Every mobile app needs a backend: a database, authentication, file storage, and API routes. Choosing and configuring these services can consume significant development time before you write product code.
At the scale most solo developers operate, many backend services offer free tiers or entry-level plans. The real cost variable is often your time spent setting up and maintaining services. For most solo developers building a first mobile app, the best backend is usually the one that lets you ship quickly without creating migration pain later.
How to pick the right backend for your app
Match your backend choice to your current product, workflow, stage, and data structure.
Start with your data model
Relational data, such as users linked to orders, can be stored in relational database systems such as PostgreSQL or MySQL. Supabase and Anything handle this natively. Firebase and Appwrite are both commonly used as backend platforms for applications that need managed data storage and real-time features. AI workloads that need vector similarity search may benefit from the Supabase pgvector extension.
Match your stage, not your ambitions
If you are pre-revenue and validating whether anyone wants your app, use a managed backend with auth, database, and storage included. That keeps your time focused on the product people may pay for.
Add custom backend layers when the product demands it. In practice, this means adding background jobs for transactional emails after a user signs up or building webhook endpoints that receive payment events from Stripe. Solve these problems when you encounter them instead of setting up extra infrastructure on day one.
Move more infrastructure under your control only when scale, cost, or compliance requirements justify the added operational burden.
Watch for the RLS security gap
If you use AI coding tools to scaffold a Supabase backend, verify that Row Level Security policies deployed correctly. Check your security policies before handling any user data.
Use cost after data-model fit
Pricing varies by usage and plan, so check costs on the official Firebase and Supabase pricing pages. The cost difference between platforms is usually small at MVP scale. Pick based on data model fit and developer experience, then optimize for cost later when you have real traffic data to work with.
The four categories of mobile app backend
Managed cloud BaaS
Firebase, Supabase, Appwrite, and Convex bundle auth, database, storage, and functions into a single managed service. The provider handles server provisioning. You pay for usage or a flat monthly fee.
Serverless and edge platforms
Cloudflare Workers, Vercel, and similar platforms provide compute and deployment targets. The runtime usually stays separate from authentication, databases, and storage services.
Self-hosted open source
PocketBase and self-hosted Appwrite run on your own infrastructure. The software is free, while operational time becomes your responsibility.
AI app builders
Platforms like Anything generate backend components from natural language prompts, including logic, data, authentication, payments, and integrations. You do not need to configure a separate backend.
For many solo developers building a first mobile app, managed cloud BaaS or AI app builders offer the fastest path to a shipped product. Serverless platforms and self-hosted options make more sense when you have specific infrastructure needs or real traffic to manage.
Firebase vs. Supabase: the two most common choices
Firebase usually gives you stronger mobile operations out of the box, while Supabase gives you a more portable relational database model.
Database model
Firebase uses Cloud Firestore, a NoSQL document store. It works well for naturally hierarchical data like chat messages or game state. It does not support SQL joins.
Supabase gives you a full PostgreSQL database with joins, transactions, triggers, stored procedures, and full-text search. If your app has relational data, PostgreSQL handles it natively.
Pricing predictability
The Firebase Blaze plan charges per operation and storage usage. There is no billing cap by default. Budget alerts are strongly recommended.
Supabase pricing is available on its pricing page. For solo developers tracking expenses, pricing predictability may matter as much as raw cost.
Vendor lock-in
Migrating off Firebase may require rewriting your data access layer, converting your data model from NoSQL to relational, and replacing your auth system.
Supabase data exports via standard pg_dump. The output works with any PostgreSQL host. Your data format is not proprietary.
Where Firebase still wins
Firebase includes a broader mobile operations suite than Supabase. Push notifications via FCM, Crashlytics for crash reporting, Analytics, A/B Testing, and Remote Config are all included and free. Firebase SDKs also provide offline persistence.
For a solo developer, this consolidation can reduce the number of separate services to evaluate and maintain.
Supabase covers database, auth, storage, and real-time. For mobile operations features such as push notifications or crash reporting, you may need separate third-party services.
If you are building a mobile-first app where offline sync is non-negotiable and you prefer not to build it yourself, Firebase still has a clear advantage.
Other backends worth evaluating
Appwrite
Appwrite is an open-source BaaS you can self-host or use as a managed cloud service. It supports multiple serverless function runtimes, built-in messaging, and a first-class Flutter SDK in the Appwrite docs. It also offers migration tooling that imports data from Firebase, Supabase, and Nhost.
Appwrite fits well for Flutter developers and teams with data residency requirements that demand self-hosting.
PocketBase
PocketBase is a single binary with zero external dependencies. It bundles SQLite, auth, file storage, real-time subscriptions, and an admin dashboard.
The trade-off is simple: PocketBase runs on a single server and works best for small and midsize applications. It fits projects that fit comfortably on one server.
Convex
Convex uses reactive TypeScript functions for data access, replacing SQL and NoSQL queries. Data changes push to connected clients automatically.
Convex fits real-time applications where reducing state synchronization code is the priority. The trade-off is a non-standard data model.
The differences between platforms matter less than whether the platform you pick matches your data structure and your current stage.
Skip backend configuration entirely with Anything
If your main goal is shipping a working app fast, Anything fits.
With Anything, building an app is an iterative conversation: describe your idea and refine it through prompts until it is ready to ship. The same backend powers both web apps and mobile apps in one project, so you avoid duplicate setup and keep your product logic in one place.
Every app you build on Anything includes a managed PostgreSQL database, built-in authentication, payments through Stripe, hosting, and storage. You get managed infrastructure, which lets you focus on product behavior instead of service wiring.
You can also deploy to iOS through Expo with cloud-signed App Store submission. Android is still in development. If you want one codebase that can support web and mobile while sharing the same backend, that setup can remove a lot of early complexity.
You can work in different development modes, including Auto mode, Fast mode, Expert mode, and Max mode. Max mode is a $200 per month add-on that acts as an autonomous software engineer, tests in the browser, ships features independently, solves complex bugs, and works in the background.
Full GitHub Sync and code export also help reduce lock-in, so you get speed now without giving up control later.
Inside Anything, a solo developer building a first mobile app can skip separate backend service configuration. If your primary skill is product thinking or domain expertise, start with Anything and ship your app before spending weeks evaluating infrastructure.
What to do next
Choose a backend that fits your app and current constraints.
If you already know your app needs offline-first behavior or full control over infrastructure, narrow your options around that requirement first. Otherwise, start with the path that removes setup work and keeps your data model aligned with the product you want to ship.
Solo developers often lose more time comparing tools than they gain from picking the perfect backend on day one. Pick the backend that fits your data model and operational tolerance, then ship the smallest version that someone can use and pay for if it is useful.
To see how builders ship with one shared backend across web and mobile, read this story.
