Supabase vs AWS RDS: Comprehensive Comparison in 2025

The backend infrastructure decision affects your entire development cycle. In 2025, Supabase and AWS RDS are two common options for teams that use PostgreSQL.

Supabase offers a developer-focused platform with Postgres at the core, plus built-in tools like Auth, Storage, and Realtime updates. AWS RDS is Amazon’s long-standing managed database service built for stability, fine-grained control, and enterprise workloads.

Let’s compare how they stack up in terms of cost, performance, scalability, and developer experience, and see which setup makes more sense for your project.

What is Supabase?

Supabase is a backend-as-a-service platform built on PostgreSQL. You get a managed Postgres database with built-in authentication, real-time data synchronization, file storage, and auto-generated REST and GraphQL APIs. The platform targets developers who want to skip backend infrastructure work and focus on application logic.

The service handles connection pooling, provides a web-based SQL editor, and includes row-level security out of the box. You can start building immediately after creating a project.

What is AWS RDS?

AWS Relational Database Service is Amazon's managed database offering that supports PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, Oracle, and SQL Server. The service manages backups, patches, replication, and failover while you retain control over database configuration, security groups, and network topology.

RDS integrates with AWS's broader ecosystem including VPC networking, IAM permissions, CloudWatch monitoring, and AWS Backup. Organizations use it when they need compliance certifications, custom networking setups, or want to leverage other AWS services.

Why Compare Supabase vs AWS RDS?

Both platforms solve database hosting, but their philosophies differ. Supabase optimizes for developer experience and rapid deployment. AWS RDS optimizes for flexibility and operational control. Startups building MVPs face different constraints than enterprises managing regulated data.

Your team size, compliance requirements, and technical expertise determine which approach fits better.

Pricing and Cost Models

Pricing is often the first real consideration between Supabase and AWS RDS. Both offer managed PostgreSQL, but their cost structures differ in how they bill for compute, storage, and usage.

Free and Entry-Level Tiers

Supabase has a free plan that includes:

• 500 MB database storage.

• 1 GB file storage.

• 5 GB egress and 5 GB cached egress.

• Shared compute (500 MB RAM).

• 50,000 monthly active users.

• Unlimited API requests.

Free projects pause after a week of inactivity and are limited to two active projects. This tier works well for prototypes, small personal tools, or test environments.

AWS RDS includes a free tier for 12 months. It covers:

• 750 hours of db.t2.micro or db.t3.micro instance time per month.

• 20 GB database storage.

• 20 GB backups.

After 12 months, standard RDS rates apply. The smallest PostgreSQL instance (db.t3.micro) typically costs around $15-$20 per month, depending on region and storage type.

Mid-Tier Usage (Compute, Storage, and Bandwidth)

Supabase’s Pro plan starts at $25 per month per project, which includes:

• 8 GB database storage.

• 100 GB file storage.

• 250 GB egress.

• 250 GB cached egress.

• $10 in compute credits.

Compute pricing depends on the selected instance size. For example:

• Micro (1 GB RAM, 2-core ARM) → $10/month.

• Small (2 GB RAM) → $15/month.

• Medium (4 GB RAM) → $60/month.

• Large (8 GB RAM) → $110/month.

Additional storage costs $0.125 per GB/month, and bandwidth beyond plan limits costs $0.09 per GB. The pricing is predictable and easy to estimate for small to medium workloads.

AWS RDS pricing is more granular. A db.t3.small (2 vCPUs, 2 GB RAM) instance costs about $30/month, with storage billed separately at $0.115 per GB/month.

A 100 GB database with moderate I/O averages around $40-$60/month, excluding data transfer. Data transfer out of AWS costs $0.09 per GB after the first free GB.

For a typical small production setup with 100 GB storage and moderate traffic:

• Supabase: roughly $40-$60/month (depending on egress and compute size)

• AWS RDS: around $70-$100/month, depending on I/O and traffic

High Workloads and Scaling Costs

Supabase’s Team plan starts at $599/month, including SOC2 compliance, SSO, longer log retention, and higher limits. Compute still scales based on instance size, up to 16XL (64 cores, 256 GB RAM), which costs around $3,730/month. Larger or custom setups move to the Enterprise plan.

