Xano vs Supabase: Which Is Better For Backend Development?

With so many applications on the market to make the development process easier, it can be difficult to choose the right one for your project. Xano vs Supabase is another widely discussed topic, as these two tools have similar features but are quite different.

This article examines both platforms and how they can help you optimize your application development and database management. By the end of this guide, you will have a clearer understanding of which platform is better suited to your development goals.

What is Xano?

Xano is a no-code backend development platform designed to power and scale applications for SMBs and enterprises. It provides a scalable server, a flexible database, and a no-code API builder, allowing developers to build powerful, scalable backends for their applications without writing any code.

Xano supports features such as team cooperation, allowing real-time collaboration throughout the development lifecycle, including branching, merging, data sources, API designs, and sharing of reusable components to accelerate time to market.

What is Supabase?

Supabase is an open-source platform that serves as an alternative to Firebase, providing tools and services for building and scaling web and mobile apps. It is designed to give developers a Firebase-like experience using open-source tools, focusing on ease of use, scalability, and customization. Supabase is built on PostgreSQL, a powerful and reliable object-relational database system.

Supabase Key features

Product Overview: Supabase provides a full suite of features:

Postgres Database: Each project includes a reliable, full-featured Postgres database.
Authentication: Enhances security with built-in authentication and row-level security.
Realtime Capabilities: Enables real-time data sync for interactive experiences.
Storage Solutions: Manages large files efficiently, from images to videos.
Extensible Functions: Custom code execution made simple without server management.

Developers’ Corner: Supabase is designed to ease the developer’s workload:

Instant APIs: Automatically generated APIs from your database to speed up development.
Local Emulator: Develop locally with the ability to push updates smoothly to production.
Documentation: Detailed guides and tutorials to help developers.

Documentation and Community Support: Extensive documentation and a supportive community improve the user experience:

Thorough Docs: Cover all features with examples and setup guides.
Active Community: Engage with other developers on platforms like GitHub and Discord.

Supabase drawbacks

Architectural Complexity: Because Supabase combines multiple functionalities (database, storage, auth), it can add complexity to your application architecture, especially for large-scale applications.
Row-Level Security (RLS): It can be a powerful tool to restrict data access in your Supabase application, but it can also introduce complexity, especially as your application and data models grow.

Xano key features

Drag-and-drop interface: allows users to easily build and connect APIs without any coding required. Xano’s user-friendly interface makes it simple to build and connect APIs, eliminating the need for coding.
Database Builder: Xano includes a built-in database builder that allows users to create and manage databases, as well as connect them to their applications. Furthermore, Xano offers a visual database diagram.
REST API builder: Xano’s REST API builder enables users to create and manage API endpoints, as well as secure them with API keys and authentication.
Webhooks: Xano enables the configuration of webhooks to initiate events in your applications upon the occurrence of specific actions on your APIs.
Scalability: Xano is built on a scalable infrastructure that can handle large volumes of traffic, making it an ideal choice for production applications.
The platform is highly customizable: Xano offers more than just the functionality presented; it also allows users to write code based on lambda functions.

Xano drawbacks

Learning curve: There is a bit of a learning curve with Xano, as you will need to get to know its drag-and-drop interface and features.
Vendor lock-in: Xano is a vendor-specific platform, which means that you are dependent on Xano to provide updates and support for the platform.
Cost Scaling: Xano’s pricing is based on usage, so as your app grows and attracts more users, your costs can increase. This might not be ideal for applications with unpredictable traffic spikes.

Xano vs Supabase pricing

Xano pricing

Build Plan (Shared Infrastructure)

Monthly Cost: Free
Features: Ideal for personal use and initial app building. This plan offers:

1 Workspace
100,000 total records
No-Code API Builder
Rate limited API
Live weekly office hours

Launch Plan (100% Dedicated Infrastructure)

Monthly Cost: $99
Features: Suitable for production apps needing more resources and dedicated infrastructure:

3 Workspaces
Unlimited records and no rate limits
Background tasks, branching/merging, test data sources
JS Lambda functions and database triggers
Security & compliance (GDPR, ISO 27001, SOC2)

Scale 1x Plan (100% Dedicated Infrastructure)

Monthly Cost: $225
Features: Designed for apps requiring significant power and security enhancements:

Increased API & database CPU (3x compared to Launch)
Load balancer, 5 workspaces, 3 team seats
Comprehensive data caching via Redis
Unlimited tasks, version history, private file storage

Scale 2x Plan (100% Dedicated Infrastructure)

Monthly Cost: $405
Features: For apps needing further upgraded security and power:

Auto-scaling, 2x API and database CPU compared to Scale 1x
Advanced permissions and access to enterprise add-ons

Scale 4x Plan (100% Dedicated Infrastructure)

Monthly Cost: $765
Features: Supports high-demand applications with enhanced capabilities:

Auto-scaling, 4x API and database CPU compared to Scale 1x

Scale 8x Plan (100% Dedicated Infrastructure)

Monthly Cost: $1,440
Features: Top-tier plan offering the highest levels of scalability and security:

Auto-scaling, 8x API and database CPU compared to Scale 1x

Agency Plan (100% Dedicated Infrastructure)

Monthly Cost: Custom
Features: Tailored for agencies needing easy client setup, management, and handoff:

Client dashboard, official partner status, partner commissions

Enterprise Plan (Self Host & Bring Your Own Cloud)

Monthly Cost: Custom
Features: Ultimate control with customizable deployments for maximum scalability:

Supabase pricing

FREE

Perfect for passion projects & simple websites.

