Self-Hosted Supabase vs PocketBase vs Appwrite — SupaScale Audit
SupaScale maps exact idle memory and database trade-offs: PocketBase uses ~35 MB (1 binary), Appwrite uses ~2.4 GB (20 containers), and Supabase uses 2.4–4.4 GB (7–12 services).
Published Supabase Cloud, BaaS, and VPS/VDS pricing retrieved 2026-11-12; always confirm live terms on each vendor checkout page.
In our SupaScale BaaS selection matrix, we recommend PocketBase for single-node internal tools and micro-MVPs where embedded SQLite WAL suffices. Choose Self-Hosted Supabase (7-service Slim Mode on 8 GB KVM 2 or 12-service Full Stack on 16 GB KVM 4) whenever your product relies on relational PostgreSQL 15, Row-Level Security policies, pgvector HNSW search, PostGIS, or Prisma/Drizzle SQL migrations.
SupaScale Side-by-Side Cost & Architecture Matrix: Self-Hosted Supabase vs PocketBase vs Appwrite
| Architecture & Billing Dimension | Self-Hosted Supabase Docker (KVM / VDS) | Compared Platform (Cloud / Alternative) |
|---|---|---|
| Core Relational / Storage Engine | PostgreSQL 15 + pgvector + PostGIS | PocketBase: SQLite WAL • Appwrite: MariaDB |
| Service Count & Baseline RAM | 7–12 services • 2.4 GB (Slim) / 4.4 GB (Full) | PocketBase: 1 bin (~35 MB) • Appwrite: 20 (~2.4 GB) |
| In-Database AI Vector Indexing | Native pgvector HNSW inside SQL JOINs & RLS | External Qdrant / Pinecone service needed |
| Multi-Writer Concurrency & ORM Access | MVCC row locking + direct port 6543/5432 SQL | SQLite single-writer lock / custom REST wrapper |
| Recommended Hostinger KVM Tier | KVM 2 (8 GB, $5.99/mo) or KVM 4 (16 GB, $10.49/mo) | PocketBase: KVM 1 ($4.99/mo) • Appwrite: KVM 2 ($5.99/mo) |
Simulate "Self-Hosted Supabase vs PocketBase vs Appwrite" in SupaScale 12-Container Workbench →
1. SupaScale Database Engine Trade-Offs: PostgreSQL 15 MVCC vs SQLite Single-Writer
PocketBase packs auth, realtime SSE, and embedded SQLite WAL into one Go executable requiring ~35 MB RAM. However, once webhook queues, multi-worker Stripe ingestion, analytical CTEs, or pgvector cosine similarity joins hit simultaneously, SQLite serializes writes through a single writer lock whereas PostgreSQL 15 MVCC scales across multiple vCPUs.
2. SupaScale Memory Audit: Appwrite 20-Container Stack vs Supabase 7-Service Slim Mode
Appwrite orchestrates ~20 Docker containers (PHP Swoole workers, MariaDB, Redis, queue daemons) consuming ~2.4 GB idle RAM while abstracting tables behind custom document APIs. In our SupaScale Slim Core profile (unchecking Realtime, Storage, ImgProxy, Deno, and Logflare), Supabase runs 7 services in ~2.4 GB while preserving direct SQL access for Prisma, Drizzle, Kysely, and pg_dump.
3. SupaScale Co-Location Pattern: Running Supabase + PocketBase on One 16GB Coolify Host
Because Coolify routes multiple Docker Compose projects via Traefik hostnames, we frequently see indie teams host their core multi-tenant SaaS on a 12-service Supabase stack while spinning up lightweight 35 MB PocketBase containers for isolated landing-page waitlists on the same 16 GB KVM 4 server.
SupaScale Recommended Self-Hosted Hosts for Self-Hosted Supabase vs PocketBase vs Appwrite
Hostinger KVM NVMe VPS (1-Click Docker / Coolify + Supabase) — SupaScale
From $4.99/mo (~127k)
12–24 mo KVM 2 (8GB) or KVM 4 (16GB) locks lowest rate + stacks Extra 20% partner discount.
Check Hostinger KVM VPS Rates for Self-Hosted Supabase vs PocketBase vs Appwrite on SupaScale →Vultr 3.5GHz+ High Frequency NVMe (Low-Latency pgvector & Realtime) — SupaScale
From $24/mo (~612k)
Hourly billing lets you benchmark HNSW pgvector recall on 16GB/32GB HF nodes for cents.
Inspect Vultr High Frequency Specs for Self-Hosted Supabase vs PocketBase vs Appwrite on SupaScale →