Supabase also supports advanced disk configurations:

• General Purpose storage: $0.125 per GB/month (up to 16 TB)

• High Performance storage: $0.195 per GB/month, with higher IOPS options

AWS RDS scales linearly with instance size. For example:

• A db.r6g.xlarge (4 vCPUs, 32 GB RAM) runs about $230/month for compute

• Multi-AZ (high availability) doubles compute cost

• Provisioned IOPS storage costs $0.125 per GB-month + $0.10 per provisioned IOPS-month

AWS Aurora, a PostgreSQL-compatible engine, starts at similar pricing but offers better concurrency and automatic scaling for large workloads. For systems with sustained heavy traffic or strict uptime needs, Aurora often becomes more cost-effective than traditional RDS instances.

Hidden Costs and Overages

Supabase charges:

• $0.09 per GB for bandwidth overages.

• $0.021 per GB for extra file storage.

• $0.024 per IOPS and $0.095 per MB/s throughput if you use advanced disks.

Connection limits depend on compute size (for example, 60 direct connections on Micro plans, 160 on Large). Connection pooling helps mitigate this.

AWS RDS adds costs for:

• Backup storage beyond database size.

• Snapshot exports.

• Cross-region replication and data transfer.

• CloudWatch metrics and enhanced monitoring.

• Read replicas (each incurs full compute and storage cost).

Supabase pricing is simpler to estimate and suits small to medium workloads well. AWS RDS costs more but offers deeper configuration and scaling flexibility for larger, performance-critical systems.

Performance & Scalability

Performance depends on how much control you have over configuration and infrastructure. AWS RDS lets you choose instance types, storage classes, and network settings directly. Supabase simplifies these details and manages them for you.

Latency, Throughput & Query Performance

Both use PostgreSQL, so performance depends more on schema design, indexing, and queries than the platform itself. Supabase uses connection pooling by default, which adds slight latency and limits some Postgres features. Direct connections are available but count toward plan limits.

AWS RDS lets you tune Postgres settings like shared buffers and checkpoint timing. Aurora, its Postgres-compatible option, offers faster performance for concurrent queries and writes.

Scaling

Supabase scales vertically by upgrading compute size, which causes brief downtime.

AWS RDS also scales vertically, while Aurora supports horizontal scaling through up to 15 read replicas. Write scaling still requires vertical growth or sharding.

Concurrency & Load Handling

Supabase limits connections by plan. The Pro plan supports roughly 60-120 direct connections depending on instance size.

AWS RDS limits connections based on memory. Smaller instances support around 200 connections, and larger ones handle thousands. RDS Proxy adds managed pooling for handling spikes in traffic.

Features & Functionality

Both use PostgreSQL but differ in how much setup they require.

Built-in Tools & Ecosystem

Supabase includes auth (email, OAuth), real-time updates, file storage, and auto-generated APIs. Its dashboard has a SQL editor and table viewer.

AWS RDS manages only the database. You add Cognito for auth, AppSync or WebSockets for real-time, and S3 for storage. It needs more setup but offers more control.

Backups, Replication & High Availability

Supabase runs daily backups and offers point-in-time recovery on paid plans. High availability uses standby replicas based on region and plan.

AWS RDS automates backups (up to 35 days) and supports Multi-AZ failover. Aurora improves replication and recovery across zones.

Security, Access Control & Compliance

Supabase supports RLS, OAuth, and JWT auth, and holds SOC 2 Type 2 certification.

AWS RDS offers VPC isolation, encryption with KMS, and compliance with HIPAA, SOC, and PCI DSS.

Extensions, Plugins & Customization

Both support PostgreSQL extensions. Supabase enables common ones like PostGIS and uuid-ossp by default.

AWS RDS allows most PostgreSQL extensions through parameter groups. Custom extensions that need compilation aren’t supported, but most production use cases are covered.

