In Supabase
You need auth, storage, realtime, and edge functions in one product.
Open-source Firebase alternative — Postgres, auth, storage, edge functions.
Comparison
nlqdb vs Supabase
Pick Supabase if you want a full BaaS — auth, storage, edge functions, and a SQL Studio you'll write queries in yourself. Pick nlqdb if you want to ship data features by writing English, with the schema, engine, and indexes invisible.
The same goal, two ways.
> top 5 customers by revenue this month
In your HTML
<nlq-data goal="top 5 customers by revenue this month"></nlq-data>The query Supabase users write by hand in Studio is the one nlqdb answers from the English goal.
What's different
Four dimensions that decide it
| Dimension | nlqdb | Supabase | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Managed Postgres | |||
| Natural-language queries | Studio is a SQL IDE; English queries aren't part of the product. | ||
| Auto-migration via NL ('add a column for tags') | |||
| Destructive-op diff preview before apply | Supabase has SQL Editor + RLS; the diff/preview before destructive NL is unique to nlqdb. |
Show 7 more rows
| Dimension | nlqdb | Supabase | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| MCP server (agent-callable) | Supabase MCP queries an existing DB; nlqdb's `nlqdb_query` materialises Postgres on first reference. | ||
| HTML embed element | |||
| Anonymous mode (try before sign-in) | |||
| Auth (email, OAuth, SSO) | |||
| File / blob storage | |||
| Edge functions | |||
| Realtime websockets |
shipped · partial · not shipped
When to choose nlqdb
- Your product is data-feature heavy and you don't want to write SQL or migrations.
- You want one HTML element (`<nlq-data>`) that answers questions over your data.
- An AI agent or LLM needs to query a database it can also provision.
- You want destructive operations diff-previewed before they apply.
When to choose Supabase
- You need auth, storage, realtime, and edge functions in one product.
- Your team is fluent in SQL and prefers a Studio over a chat box.
- You're already on the Supabase free tier and don't want to migrate.
- Row-level security policies are central to your data model.
Questions buyers ask
- Can I keep my Supabase database and use nlqdb just for the NL queries?
- Not yet — nlqdb provisions and owns the database it queries. Bring-your-own-Postgres is on the roadmap but not shipped. For NL-over-existing-Supabase, see Vanna AI or AskYourDatabase.
- Does nlqdb support row-level security like Supabase?
- Per-DB API keys (`pk_live_*`) scope reads to a single database, and writes require a session bearer. Postgres RLS policies aren't surfaced yet; if you need policy-level control, Supabase wins today.
- Is nlqdb open source like Supabase?
- The source is private during pre-alpha. The SDKs, CLI, framework wrappers, and the `<nlq-data>` web component will be open source at general availability; the platform itself is hosted-only for now.
- What's the pricing model vs Supabase's $25/mo Pro?
- Free chain forever (BYO-LLM at 0% markup); hosted premium adds a flat sub with an included request allowance and soft-meter overage. Exact tiers ship with monetization; until then everything is free.
- Can my AI agent create a Supabase project the way it can create an nlqdb database?
- Supabase's MCP server queries an existing project but doesn't provision one. nlqdb's MCP exposes `nlqdb_query`, which materialises Postgres on first reference (no separate create-DB verb), so an autonomous agent can stand up its own data layer end-to-end.
Try nlqdb in 30 seconds
No sign-in. The anonymous database lasts 72 hours; adopt it with one click if you keep it.
Start with a goal →