Supabase vs ToolJet
| Tagline | Open-source Firebase alternative built on PostgreSQL with realtime and auth | Open-source low-code platform for building internal tools and dashboards |
| Category | Databases & Spreadsheets | Databases & Spreadsheets |
| Replaces | Airtable, Google Sheets, Retool | Retool |
| GitHub stars | 107k | 38k |
| Language | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Self-host difficulty | 3/5 Moderate | 3/5 Moderate |
| Deploy options | Docker Docker Compose Kubernetes | One-Click Docker Docker Compose Kubernetes Manual |
| Managed hosting | ||
| Last updated | 3 days ago | 3 days ago |
| View repo | View repo |
Where each falls short
The honest trade-offs — what you give up with each, versus the proprietary tools they replace.
Supabase
- Self-hosted Docker Compose stack is complex: 8+ services including Kong, GoTrue, PostgREST, Realtime
- Studio table editor is less polished than Airtable UX for non-technical users
- Edge Functions are limited to Deno; no Node.js runtime in the self-hosted edition
ToolJet
- Some enterprise features (SSO, audit logs, advanced RBAC) are paid-only.
- Fewer polished, battle-tested connectors than Retool's large catalog.
- Complex apps can hit performance and editor-ergonomics limits.
- Documentation gaps around advanced/custom component scenarios.
Bottom line
Both are a similar lift to self-host; choose Supabase for the larger community and ecosystem. Open each guide below for deploy steps and the full feature gap.
Supabase
Open-source Firebase alternative built on PostgreSQL with realtime and auth