functions on a Deno-compatible runtime complete the stack.

Neon now sells a comparable set. Its plans list Managed Better Auth (users and sessions stored in Postgres), Functions, Object Storage that branches with the database, and an AI Gateway, and Neon announced all of these as generally available on 17 September 2026. There is no Supabase Realtime equivalent named in Neon's plan list. Because the Neon services are newer, in our view teams that need a complete backend today will find more documentation, examples and integrations around Supabase's.

Ownership, licence and portability

Neon is part of Databricks: Neon's docs state that Neon joined Databricks in 2025, and Databricks runs the same architecture as Lakebase inside its own platform. Neon's docs describe Neon as remaining the offering for developers, startups and agent platforms, with Databricks Lakebase aimed at enterprises and data teams. Neon's storage engine repository is Apache-2.0; we did not find a documented self-hosting path for the full Neon service comparable to Supabase's.

Supabase is independent and Apache-2.0 licensed, with documented self-hosting via Docker (without some managed features such as branching and managed PITR). Both store data in standard Postgres, so pg_dump and logical replication are the usual ways out; Supabase also publishes a guide for migrating from Neon.

Pricing and licensing

Supabase. Listed on the Supabase pricing page in October 2026, in USD, billed per organisation. Free: 0 USD per month, 500 MB database, 1 GB file storage, 50,000 monthly active users, 5 GB egress, 2 active projects, projects paused after 1 week of inactivity. Pro: from 25 USD per month including 10 USD of compute credits, 8 GB disk per project, 100 GB file storage, 100,000 MAUs and 250 GB egress. Team: from 599 USD per month. Enterprise: custom. Compute is billed hourly per project; the compute documentation lists Micro at 0.01344 USD per hour (about 10 USD per month), Small at about 15 USD per month and Medium at about 60 USD per month. Database disk beyond the quota is listed at 0.125 USD per GB.

Neon. Listed on the Neon pricing page and plans documentation in October 2026, in USD. Free: 0 USD per month, up to 100 projects, 100 CU-hours per project per month, 1 GB storage per project (20 GB per account), 10 branches per project, autoscaling up to 2 CU, scale to zero after 5 minutes (cannot be disabled), 6 hours of restore history. Launch: pay for what you use, 0.106 USD per CU-hour, autoscaling up to 16 CU, history up to 7 days. Scale: 0.222 USD per CU-hour, autoscaling up to 16 CU or fixed sizes up to 56 CU, configurable scale to zero, history up to 30 days. Storage on paid plans is 0.35 USD per GB-month, extra branches 1.50 USD per branch-month, public transfer 500 GB per project included then 0.10 USD per GB. Neon states there is no monthly minimum on Launch and Scale.

In short, Supabase charges a plan fee plus always-on compute per project, while Neon charges only for compute hours actually used and storage, which favours databases that sit idle much of the time. Neither vendor's page gives a worked example we can quote for a typical app.

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

Where each one leads

Supabase strengths

Established all-in-one backend: Auth, Storage, Realtime, Edge Functions and a PostgREST API
Row Level Security integrated with Auth for per-user data access
Independent company with Apache-2.0 code and documented self-hosting
Predictable plan pricing with included quotas for users, storage and egress

Neon strengths

Copy-on-write branches that include data, created from current or past states
Scale to zero and autoscaling, billed per CU-hour with no monthly minimum on paid plans
Free plan allows up to 100 projects, useful for many small or short-lived databases
Supports Postgres 14 to 18 and instant restore within the history window
Backend services (Auth, Functions, Object Storage) branch together with the database

Limitations

Supabase limitations

Paid compute runs continuously per project, so many small projects add up
Branches start without data unless you seed them or opt to include data
Free projects pause after 1 week of inactivity and only 2 can be active

Neon limitations

Now owned by Databricks; product direction is tied to Databricks' Lakebase strategy
Backend services beyond Postgres are newer (GA in September 2026) and have less ecosystem around them
Architecture brings documented Postgres differences: no tablespaces, no true superuser, unlogged tables lost on restart
Azure regions are deprecated; new projects are AWS only
A database that has scaled to zero must start a compute again on the next connection

When to choose each

Choose Supabase if

You want a complete, well-documented backend (auth, storage, realtime, functions) around Postgres today
You need realtime features such as Broadcast and Presence
You prefer a predictable monthly plan with included usage
Self-hosting or vendor independence is a requirement

Choose Neon if

You want a database per pull request or per preview environment with real data
Your databases are idle much of the time and you want to pay only for active compute
You run many small databases, for example per tenant or per AI agent session
You already use Databricks and want the same Postgres architecture on both sides

When neither is right

You want a NoSQL backend with offline-first mobile sync: see Supabase vs Firebase.
You need MySQL compatibility or built-in horizontal sharding: see Neon vs PlanetScale.
Your workload is analytics over large volumes rather than an application database: a columnar warehouse fits better than either.
To survey other platforms, see Supabase alternatives.

Final recommendation

Bottom line

If you want the database plus a mature, integrated backend, Supabase is the more established choice in our view, with self-hosting as an exit route. If the database is the centre of your workflow and you value branching with data, scale to zero and pay-per-use billing, Neon is the more specialised fit, now with its own backend services. Factor in Neon's move into Databricks when you weigh long-term direction, and test both free tiers against your own workload before committing.

Frequently asked questions

Is Neon owned by Databricks?

Yes. Databricks announced an agreement to acquire Neon in May 2025, and Neon's documentation now states that Neon joined Databricks in 2025. Neon's pricing page describes the service as "from Databricks". Neon continues as its own product for developers and agent platforms, while Databricks offers the same architecture as Lakebase.

Is Supabase just Postgres?

No. Each Supabase project includes a dedicated Postgres database, plus Auth, Storage, Realtime, Edge Functions, a PostgREST-based REST API and a GraphQL API.

Does Neon have authentication like Supabase?

Yes. Neon offers Managed Better Auth, which stores users and sessions in Postgres, and announced it as generally available on 17 September 2026. Neon's plans list up to 60,000 MAUs on Free and up to 1 million on paid plans.

What does scale to zero mean on Neon?

Neon suspends a database's compute after a period of inactivity (5 minutes by default) and starts it again on the next connection. On the Free plan this cannot be disabled; on Launch it can be disabled, and on Scale it is configurable from 1 minute to always on.

Can I move from Neon to Supabase or back?

Both use standard PostgreSQL, so pg_dump and restore or logical replication work, and Supabase publishes a guide for migrating from Neon. Auth, storage and function code are platform-specific and need rewriting.

Sources

Checked October 2026.

How we research comparisons: our editorial method.