Cost: $0 / month

Features:

Unlimited API requests
50,000 monthly active users
500 MB database space
Shared CPU (2 cores) and 1 GB RAM
5 GB bandwidth
1 GB file storage
Community support

PRO

For production applications with the option to scale.

Starting Cost: $25 / month

Credits: $10 in compute credits included

Features: Includes everything in the Free plan, plus:

100,000 monthly active users
8 GB database space
250 GB bandwidth
100 GB file storage
Email support
Daily backups stored for 7 days
7-day log retention

TEAM

Collaborate with different permissions and access patterns.

Starting Cost: $599 / month

Credits: $10 in compute credits included

Features: Includes everything in the Pro plan, plus:

SOC2 compliance
HIPAA available as a paid add-on
Read-only and Billing member roles
Single Sign-On (SSO) for dashboard access
Priority email support & service level agreements (SLAs)
Daily backups stored for 14 days
28-day log retention

ENTERPRISE

For large-scale applications managing serious workloads.

Pricing: Customized

Contact: Direct engagement for pricing and features

Features:

Designated Support manager
Uptime SLAs
On-premise support options
24×7×365 premium enterprise support
Private Slack channel
Custom Security Questionnaires

Xano Security

These measures include compliance with several international standards and security best practices:

ISO 27701:2019 Privacy Information Management – This extension of the ISO/IEC 27001 and ISO/IEC 27002 standards helps organizations manage personal data and demonstrate compliance with global privacy regulations.
ISO 27001:2013 Information Security Management System – The only auditable international standard that defines the requirements for an information security management system (ISMS), which includes policies, procedures, processes, and systems that manage information risks.
ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System – A global benchmark for quality, this standard helps organizations maintain internal processes according to set quality guidelines.
SOC 2 Type II – This audit assesses an organization’s security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy controls against the AICPA’s Trust Services Criteria. Xano has completed a SOC 2 Type II audit.
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) – Xano offers a GDPR-compliant Data Processing Agreement (DPA) to meet the GDPR contractual obligations of customers.
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) – Xano complies with HIPAA, which requires the protection and confidential handling of protected health information.
PCI DSS Compliance (ASV Network Scan) – Xano conducts PCI ASV-certified scans by the PCI Security Standards Council to satisfy external network scanning requirements.
Penetration Testing – Xano conducts penetration tests to identify and fix vulnerabilities. These tests simulate cyber attacks on Xano’s infrastructure to uncover potential security issues.
Industry Best Practices – Xano adheres to industry best security practices to protect applications and business data, ensuring a secure development environment.

Supbase security

Supabase uses a variety of security measures to guarantee the security and compliance of its platform:

SOC 2 Type 2 Compliance: Supabase meets the SOC2 Type 2 standards, indicating robust management of customer data to protect the interests of the organization and the privacy of its clients. Enterprise and Teams customers can access the SOC2 report via the dashboard.
HIPAA Compliance: The platform is compliant with HIPAA for handling Protected Health Information (PHI). Clients can engage in a Business Associate Agreement with Supabase to meet HIPAA obligations under a shared responsibility model.
Data Encryption: All customer data is encrypted at rest using AES-256 and in transit with TLS. Sensitive data such as access tokens and keys are also encrypted at the application level before storage.
Role-based Access Control: Supabase offers role-based access control, allowing organization members specific resource access rights, including options like Read-Only and Billing-Only access.
Backups and Recovery: Daily backups are performed for all paid customer databases. Additionally, Point in Time Recovery is available, enabling database restoration to any prior state.
Payment Processing Security: Payments are processed via Stripe, which does not retain any personal credit card information. Stripe holds a PCI Service Provider Level 1 certification, the highest in the payment industry.
Vulnerability Management: Regular penetration testing is conducted with industry experts. The platform also uses tools like GitHub, Vanta, and Snyk to scan for vulnerabilities in the code.
DDoS Protection: To counter Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, Supabase employs measures like Cloudflare for CDN-level protection and fail2ban to prevent brute force logins. Users can also customize rate limits and set spend caps to manage API usage and costs effectively.

Supabase vs Xano Key differences

While both applications are geared towards backend development and database management, they are quite similar and at the same time quite different. Users say that you have more customization and freedom with Supabase, but Xano has similar capabilities.

Key differences include:

XANO is a no-code platform. Although they have recently added the ability to write JS functions in Xano, you can do everything no-code.
Supabase is not no-code. You can set up things (tables, relations, etc.) in a no-code way, but to get the most out of it you need to be able to write SQL scripts.
Both Supabase and Xano offer self-hosting options at their Enterprise level. This means that you can host both the front end and the back end on your premises.
Supabase supports connecting with a custom SMTP server, allowing direct email functionalities like user verification and password resets, unlike Xano which requires third-party extensions for these features.
Supabase offers edge functions, providing benefits such as low latency, improved security, and the ability to build globally scalable applications with near real-time experiences.

Remember, the choice between Xano and Supabase isn’t just about features. You also need to consider the cost, scalability, and learning curve associated with each platform. Take a close look at their pricing models and community support before making your final decision.

Final thoughts

Both Xano and Supabase offer two different types of software for developing apps and managing databases. Understanding these differences is key to choosing the right software for your project.

Although most people will probably lean towards Supabase for smaller projects as its pricing is much more budget-friendly than Xano’s.

Try these tools for yourself, but it will take some learning to get used to both platforms. However, if you are not familiar with any code at all, Xano might be a better option as it has a code-free environment.