Convex vs Supabase vs PocketBase in SaaS Starters 2026

TL;DR: choose an operating model before a feature list

Choose Convex when its managed functions and reactive-query model fit the application and the team accepts the platform dependency. Choose Supabase when the product needs its documented Postgres-backed services and hosting model. Choose PocketBase when an embedded, self-hosted application backend fits the workload and the team is prepared to operate it.

This is conditional routing based on data model, hosting control, required services, portability, operating requirements, and a measured workload. The three products expose different interfaces, so compare service ownership rather than assuming feature parity.

Key Takeaways

Convex documents functions, reactive queries, and a managed platform.
Supabase documents Postgres-backed services, Realtime, and a self-hosting path.
PocketBase documents an embedded database, auth, files, realtime, and extension model.
Convex Professional $25 per developer/month and Supabase Pro from $25/month use different billing units. Compare same-day units and allowances.
The PocketBase repository reports MIT; the license is not a hosting quote.
We omit repository counters because they are volatile and not adoption, installations, ecosystem size, or quality evidence.
There is no reproducible cross-platform receipt. The next step is to benchmark the target workload.

At-a-glance operating-model matrix

Decision factor	Convex	Supabase	PocketBase
Core documented model	Managed functions and reactive queries	Postgres-backed platform services	Embedded self-hosted application backend
Hosting responsibility	Provider-operated platform	Hosted service or documented self-hosting path	Team-operated deployment
Data-access decision	Adopt Convex functions and data model	Use the selected Postgres and platform services	Use PocketBase collections and extension model
Migration scope	Export data and replace platform-specific functions and clients	Inventory database plus every adopted platform service	Export data and replace PocketBase-specific APIs and hooks
Cost review	Developer seats and usage	Organization, project, compute, and usage	Infrastructure, backups, upgrades, monitoring, and labor
Validation	Target data model and workload	Target schema, services, and workload	Target deployment, recovery, and workload

Convex: managed reactive application backend

Convex documents server functions, reactive queries, and a managed application platform. That can reduce application-level synchronization work when the product maps well to its model. It also means the application depends on Convex-specific functions, clients, and data behavior.

Evaluate the product with a representative data model, query pattern, mutation flow, authorization check, scheduled work, and failure recovery. Record export and migration requirements before adoption.

The checked pricing page listed Free/Starter at $0 per month plus usage, Professional at $25 per developer per month, and Business with a $2,500 monthly minimum on 2026-08-23. Recheck the exact unit, allowance, and current plan immediately before purchase.

Supabase: Postgres-backed services

Supabase documents Postgres-backed database services, Realtime, authentication, storage, and a self-hosting path. Adopt each service deliberately. Using only the database has a different migration surface from using database, auth, storage, Realtime, and edge functions together.

For a SaaS starter, review schema ownership, row-level security, migration tooling, connection behavior, auth coupling, storage paths, Realtime channels, backup, and region requirements. A service-by-service migration scope prevents “Postgres portability” from hiding dependencies on the surrounding platform.

The checked pricing page listed Free at $0 and Supabase Pro from $25/month, with organization, project, compute, and usage terms. Recheck same-day units before comparing it with a per-developer plan.

PocketBase: embedded, self-hosted backend

PocketBase documents an embedded database, auth, file handling, realtime, and extension model. It gives the team direct control of deployment and data, while also making that team responsible for infrastructure, backups, upgrades, monitoring, and recovery.

A self-hosted license is not a hosting quote. The PocketBase repository reports MIT, but the license does not define infrastructure or operating costs. Model compute, storage, transfer, backups, monitoring, incident response, and engineering time for the intended environment.

Test the real schema, auth flows, file volume, query patterns, backup restoration, upgrade process, and extension code. Keep the deployment reproducible.

