Backends & databases tools
Databases, auth and storage. 5 tools we track, checked .
Short answer page: What's the best backends & databases tool?
Ranked by fit for solo businesses: tools we profile in depth first, then those used in our research notes, then the rest. Affiliate status never changes the order.
- 1
Airtable
Pick this if you want organizing client and product data.
Spreadsheet-database hybrid with views, automations and interfaces.
Free plan + paid plans · Free plan: Yes · $0 · then $20/seat/mo billed annually ($24 monthly) · Difficulty 2/5
- 2
pgvector
Pick this if you want vector search in an existing Postgres database.
Open-source vector similarity search extension for Postgres.
Free, open source · Free plan: Yes · Difficulty 4/5
- 3
Pinecone
Pick this if you want managed vector search at scale.
Managed vector database for semantic search and RAG.
Free plan + paid plans · Free plan: Yes · Difficulty 3/5
- 4
Supabase
Pick this if you want an app backend in minutes.
Open-source Postgres backend with auth, storage and vector support.
Free plan + paid plans · Free plan: Yes · Difficulty 3/5
- 5
Firebase
Pick this if you want mobile and web app backends.
Google's app development platform: database, auth, hosting and functions.
Free plan + paid plans · Free plan: Yes
Side-by-side
| Tool | Pricing model | Free plan | Starting price | Difficulty | Output rights | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airtable | Free plan + paid plans | Yes | $0 · then $20/seat/mo billed annually ($24 monthly) | 2/5 | Not a content generator | Organizing client and product data |
| pgvector | Free, open source | Yes | Free | 4/5 | – | Vector search in an existing Postgres database |
| Pinecone | Free plan + paid plans | Yes | See official site | 3/5 | – | Managed vector search at scale |
| Supabase | Free plan + paid plans | Yes | See official site | 3/5 | – | An app backend in minutes |
| Firebase | Free plan + paid plans | Yes | See official site | – | – | Mobile and web app backends |
"Starting price" is shown only for tools we profile in depth, where we read the official pricing page on . For the others, check the official site.