When comparing Supabase and AWS, the key question isn't just about raw features, it's about how much functionality you get per dollar and how easily you can scale from a free plan to enterprise-grade infrastructure.
In this guide, we break down the pricing and functionality for each of Supabase’s core features and compare them to their closest AWS counterparts:
- Supabase Database → AWS RDS PostgreSQL
- Supabase Auth → AWS Cognito
- Supabase Storage → AWS S3
- Supabase Edge Functions → AWS Lambda
- Supabase Realtime (Messages) → AWS SQS/SNS
We’ll go feature by feature, then compare total costs at different usage tiers, and conclude with final recommendations.
Feature by Feature
🗄️ Database: Supabase DB vs AWS RDS
Supabase: Built-in PostgreSQL with real-time, REST API, and simple pricing.
AWS RDS: Fully managed PostgreSQL with high configurability, performance tuning, and multi-AZ support.
🧬 Supabase is easier and more predictable. RDS gives more control and is better for compliance-heavy or complex workloads.
See our full comparison here: Supabase vs AWS Database Pricing (2025)
- Supabase bundles compute, storage, backup, and bandwidth into flat tiers.
- AWS RDS offers cheaper options if you commit to Reserved Instances, but requires piecing together compute, storage, backup, and bandwidth costs.
➡️ If you want predictable cost and fast setup, choose Supabase. If you need performance tuning or compliance, go with RDS.
🔐 Auth: Supabase Auth vs AWS Cognito
Supabase: Easy-to-use auth system with social login, magic links, phone support, and DB integration.
AWS Cognito: Feature-rich identity management with SSO, federation, and enterprise IAM support.
🧬 Supabase Auth is simpler and developer-friendly, great for fast setup and apps with straightforward auth needs. Cognito is better for enterprises that require SSO, security compliance, and deep AWS integration.
| Feature | Supabase Auth | AWS Cognito |
|---|---|---|
| Free Tier | 50,000 MAUs | 50,000 MAUs |
| Paid Pricing | $0.0015/MAU | $0.0055/MAU |
| SSO Support | Enterprise plan only | Included (OIDC, SAML) |
| MFA / Passwords | Included | Included |
| Rate Limits | Generous | Strict (especially SAML) |
➡️ Choose Supabase if you want fast, simple auth for apps. Choose Cognito if SSO and federation matter.
📦 Storage: Supabase Storage vs AWS S3
Supabase: App-friendly storage with built-in access control, REST API, and CDN.
AWS S3: Scalable object store with advanced features and global durability.
🧬 Supabase is easier to use for app developers. S3 is more powerful and flexible for enterprise-scale needs.
| Feature | Supabase Storage | AWS S3 |
|---|---|---|
| Free Tier | 1GB | 5GB (12 months only) |
| Paid Pricing | $0.021/GB | $0.023/GB (Standard) |
| API | Simple REST | REST/S3 SDKs |
| Permissions | Built-in (row-level) | IAM Policies |
| CDN | Included | Optional (CloudFront) |
➡️ Use Supabase for media, uploads, and frontend-friendly usage. Use S3 for scalable, secure, production storage.
⚙️ Edge Functions: Supabase vs AWS Lambda
Supabase: Deno-based edge functions with tight database integration and minimal cold starts.
AWS Lambda: Flexible, multi-runtime functions with deep AWS service integration.
🧬 Supabase is simpler for edge APIs. Lambda is better for complex logic, language flexibility, and AWS ecosystem workflows.
| Feature | Supabase Edge Functions | AWS Lambda |
|---|---|---|
| Free Tier | 500,000 invocations | 1 million/month |
| Runtime | Deno | Node.js, Python, etc. |
| Cold Starts | Minimal | Varies by region |
| Region | Global edge | Region-based |
| Pricing (Paid) | $2/million calls | $0.20/million + GB-s |
➡️ Pick Supabase for fast global APIs. Use Lambda for language flexibility and deep AWS integrations.
📡 Realtime: Supabase Messages vs AWS SQS/SNS
Supabase: WebSocket-based realtime updates from DB triggers for simple pub/sub.
AWS SQS/SNS: Robust messaging services for queueing and event-driven systems.
🧬 Supabase is great for simple real-time features. AWS is better for event-driven architecture and high-scale messaging.
| Feature | Supabase Realtime | AWS SQS / SNS |
|---|---|---|
| Free Tier | 500,000 messages | 1M requests/month |
| Pub/Sub | Built-in | SNS only |
| Queue | Limited queue model | SQS (queueing) |
| Integration | PostgreSQL triggers | Broad (Lambda, etc.) |
| Pricing | Simple flat overage | Per-request pricing |
➡️ Use Supabase if you need simple pub/sub from your DB. Choose AWS for large-scale event systems.
