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It's a split decision.
Supabase is a Postgres-based backend platform: it combines a portable database with auth, file storage, REST APIs, edge functions and realtime features. TigerData makes TimescaleDB, a Postgres database built for sensor and machine data, with time-series storage and analytics features. We’d choose Supabase when an application needs those backend services together, and TigerData when time-based ingestion, storage and queries are the main workload. Both offer managed and self-hosted paths, but their feature sets and billing models differ.
01Side by side
| Supabase | TigerData | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Free; Pro starts at $25/month; usage overages apply | 30-day trial; Performance starts at $30/month; usage-metered |
| Free tier | Free plan: 50,000 MAUs, 500 MB database per project | No free plan; 30-day free trial |
| Open source and license | Open source; license name not published | Open source; license name not published |
| Self-hosting | Self-hostable; portable Postgres database | Self-hostable TimescaleDB open-source option |
| API and SDKs | REST APIs; JavaScript client shown for React | Postgres-native SQL, APIs, CLI and UI |
| Integrations | React, Next.js, Flutter, Expo, Stripe, Vercel, OpenAI | Kafka, S3, Iceberg, AWS and Azure |
| Deployment model | Managed platform or self-hosted Postgres-based stack | Managed cloud database or self-hosted TimescaleDB |
| Limits and scaling | Pro includes 8 GB disk; overages billed by usage | Scale supports up to 32 CPU, 128 GB memory per service |
Supabase Choose Supabase if
- Choose Supabase if you want auth, storage and APIs alongside Postgres.
- Choose Supabase if a free managed plan suits development or experiments.
- Choose Supabase if your stack includes React, Next.js or Flutter.
TigerData Choose TigerData if
- Choose TigerData if sensor or machine data drives your workload.
- Choose TigerData if you need time-based partitioning and analytics in Postgres.
- Choose TigerData if tiered storage or Kafka and Iceberg integration matter.
02Pricing at real usage
Supabase has a Free plan with 50,000 monthly active users, 500 MB of database per project, 5 GB egress and 1 GB file storage. It allows two active projects, which pause after one week inactive. Pro starts at $25/month and includes 100,000 MAUs, 8 GB disk, 250 GB egress and 100 GB file storage. Pro and Team overages include $0.00325 per additional MAU, $0.125/GB disk and $0.09/GB egress. Paid plans include $10/month in compute credits; listed compute sizes start at $10/month. TigerData has no free plan, but offers a 30-day trial. Performance starts at $30/month and Scale at $36/month. Compute and storage are metered hourly, invoiced monthly in arrears; storage is $0.177/GB-month on Performance or $0.212/GB-month on Scale, with tiered storage at $0.021/GB-month.
03API, SDKs and integration
Supabase exposes ready-to-use REST APIs and provides a JavaScript client, with a React example using @supabase/supabase-js to query a table. Its homepage names React, Next.js, Flutter, Expo and React Native, plus integrations including Stripe, Vercel, OpenAI, Hugging Face and LangChain. The product also bundles auth, storage, edge functions and realtime features, so those can sit beside the database in one platform. TigerData's interface is Postgres-native: the vendor lists SQL, APIs, a CLI and a UI. Its feature set targets time-series workloads, with 200+ SQL functions, hybrid keyword and vector search, and Kafka and S3 ingestion with replication to Iceberg. The vendor also lists AWS and Azure availability. Supabase points developers to framework-specific docs; TigerData lists its connection and management interfaces, but does not name language-specific SDKs on its homepage. Choose based on whether you need app-backend APIs or database-native access.
04Open source, self-hosting and lock-in
Both vendors describe their products as open source and self-hostable; neither vendor's pages name the open-source license. Supabase says each project is a full, portable Postgres database. TigerData's TimescaleDB is also available as a free open-source option for self-hosting, while TigerData offers managed cloud services. Postgres and SQL provide a familiar foundation for moving database workloads, but they do not make every platform feature portable. With Supabase, a move away from the hosted platform may mean replacing or operating auth, file storage, edge functions and realtime separately. With TigerData, migration planning should account for TimescaleDB-specific time-series features and any managed tiered-storage or cloud setup. Neither vendor's pages describe a data-export format or migration process, so confirm those details and extension compatibility before committing.
Questions people ask
Can Supabase replace TigerData?
They share a Postgres foundation, but target different needs. Supabase bundles auth, storage, REST APIs, edge functions and realtime for application backends. TigerData focuses on sensor and machine data, with time-series storage and analytics. Choose based on the workload and services your application needs.
Does TigerData have a free plan?
TigerData does not list a free plan, but it offers a 30-day free trial. Its Performance plan starts at $30 per month, with compute and storage metered hourly and invoices issued monthly in arrears. Supabase has a free plan for projects and experiments.
Can I self-host both Supabase and TigerData?
Both are listed as self-hostable. Supabase includes a portable Postgres database, while TimescaleDB is available as a free open-source option for self-hosting. Plan to operate the surrounding services and infrastructure yourself, and check feature and extension compatibility for your deployment.
Which is cheaper for production?
The starting prices are close: Supabase Pro is $25 per month and TigerData Performance is $30 per month. Supabase bills for listed overages such as egress and database disk; TigerData meters compute and storage hourly. Compare projected usage, not just starting prices.