Framework and runtime matrix: platform-specific integrations

Surface	Convex review	Supabase review	PocketBase review
Data model	Function and document model	PostgreSQL schema and adopted services	Collections and embedded database model
Authentication	Current Convex auth integration docs	Supabase Auth or separate provider	PocketBase auth or separate provider
Realtime	Reactive-query behavior	Supabase Realtime channels and policies	PocketBase realtime interface
Files	Current managed storage capability	Supabase Storage if adopted	PocketBase file handling
Local development	Current provider workflow	CLI and selected local services	Local binary and migration workflow
Self-hosting	Not represented by the checked managed docs	Follow current self-hosting documentation	Team-owned by design
Migration	Replace Convex-specific functions and clients	Inventory each adopted service	Replace PocketBase APIs, schema, and hooks

These are platform-specific integration questions. Do not describe the three APIs as interchangeable. A migration must cover data plus each adopted service.

Pricing and license matrix

Values accessed 2026-08-23:

Product	Checked price or license signal	Comparison qualifier
Convex	Free/Starter $0 per month plus usage; Professional $25 per developer per month; Business $2,500 monthly minimum	Per-developer and usage units require a workload and team model
Supabase	Free $0; Pro from $25 per month	Organization, project, compute, and usage terms affect the bill
PocketBase	Repository reports MIT	The license does not set infrastructure or operating terms

Prices and plan names change. Recheck same-day units and allowances immediately before publication or purchase.

Release identities are not directly comparable

The latest-release APIs reported these point-in-time identities on 2026-08-23:

Convex: precompiled-2026-08-10-c0cb7ae
Supabase: v1.26.08
PocketBase: v0.40.0

Each object was non-draft and non-prerelease. The repositories use different release models, so these strings are not comparable product-version ranks. Before implementation and publication, recheck releases.

Availability signals

Convex's official status API reported All Systems Operational at access time. Supabase's official status endpoint was checked on 2026-08-23, but this guide does not preserve its transient incident label. PocketBase's repository was not archived and its named release was available through the official API.

These records have different scopes and reflect one point in time. They do not guarantee uptime, support, hosted availability, or production suitability. Keep hosted status, repository activity, and downloadable releases as separate fields in the decision record.

Migration scope by service

A backend migration includes more than data when the application uses platform services. Inventory:

schema and data export;
auth identities, sessions, and authorization policies;
realtime subscriptions and event behavior;
files and signed access paths;
functions, hooks, and scheduled work;
local development and deployment automation;
backups, recovery, and monitoring.

Map each item to the target interface and test the migration with representative data. Do not assume a connection-string change covers platform-specific services.

Performance evidence standard

No reproducible cross-platform receipt in the approved evidence records versions, schema, data, hardware, region, query mix, concurrency, warmup, repetitions, or raw output. Remove binary-size, throughput, concurrency, startup, scale, and migration-duration claims that lack those details.

Benchmark the target workload in the target deployment. Save the dataset, code, configuration, and raw results so the decision can be repeated after an upgrade.

Best fit cards

Choose Convex when

The managed function and reactive-query model matches the product, and the team accepts the provider-specific data and application interfaces.

Choose Supabase when

The product benefits from Postgres-backed services and the team has explicitly chosen which Supabase services to adopt and operate.

Choose PocketBase when

The embedded self-hosted model fits the workload and the team can own deployment, recovery, upgrades, and monitoring.

Run a canary when

Migration scope, service compatibility, or performance remains uncertain. Use representative data and the actual operating environment.

Methodology

This refresh uses first-party product, pricing, documentation, status, repository, and release sources accessed 2026-08-23. It preserves documented capability and operating-model trade-off evidence while removing starter counts, popularity labels, scale guarantees, and unsupported rankings.

Affiliate and data disclosure

StarterPick does not route this decision from affiliate payouts or a private benchmark. Links are editorial references. Pricing, plans, releases, and hosted status require a same-day check.

Source notes

Sources accessed 2026-08-23:

Prices and plan names change. Compare current units and terms rather than carrying forward a synthetic backend bill.

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