💰 Pricing Comparison by Tier
💡 About AWS Reserved Pricing
The AWS prices shown below are based on on-demand usage, which is flexible but more expensive. If you commit to 1-year or 3-year Reserved Instances (RIs), you can cut costs by 30–70% — especially for RDS and Lambda.
For example:
- RDS db.m5.large (Multi-AZ) drops from $250+/mo to ~$145/mo (1-year RI, no upfront)
- Lambda and compute costs can be reduced via Compute Savings Plans
✅ Use on-demand for flexibility. 🔐 Use Reserved pricing for long-term, cost-optimized workloads — but it comes with lock-in.
🧪 0. Free Tier
| Feature | Supabase | AWS |
|---|---|---|
| Database | ✅ Shared CPU /500MB PostgreSQL | ⚠️ 2 vCPU (burstable) / 1GB RAM for t4g.micro (12 months) |
| Auth | ✅ 50K MAUs | ✅ 50K MAUs (Cognito) |
| Storage | ✅ 1GB w/ CDN | ⚠️ 5GB (12 months, no CDN) |
| Functions | ✅ 500K Edge calls | ✅ 1M Lambda calls |
| Messaging | ✅ 500K Realtime messages | ✅ 1M SQS/SNS messages |
🔍 Supabase offers a complete full-stack platform for free, with no expiration. AWS has generous limits — but database and storage expire after 12 months.
🚀 1. Startup (10K MAUs, 20GB DB, 50GB Storage, 500GB bandwidth)
Supabase – $26.50/month
| Included Service | Details |
|---|---|
| Pro Plan | 8GB DB, 100GB storage, 250GB bandwidth |
| DB Storage Overage | 12GB extra @ $0.125/GB = $1.50 |
| Auth, Functions, Messaging | Included in plan |
| Bandwidth | Still within free 250GB – no charge |
✅ Flat, all-inclusive plan with tiny storage add-on.
AWS
- On-Demand – $75.00/month
- 1-Year RI Estimate: ~$67.73/month
- 3-Year RI Estimate: ~$59.47/month
| Service | Cost (On-Demand) | 1-Year RI (est. -30%) | 3-Year RI (est. -60%) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RDS (db.t3.small) | $24.82 | $17.37 | $9.93 | 1 vCPU, 2GB RAM |
| RDS Storage (20GB) | $2.30 | — | — | General-purpose SSD |
| Cognito (10K MAUs) | $0.00 | — | — | Within free tier |
| S3 (50GB) | $1.15 | — | — | $0.023/GB |
| Bandwidth (500GB) | $45.00 | — | — | $0.09/GB |
| Lambda (1M execs) | $2.73 | $1.91 | $1.09 | 512MB, 200ms duration |
⚠️ Most cost comes from bandwidth. Setup involves configuring 5+ services.
📈 2. Growing Business (100K MAUs, 200GB DB, 1TB Storage, 5TB bandwidth)
Supabase – $630.40/month
| Service | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pro Plan Base | $25.00 | Includes basic DB, auth, 100GB storage |
| Extra DB Storage (192GB) | $24.00 | $0.125/GB beyond included 8GB |
| Compute Upgrade | $60.00 | 4-core, 2GB RAM |
| Extra Storage (900GB) | $18.90 | $0.021/GB beyond included 100GB |
| Bandwidth (4.75TB) | $427.50 | $0.09/GB beyond 250GB included |
| Edge Functions | $50.00 | Estimate for high usage |
| Messaging | $25.00 | Estimate for 10M events |
✅ Integrated platform; all services billed under one umbrella.
AWS
- On-Demand – $2,325.59/month
- 1-Year RI Estimate: ~$2,000.69/month
- 3-Year RI Estimate: ~$1,675.79/month
| Service | Cost (On-Demand) | 1-Year RI (est. -30%) | 3-Year RI (est. -60%) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RDS (db.m5.large Multi-AZ) | $249.66 | $174.76 | $99.86 | 2 vCPU, 8GB RAM |
| RDS Storage (200GB) | $46.00 | — | — | SSD, replicated |
| Cognito (90K MAUs) | $495.00 | — | — | $0.0055/MAU |
| Lambda (50M execs) | $833.33 | $583.33 | $333.33 | 1GB, 500ms execs |
| S3 (1TB) | $23.00 | — | — | $0.023/GB |
| Bandwidth (5TB) | $450.00 | — | — | Tiered pricing |
| API Gateway | $175.00 | — | — | 50M HTTP requests |
| CloudWatch | $50.00 | — | — | Monitoring |
| SQS (10M requests) | $3.60 | — | — | $0.40 per million |
⚠️ More expensive due to metered pricing across services. Complex to manage.
