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Stack guides / Databases

Free databases for web apps

Where your app keeps its data. Most AI-built apps use Postgres through a service that also handles login and files, so you wire up fewer things.

10 options. Free tiers, catches and prices checked by hand on 2026-10-27; each one links to its sources.

Where we’d start: Supabase. Postgres, login, file storage and realtime in one free project, and Lovable and Bolt connect to it natively.

Database

Cloudflare D1Service

Serverless SQLite database built into Cloudflare Workers.

Best for: Apps already on Cloudflare Workers that need a cheap serverless SQLite database. Skip it if: You need a single database over 10 GB (500 MB on Free) or your backend runs outside Cloudflare Workers.

Cloudflare’s official API MCP server (mcp.cloudflare.com/mcp) covers 2,500+ endpoints across all products; D1 isn’t named separately.

Workers Free

  • 5 million rows read per day
  • 100,000 rows written per day
  • 5 GB total storage, 500 MB max per database
  • 10 databases per account
  • 7-day Time Travel (point-in-time recovery)

Daily caps are hard: once hit, queries fail until the 00:00 UTC reset.

Workers Paid, $5/mo minimum per account (25B rows read, 50M rows written, 5 GB included per month)

Checked 2026-10-27: developers.cloudflare.com, developers.cloudflare.com, developers.cloudflare.com

MongoDB AtlasSSPL-1.0

Managed MongoDB document database in the cloud (the server itself is SSPL and self-hostable).

Best for: Document-shaped data and teams already comfortable with MongoDB. Skip it if: You need relational joins/SQL or more than 512 MB without paying.

Official MongoDB MCP Server runs queries, explains schemas and manages Atlas clusters.

Free cluster (formerly M0)

  • 512 MB storage, shared RAM and vCPU
  • 100 operations per second
  • 500 connections
  • 10 GB in and 10 GB out per rolling 7 days
  • 1 free cluster per project

Free clusters pause after 30 days with zero connections, and going over the transfer limit throttles the cluster.

Flex, $8-$30/mo depending on ops/sec; Dedicated M10 from $56.94/mo

Checked 2026-10-27: mongodb.com, mongodb.com, mongodb.com

NeonApache-2.0

Serverless Postgres that scales to zero and branches like Git.

Best for: Serverless Postgres with instant branching for preview environments and many small projects. Skip it if: You need an always-on database on the free plan or a bundled storage/realtime backend.

Official hosted MCP server at mcp.neon.tech/mcp (OAuth or API key).

Free

  • 100 projects, 10 branches each
  • 1 GB storage per project (20 GB total)
  • 100 CU-hours compute per project per month, autoscaling up to 2 CU
  • 5 GB public egress per project per month
  • Neon Auth up to 60,000 MAU per project

Compute always scales to zero after 5 idle minutes (can’t be disabled on Free), so the first query after idle waits for a cold start.

Launch, pay-as-you-go with no monthly minimum ($0.106/CU-hour, $0.35/GB-month)

Checked 2026-10-27: neon.com, neon.com, neon.com

Prisma PostgresService

Managed Postgres from the makers of Prisma ORM, billed per database operation.

Best for: TypeScript apps using Prisma ORM that want zero-config Postgres with no credit card. Skip it if: Your app runs many small queries (operation billing) or you need backups on the free tier.

Official remote MCP server (mcp.prisma.io/mcp); `npx create-db` gives agents a temporary database that lasts 24h unless claimed.

Free

  • 200,000 operations per month
  • 2 GB storage
  • 50 databases
  • 10 pooled connections
  • No backups

Every create, read, update and delete counts as a billed operation, so a busy app can use up 200k per month quickly.

Starter, $10/mo (1M operations, 10 GB, daily backups kept 7 days)

Checked 2026-10-27: prisma.io, prisma.io, prisma.io

TursoMIT

Hosted SQLite (libSQL) databases with edge replicas and cheap per-user databases.

Best for: Lightweight SQLite databases, including one database per user or tenant, with embedded replicas. Skip it if: You need Postgres features or extensions, or an all-in-one backend with auth and storage.

Official hosted MCP server at mcp.turso.ai/mcp, plus a local `tursodb --mcp` mode for SQLite files.

Free

  • 100 databases
  • 5 GB storage
  • 500 million rows read per month
  • 10 million rows written per month
  • 3 GB syncs per month, 1-day point-in-time restore

Usage is metered in rows scanned, not rows returned, so unindexed queries can burn the read quota.

