Appwrite vs Firebase vs Supabase — Choosing a Backend for Your Flutter App
Firebase, Supabase, and Appwrite all work with FlutterInit. Compare auth, database, self-hosting, and when each fits a Flutter team.
FlutterInit supports Firebase, Supabase, and Appwrite as first-class backend overlays. The right pick depends on hosting, database preference, and ecosystem — not which logo looks nicest in a slide deck.
Comparison (Flutter-focused)
| Firebase | Supabase | Appwrite | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auth in FlutterInit | Email/password + Firebase SDK stream | Email/password + onAuthStateChange | Email sessions; manual auth stream in our service |
| Primary DB story | Firestore / RTDB | Postgres | Appwrite Databases |
| Self-host | No (Google cloud) | Yes (self-host option) | Yes (strong self-host story) |
| Ecosystem | Analytics, Crashlytics, FCM, deep Google tie-in | SQL, RLS, storage, edge functions | Open-source BaaS suite |
| Best when | You want Google mobile platform glue | You want SQL + realtime on Postgres | You want open-source / self-host control |
How FlutterInit treats them equally (almost)
Each backend gets:
- AppConfig initialization
- An
AuthServiceimplementation - Dotenv keys documented in SETUP.md
- The same repository → presentation path in your chosen architecture
They are not feature-identical products. Don’t expect Firestore APIs from Supabase.
Pick one
- Firebase — mobile Google stack; see Firebase Auth wiring
- Supabase — SQL + Riverpod; see Supabase + Riverpod
- Appwrite — self-host / OSS; see MVVM + Provider + Appwrite or Bloc + Clean + Appwrite
Switching later
Domain repositories make swaps cheaper. Still budget real work for data models and security rules — FlutterInit won’t migrate your production data.
Choose a backend on /create and generate auth before you write feature screens.
Ready to build?
Generate this project in seconds
FlutterInit scaffolds the entire structure described in this guide — wired up, typed, and ready for flutter run.