How it works
Firebase started as a realtime database startup and was bought by Google in 2014. Today it combines Cloud Firestore and the older Realtime Database, Authentication, Cloud Storage, Cloud Functions (Node.js or Python), Hosting and App Hosting, Cloud Messaging for push notifications, plus Crashlytics, Analytics, Remote Config and App Check. SQL Connect (formerly Data Connect) adds a managed PostgreSQL option.
Apps use the Firebase SDKs directly, and security rules decide who may read or write each document or file. Its strengths are mobile SDKs with offline support and instant updates. The costs are proprietary APIs that are hard to leave, per-operation billing that grows with reads, and some services (Cloud Functions, Cloud Storage) that need the pay-as-you-go Blaze plan.
Firebase pros and cons
Pros
- Mature mobile SDKs with offline support and realtime sync
- Many services under one console, including free push notifications
- Scales automatically with no servers to manage
- Local Emulator Suite for development and testing
Cons
- Proprietary, so moving away means rewriting data access
- Per-read billing can grow quickly with traffic
- Firestore queries are limited: no joins and restricted filters
- Functions and Cloud Storage require a billing account
When to use Firebase
Pick it when
- Mobile apps that need offline support, push and live updates
- Prototypes and small teams already using Google Cloud
Skip it when
- Relational data and reporting, where SQL fits better
- You want to be able to self-host or switch providers easily
Firebase pricing
Free tier
Spark plan is free with daily quotas (for example 50,000 Firestore reads a day). Blaze is pay as you go, keeps those free quotas, and is required for Cloud Functions and Cloud Storage.
Firebase pricing page (opens in a new tab)Approximate, checked September 2026.What the other tools cost
Firebase vs the alternatives
Related terms
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