🏢 3. Enterprise (1.5M MAUs, 2TB DB, 50TB Storage, 100TB bandwidth)
Supabase – $19,383.40/month
| Service | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Team Plan | $599.00 | Enterprise features + support |
| DB Storage (1.99TB) | $249.00 | Extra beyond base plan |
| Compute (4XL) | $960.00 | 16-core, 32GB RAM |
| Auth (1.4M MAUs) | $4,550.00 | $0.00325 per MAU beyond 100K included |
| Storage (49.9TB) | $1,047.90 | $0.021/GB beyond 100GB |
| Bandwidth (99.75TB) | $8,977.50 | $0.09/GB beyond 250GB |
| Edge Functions | $2,000.00 | Custom pricing |
| Messaging | $1,000.00 | Custom pricing |
✅ Predictable, transparent billing; all services built-in.
AWS
- On-Demand – $73,122.81/month
- 1-Year RI Estimate: ~$62,330.91/month
- 3-Year RI Estimate: ~$51,539.00/month
| Service | Cost (On-Demand) | 1-Year RI (est. -30%) | 3-Year RI (est. -60%) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RDS (r5.4xlarge Multi-AZ) | $2,639.68 | $1,847.78 | $1,055.87 | 16 vCPU, 128GB RAM |
| RDS Storage (2TB IOPS) | $2,500.00 | — | — | High-performance SSD |
| Cognito (1.49M MAUs) | $22,350.00 | — | — | $0.015 per MAU (Essential plan) |
| Lambda (1B execs) | $33,333.33 | $23,333.33 | $13,333.33 | 2GB RAM, 1s duration |
| S3 (50TB) | $1,100.00 | — | — | Tiered pricing |
| Bandwidth (100TB) | $7,000.00 | — | — | Tiered egress |
| API Gateway | $3,500.00 | — | — | 1B HTTP requests |
| CloudWatch | $500.00 | — | — | Logging + monitoring |
| SQS (500M messages) | $199.80 | — | — | $0.40 per million messages |
⚠️ Enterprise-grade everything — but costs are 3–4x higher.
🧠 4. Hyperscale (10M MAUs, 10TB DB, 200TB Storage, 500TB Bandwidth)
Supabase – $98,914.90/month
| Service | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Enterprise Plan | $1,999.00 | Premium support, SLA, dedicated infra |
| DB Storage (9.99TB) | $1,248.75 | $0.125/GB beyond base |
| Compute (Max Tier) | $4,000.00 | Dedicated instances, 64-core |
| Auth (9.9M MAUs) | $32,175.00 | $0.00325/MAU over 100K |
| Storage (199.9TB) | $4,197.90 | $0.021/GB beyond base |
| Bandwidth (499.75TB) | $44,977.50 | $0.09/GB over included 250GB |
| Edge Functions | $5,000.00 | Custom tier for heavy edge workloads |
| Messaging | $5,317.75 | Estimated at $0.001/1K events |
✅ Transparent, single-vendor solution. Pricing scales linearly.
AWS
- On-Demand – $246,392.81/month
- 1-Year RI Estimate: ~$222,726.14/month
- 3-Year RI Estimate: ~$199,059.47/month
| Service | On-Demand | 1-Year RI (est. -30%) | 3-Year RI (est. -60%) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RDS (r6i.8xlarge Multi-AZ) | $10,560.00 | $7,392.00 | $4,224.00 | 32 vCPU, 256GB RAM x2 |
| RDS Storage (10TB IOPS) | $12,500.00 | — | — | High IOPS SSD |
| Cognito (9.9M MAUs) | $148,500.00 | — | — | $0.015 per MAU |
| Lambda (10B execs) | $33,333.33 | $23,333.33 | $13,333.33 | 2GB, 1s exec duration |
| S3 (200TB) | $4,000.00 | — | — | Tiered pricing |
| Bandwidth (500TB) | $35,000.00 | — | — | Tiered egress |
| API Gateway (10B reqs) | $6,000.00 | — | — | $3.50/million HTTP requests |
| CloudWatch | $1,000.00 | — | — | Extended logs and metrics |
| SQS (1B messages) | $499.48 | — | — | $0.40 per million messages |
⚠️ AWS offers fine-grained scaling — but total cost is 2–3x Supabase. Reserved pricing helps but long-term commitment required.
Final Thoughts
- Choose Supabase for simplicity, bundled pricing, and developer-friendly APIs.
- Choose AWS for scale, fine-tuned cost optimization, and enterprise controls.
👉 For a deep dive into database-specific pricing, see: Supabase vs AWS Database Pricing
