Supabase vs Firebase vs PlanetScale — UK Backend-as-a-Service (2025)
Supabase is the right default for UK production applications requiring PostgreSQL, UK GDPR compliance, and row-level security. Firebase is for rapid prototyping and mobile apps where developer velocity beats compliance complexity. PlanetScale is for MySQL-at-scale workloads. For any UK application handling personal data in a regulated sector: Supabase on a self-hosted or EU-region instance is the only appropriate choice — Firebase's US-first data residency creates UK GDPR complications. BaaS platform choice has significant UK GDPR implications. Most BaaS guide miss this — here is an honest UK-focused assessment.
| Factor | Supabase | Firebase (Google) | PlanetScale |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK GDPR data residency | ✅ EU region available + self-host option | ⚠️ EU region available — but US-headquartered terms | ⚠️ US-headquartered — IDTA may be needed |
| PostgreSQL RLS (UK GDPR) | ✅ Native Row Level Security — best GDPR story | Firestore security rules — different model | MySQL — no RLS (application-level only) |
| NHS/FCA regulated data | ✅ PostgreSQL — familiar to regulators | ⚠️ NoSQL — FCA/NHS less familiar with audit | MySQL — acceptable for some regulated use |
| Row-level security | ✅ PostgreSQL RLS — native, enforced at DB | Firestore rules — client-side bypass risk | Not available natively |
| Self-hosting | ✅ Docker — run on AWS eu-west-2 | Limited — Google-hosted only | Cloud-only |
| Real-time subscriptions | ✅ Supabase Realtime (WebSocket) | ✅ Firestore native real-time | Not native |
| Mobile app SDKs | Good — growing | ✅ Excellent — Flutter/React Native native | Not mobile-focused |
| SQL (PostgreSQL) | ✅ Full SQL | No SQL — Firestore/RTDB only | ✅ MySQL — full SQL |
| ClickMasters recommendation | ✅ UK regulated applications | Rapid prototyping, mobile MVPs | MySQL-specific legacy workloads |
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