Developer Experience & Ecosystem

Integrations & Tooling

Supabase offers client libraries for JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, Dart, and Swift. The JS client fits naturally with frameworks like Next.js and React, and real-time features work with no extra setup.

AWS RDS works with any PostgreSQL client but needs more configuration for connections and security. AWS SDKs help, but you write more setup code compared to Supabase.

Ease of Setup & Maintenance

Supabase takes minutes to set up from the dashboard. You can deploy and start building right away.

AWS RDS setup takes longer since you configure VPCs, subnet groups, and access rules. Maintenance requires version updates, backups, and monitoring through CloudWatch.

Use Cases & Suitability

SaaS / Startups

Supabase is a good option for early SaaS products that need to get running quickly. It includes auth, file storage, and real-time APIs, so you can build without managing separate services. The flat monthly cost makes budgeting simpler during early development.

Enterprise / Large Scale Applications

AWS RDS is better for teams that need strict compliance, network control, or custom infrastructure. It connects easily with AWS security and identity systems. Aurora provides stronger performance, high read scalability, and options to fine-tune cost and capacity.

Hybrid/Multi-Cloud Strategies

RDS works best inside the AWS ecosystem. Supabase runs independently, which makes it easier to deploy across different cloud providers, but it doesn’t integrate as deeply with other services.

Pros & Cons Summary

Category	Supabase	AWS RDS
Ease of Use	Simple setup, great for devs	Requires AWS knowledge
Performance	Good for moderate loads	Scales to enterprise workloads
Scalability	Vertical only	Vertical and horizontal
Features	Built-in Auth, Realtime, Storage	Broad AWS ecosystem
Compliance	Basic	Extensive enterprise standards
Pricing	Predictable	Complex but flexible
Community	Active open-source	Mature with enterprise support

Which to Choose?

Use Supabase when you need to get a product running quickly. It includes auth, real-time updates, and storage in one setup. Costs are fixed, and you can manage it without dedicated DevOps work.

Use AWS RDS if you need detailed control, compliance, or integration with other AWS services. You can tune PostgreSQL settings, use VPC isolation, and scale with Multi-AZ or Aurora.

If you move from Supabase to RDS, migration is simple since both use PostgreSQL. You’ll need to rebuild auth, storage, and real-time features with Cognito, S3, and AppSync.

Getting Started

With Supabase, you can bring up a Postgres database, auth, and storage quickly from the dashboard. It’s good for testing ideas or small projects.

RDS takes more setup since you’ll need to handle networking, security, and parameter configs, but it gives you full control and better integration with other AWS services.

Both use standard Postgres tooling, so connecting and migrating is simple.

You can also connect with our experts at  to review your architecture and choose the right setup for your product’s scale, compliance, and performance needs.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I migrate a Supabase database with Auth and Storage to AWS RDS with Cognito and S3?

Export your database schema and data using pg_dump. Create an RDS instance and restore using pg_restore. For authentication, export user data from Supabase Auth tables and import into Cognito user pools, though this requires scripting since direct migration isn't supported.

Move files from Supabase Storage to S3 buckets, updating application code to use AWS SDK for S3 with signed URLs. Replace Supabase's client library calls with direct PostgreSQL queries and AWS service calls.

Can I use Supabase for development/staging and AWS RDS for production?

This works if you avoid environment-specific features. Keep your application logic database-focused rather than depending on Supabase's real-time subscriptions or built-in auth. Use environment variables to switch between Supabase and RDS connection strings.

Implement authentication abstractly so you can swap between Supabase Auth and Cognito. This hybrid approach works best for teams wanting Supabase's developer experience without production commitment.

How do I implement row-level security in AWS RDS like Supabase's RLS?

PostgreSQL's native row-level security works identically on AWS RDS and Supabase. Enable RLS on tables with ALTER TABLE table_name ENABLE ROW LEVEL SECURITY, then create policies with CREATE POLICY.

AWS RDS supports all PostgreSQL RLS features. The difference is that Supabase's documentation and examples emphasize RLS patterns, while AWS documentation focuses on infrastructure. The underlying PostgreSQL functionality is identical.