Best database
for vibe-coded apps
Updated 2026-09-18. Supabase is the pick for most projects. Here is how the options compare, and how to run whichever you choose through a single Squiid key.
Short answer
- Our pick: Supabase. Postgres plus auth, storage, realtime and row level security in one project, and every coding agent already knows its SDK well enough to write working code on the first try.
- Runner-up: Neon. Serverless Postgres with branching. Pick it when you want plain Postgres and nothing else, or when you want a database branch per pull request.
- Pick something else when: Turso when the app is read heavy and you want SQLite at the edge, MongoDB Atlas when your data is genuinely document shaped, Upstash Redis when you need a cache or a queue rather than a database, and Convex when you want reactive queries and server functions in one runtime.
If you are building with Claude Code, Cursor or Lovable and you just need a database that works, use Supabase. It is Postgres, so the schema your agent writes is portable, and it bundles the auth, file storage and realtime a small app needs next. Every other option here answers a narrower question.
How to choose a database for an AI-coded app
Can your agent write correct code for it on the first attempt?
This matters more than any benchmark. Coding agents are trained on public code, so a database with years of tutorials, a stable SDK and plain SQL gets working code immediately. An unusual query language means more wrong guesses and more of your time reviewing. Postgres backed options win here.
Does it cover auth and storage too, or will you bolt those on?
A vibe-coded app needs users and files almost immediately. Supabase and Convex give you those in the same project. Pick a pure database and you will add an auth provider and an object store within a week: two more accounts, two more keys, two more bills unless they run through one gateway.
What happens when nobody uses it for a month?
Most vibe-coded projects are quiet most of the time. Serverless options scale to zero and cost almost nothing while idle. Always on instances bill whether or not anyone visits. Check whether the low tier pauses after inactivity and how long it takes to wake, because a cold start on a demo link is a bad first impression.
Can you branch it, seed it and reset it safely?
Agents make schema mistakes. You want a throwaway copy the agent can run migrations against and you can discard. Branching, point in time restore and a seed script are worth more than raw performance at this stage.
How does it bill, and can you cap it?
Rows, storage and egress are easy to run up by accident when an agent writes a loop. Prefer clear per unit pricing and set a hard ceiling. On Squiid, database usage draws down prepaid credits and pauses at zero rather than producing a surprise invoice.
Compare the options
Every database option Squiid carries in the Databases category, with what each one is best at and how it bills.
| Service | Best for | Pricing | On Squiid |
|---|---|---|---|
| CockroachDB | Distributed SQL that survives node failure and spans regions | both | Roadmap |
| Convex | Reactive backend where queries, mutations and the database are TypeScript | both | Roadmap |
| MongoDB Atlas | Managed document database with vector search built in | both | Roadmap |
| Neon | Serverless Postgres with instant branching and scale to zero | Launch $19/mo, both | Live |
| PlanetScale | MySQL built on Vitess with safe schema changes and branching | both | Roadmap |
| Supabase | Postgres with auth, storage, realtime and edge functions attached | Pro $25/mo, both | Next up |
| Turso | SQLite on the edge with per-tenant databases and local replicas | both | Roadmap |
| Upstash QStash | HTTP message queue with retries, delays and schedules for serverless | Pay as you go $0/mo, usage | Live |
| Upstash Redis | Serverless Redis over HTTP, priced per request with no idle cost | Pay as you go $0/mo, usage | Live |
| Xata | Postgres platform with branching, data anonymisation and copy-on-write | both | Roadmap |
Why run your database through Squiid
One login instead of one per vendor. Squiid carries 10 database options here and every other layer of the stack beside it. You create one account, click the service you want, and Squiid provisions it upstream. No separate signup, no separate password, no second dashboard.
One bill, at the provider's price. Usage is paid from prepaid Squiid credits at par: $1 of credit is $1 at the provider, with no markup on what the provider charges. The free plan is $0/month with a 15% fee on credit top-ups and a $50 minimum top-up. Solo is $19.97/month and its top-up fee starts at 8%, falling to 6.5%, 5% and 3.5% as trailing 30-day API spend passes $100, $500 and $2,000. Team is $29.97 per seat per month for seats 1-5, $24.97 for seats 6-20 and $19.97 above that, with the same ladder one point lower. Custom pricing is 3% or less against a commitment. Services that are sold as a monthly subscription, such as Supabase's paid plan, pass through on your Squiid invoice at the provider's own price with no fee on top.
Squiid holds the upstream key. The provider credential lives in Squiid, not in your repo, not in a chat window and not in a screenshot. Your project gets one variable, SQUIID_API_KEY, and that is the only secret an agent ever needs to see. