Can I use Supabase Realtime with a Xano backend?

If you use Xano connected to Supabase's PostgreSQL, yes, Supabase Realtime can still subscribe to table changes because it reads from the PostgreSQL write-ahead log directly, bypassing Xano. Your WeWeb or FlutterFlow frontend connects to Supabase directly for Realtime while using Xano for business logic API calls.

Is Xano GDPR compliant?

Xano offers EU data residency on their Scale plan. Their standard plans run on US infrastructure. For GDPR-sensitive applications (healthcare, finance, EU consumer data), specify an EU data residency requirement and budget for Xano's Scale plan, or use Supabase with EU region hosting (available on all paid plans).

How hard is it to learn Xano vs Supabase?

Xano is easier for non-technical users, the visual function stack requires no SQL or programming knowledge. Supabase is more accessible to developers who know SQL and TypeScript. For a non-technical founder: Xano has a shallower learning curve. For a developer: Supabase is more natural.

Does Xano support file uploads?

Yes, Xano has built-in file storage with its own CDN. For most use cases this is sufficient. For apps with high-volume file storage requirements (document management, media platforms), Supabase Storage is more cost-effective at scale and offers tighter integration with Supabase auth and RLS.

What is the maximum database size on each platform?

Supabase Pro: 8GB, with additional storage available at $0.125/GB/month. Supabase Team: 100GB. Xano Base: 2GB. Xano Launch: 10GB. Xano Scale: up to 100GB+ with custom negotiations. For most SaaS products under 100,000 records, the database size limits on standard plans are non-binding.

Xano vs Supabase: Choosing the Right Backend for Your No-Code App

The most common backend question in the no-code ecosystem: Xano or Supabase? Both are production-grade, both work with WeWeb and FlutterFlow, and both are used by thousands of SaaS companies. After building on both, here is when to use each, and when to use them together.

What They Actually Are

Supabase is a managed PostgreSQL database with built-in auth, realtime subscriptions, file storage, and edge functions. It's an infrastructure product, you get database primitives and connect your own API layer.

Xano is a no-code API builder with a built-in PostgreSQL database. It's an application-layer product, you build REST API endpoints with visual business logic (function stacks), and the database is managed underneath.

The key difference: Supabase gives you the database layer. Xano gives you the API + database layer. You can use them together (Xano connecting to Supabase), separately, or combine them.

Xano's Visual API Builder vs Supabase SQL

Xano's visual API builder is its core value proposition. Each API endpoint is defined as a function stack: a sequential list of operations (query database, transform data, call external API, conditional logic, return response) that executes top to bottom. Non-technical operators can read and understand a Xano function stack in a way they cannot read SQL or TypeScript.

Supabase exposes your data via auto-generated REST and GraphQL APIs based on your schema. For simple CRUD, the Supabase API requires no configuration, it just works. For complex queries (multi-table joins, aggregations, computed fields), you write SQL in Supabase's SQL editor, then expose it as a database function callable from your frontend.

The practical gap: for a query like "return all projects where the user is a member, with the count of open tasks and the name of the assigned team lead", Supabase requires SQL expertise to write correctly and an Edge Function to add computed logic. In Xano, you build this as a visual function stack in 20 minutes without writing SQL. The more complex your data retrieval logic, the more Xano justifies its additional cost.

Authentication in Each

Supabase Auth is a managed JWT authentication system. It supports email/password, magic links, OAuth (Google, GitHub, Apple, and 20+ providers), and phone/OTP. Auth is fully integrated with Row-Level Security, your database policies automatically enforce user ownership. This integration is Supabase's biggest auth advantage: the auth user ID flows directly into every database query, eliminating an entire class of authorisation bugs.

Xano's authentication is endpoint-based. You build a /auth/signup endpoint and /auth/login endpoint using Xano's visual function stack, which returns a JWT on successful authentication. This JWT is then passed in the Authorization header on subsequent requests. Xano validates the JWT on every request via middleware. The setup takes 10–15 minutes and is well-documented.

For social auth (OAuth) in Xano, you need to build the OAuth flow yourself using Xano's external API connector, it is more work than Supabase's one-click Google/Apple integration. For email/password apps, both are equally simple. For apps requiring multiple OAuth providers, Supabase is significantly faster to implement.

When to Use Supabase Alone

Use Supabase alone when your business logic is simple. The Supabase REST API auto-generates endpoints for every table, and Row-Level Security handles access control.

For a WeWeb or FlutterFlow app with straightforward CRUD operations (create a task, read tasks for user, update task status, delete task), Supabase's auto-generated API is sufficient. No need for Xano.

Also use Supabase alone when you want realtime subscriptions. Xano doesn't support Supabase Realtime, WeWeb and FlutterFlow connect directly to Supabase for realtime features.

When to Use Xano

Add Xano when your business logic is complex:
- Multi-step workflows (create order → update inventory → send notification → create invoice)
- External API integrations (Stripe webhook processing, Twilio SMS, SendGrid emails)
- Computed fields (pricing calculators, score algorithms, data transformations)
- Complex authorization (check workspace membership, verify subscription tier, rate limiting)

Xano's function stack makes this logic visual and maintainable. Doing the same thing in Supabase Edge Functions requires writing TypeScript.

Using Xano + Supabase Together

The combination we use most often: Xano as the API layer, Supabase as the database.

Setup: Xano connects to your Supabase PostgreSQL database directly (via the external database connection). Xano handles business logic and API endpoints. Supabase handles storage, auth (optionally), and direct realtime subscriptions for the frontend.

The benefit: you get Xano's visual function stack for complex logic AND Supabase's realtime and file storage. The downside: it's more infrastructure to manage.

Pricing Comparison at Scale

Supabase free tier: generous (500MB database, 2GB bandwidth, 50K monthly active users). Pro plan: $25/month for 8GB database. Scales predictably.

Xano free tier: limited (500 API requests/hour, limited database). Base plan: $85/month for 10K requests/hour. Launch plan: $175/month.

For low-traffic MVPs: Supabase alone is free and sufficient. For production apps with complex business logic: Xano + Supabase costs ~$110/month, still far cheaper than a custom backend developer.

At scale (50,000 MAU, high API usage): Supabase Pro stays at $25/month unless you exceed storage or bandwidth, typically requires the Team plan at $599/month only for very large or data-heavy products. Xano at this scale likely requires the Scale plan ($375–500/month for 100K+ requests/hour). Total Xano + Supabase at 50K MAU: approximately $400–525/month, still significantly less than custom backend infrastructure and maintenance.

Migrating Between Xano and Supabase

Migrating from Supabase to Xano: export your Supabase PostgreSQL schema and data (pg_dump). Create corresponding tables in Xano using Xano's table importer or recreate the schema manually. Import the data via Xano's CSV importer or direct database connection. Rebuild the API endpoints in Xano's visual builder. This is a 1–3 week project for a typical SaaS with 10–20 tables.

Migrating from Xano to Supabase: export Xano's database via the CSV export function. Import to Supabase via the Table Editor. Translate Xano's business logic function stacks to Supabase Edge Functions (TypeScript). This is more technically demanding because you lose the visual function stack and move to code. Plan 3–6 weeks for a complex Xano backend.

Migrating between the two is rarely necessary if you choose correctly upfront. The decision rule: if your team is non-technical and cannot maintain TypeScript, stay on Xano permanently. If your team is technical and prefers code, start on Supabase and avoid Xano's per-request costs at scale.

Pricing Comparison

Supabase free tier: generous (500MB database, 2GB bandwidth, 50K monthly active users). Pro plan: $25/month for 8GB database. Scales predictably.

Xano free tier: limited (500 API requests/hour, limited database). Base plan: $85/month for 10K requests/hour. Launch plan: $175/month.

For low-traffic MVPs: Supabase alone is free and sufficient. For production apps with complex business logic: Xano + Supabase costs ~$110/month, still far cheaper than a custom backend developer.

Our Recommendation

Start with Supabase alone. If your logic fits in Supabase's auto-generated REST API + Edge Functions, there's no need to add Xano.

Add Xano when: (1) you have multi-step business logic that's becoming hard to manage in Edge Functions, (2) you need to integrate with multiple external APIs, or (3) your team is non-technical and Supabase's Edge Functions require TypeScript they can't maintain.

For most of our client projects, we use Xano + Supabase together, Xano for business logic, Supabase for PostgreSQL, realtime, and storage. App Studio has certified Xano developers and Supabase developers who can build your backend.