Developer, $4.99/mo billed yearly ($1/mo more month-to-month)

Checked 2026-10-27: turso.tech, turso.tech, docs.turso.tech

Backend

SupabaseApache-2.0Our pick

Hosted Postgres with login, file storage, realtime and edge functions built in.

Best for: A full Postgres backend (database, auth, storage, realtime, edge functions) for an MVP, especially one built with an AI app builder. Skip it if: Your app gets sporadic traffic and can’t tolerate pausing or running without backups, unless you pay for Pro.

Lovable’s built-in backend (Lovable Cloud) is built on Supabase and Lovable can also connect your own project; Bolt has a native Supabase integration (Pro/Teams plans); official hosted MCP server at mcp.supabase.com/mcp.

Free

  • 500 MB database per project (shared CPU, 500 MB RAM)
  • 5 GB egress + 5 GB cached egress per month
  • 50,000 auth MAU
  • 1 GB file storage (50 MB max upload)
  • 2 active free projects

Free projects pause after 1 week of inactivity, and Free has no backups or point-in-time recovery.

Pro, from $25/mo per org incl. $10/mo compute credits (one Micro instance)

Checked 2026-10-27: supabase.com, supabase.com, supabase.com

Appwrite CloudBSD-3-Clause

Open-source backend with auth, databases, storage, functions and hosting, as a cloud service or self-hosted.

Best for: An open-source all-in-one backend (auth, database, storage, functions, hosting) you can later self-host. Skip it if: Users will rely on a free project you may leave untouched in the Console for a week or more.

Official hosted MCP server (mcp.appwrite.io) plus a Claude Code plugin and agent skills.

Free

  • 2 projects (1 database each)
  • 75,000 monthly active users
  • 5 GB bandwidth per month
  • 2 GB storage
  • 750,000 function executions per month

Free projects pause after 7 days without development activity in the Console and are deleted after 90 days paused.

Start, from $10/mo (eligible orgs, selected regions); Pro $25/mo

Checked 2026-10-27: appwrite.io, appwrite.io, appwrite.io

ConvexFSL-1.1-ALv2

Reactive TypeScript backend with a realtime database, server functions, file storage and scheduling.

Best for: Realtime TypeScript apps where queries, mutations and data live in one reactive backend. Skip it if: You want plain SQL/Postgres or to avoid a vendor-specific query model.

Official MCP server (`npx -y convex@latest mcp start`), Claude Code/Cursor plugins and an llms.txt docs index.

Free & Starter

  • 1M function calls per month
  • 0.5 GB database storage, 1 GB database I/O per month
  • 1 GB file storage, 1 GB data egress per month
  • 20 GB-hours action compute per month
  • 1-6 developers, 40 deployments

Limits are hard on Free: once hit, new writes may fail unless you add a card for Starter pay-as-you-go.

Starter, pay-as-you-go past free limits with no base fee; Professional $25 per developer/mo

Checked 2026-10-27: convex.dev, docs.convex.dev, docs.convex.dev

Firebase (Firestore, Spark plan)Service

Google’s app backend with the Firestore document database, auth, hosting and storage.

Best for: Realtime mobile and web apps that fit Firestore’s document model and Google’s ecosystem. Skip it if: You need SQL joins, or server code and file uploads without adding a billing account.

Official Firebase MCP server (`npx -y firebase-tools@latest mcp`) covers Firestore, Auth, Storage, Functions and App Hosting.

Spark

  • Firestore: 1 GiB stored
  • 50,000 document reads per day
  • 20,000 writes and 20,000 deletes per day
  • 10 GiB network egress per month

Cloud Functions, App Hosting and (since Feb 3, 2026) Cloud Storage require the pay-as-you-go Blaze plan with a billing account.

Blaze, pay-as-you-go with the Spark no-cost quotas included ($300 credit for eligible new accounts)

Checked 2026-10-27: firebase.google.com, firebase.google.com, firebase.google.com

PocketBaseMIT

Open-source backend in one file: SQLite database, auth, file storage, realtime and an admin dashboard.

Best for: Solo founders who want a tiny, free, self-hosted backend for small apps. Skip it if: You need horizontal scaling, managed backups or a vendor SLA.

Open source (self-hosted)

  • No usage limits; bounded only by your own server
  • Single Go binary with embedded SQLite
  • Built-in auth, file storage, realtime and admin UI

Pre-1.0 with no backward-compatibility guarantee, and you host, back up and scale the single server yourself.

No paid plan; you pay only for your server

Checked 2026-10-27: pocketbase.io, github.com, github.com