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Liveblocks vs Supabase
A detailed comparison to help you choose between Liveblocks and Supabase.
| Feature | Liveblocks | Supabase |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing Model | Freemium | Freemium |
| Free Tier | Yes | Yes |
| Monthly Cost (Solo) | $0 | $0 |
| Target Audience | developers, startups | solopreneurs, startups, developers |
| Verified | No | Yes |
| Solo-Friendly | Yes | Yes |
| Open Source | No | Yes |
| Editorial Rating | 4.3/5 | 4.6/5 |
| Categories | Developer Tools | Developer Tools |
| Key Features | Real-time presence and cursors, Conflict-free data sync (CRDT), Comments and threads, Notifications, Text editor collaboration | Full PostgreSQL database, Authentication & authorization, Real-time subscriptions, Edge Functions, File storage |
| Free Tier Quality | good | excellent |
Pricing Breakdown
Liveblocks
Free: 300 MAU. Starter: $25/month (1,000 MAU). Pro: $100/month (10,000 MAU). Enterprise: custom.
Supabase
Free: 500MB database, 1GB storage, 50K MAUs. Pro: $25/month (8GB database, 100GB bandwidth, daily backups). Team: $599/month (SOC 2, priority support). Enterprise: custom.
Integration Overlap
Shared Integrations (2)
Only in Liveblocks (6)
Only in Supabase (8)
Use Case Fit
Liveblocks
- * Adding real-time collaboration to apps
- * Live cursors and presence
- * Collaborative text editing
- * In-app commenting and threads
- * Real-time notification systems
Supabase
- * Full-stack web application backend
- * Mobile app backend with real-time sync
- * Authentication and user management
- * File storage and image transformations
- * Serverless API development
Liveblocks
Pros
- + Simplifies complex real-time features
- + Generous free tier (monthly active users)
- + Well-designed React hooks
- + Handles conflict resolution automatically
Cons
- - Vendor lock-in for core functionality
- - Can be expensive at scale
- - Learning curve for CRDT concepts
- - Limited to supported frameworks
Supabase
Pros
- + Open source — no vendor lock-in
- + Full PostgreSQL power with a managed experience
- + Generous free tier for side projects
- + Real-time and auth built in from day one
- + Excellent developer documentation
Cons
- - Fewer managed services compared to Firebase
- - Edge Functions still maturing
- - Self-hosting requires significant DevOps knowledge
- - Connection pooling can be tricky at scale
Editorial Verdict
Supabase takes the lead for solo founders — it offers better value and is explicitly solo-friendly. Liveblocks may still be the right pick if you need deep Developer Tools features or plan to scale to a larger team.
SaaSLens Editorial Team
Editorial Team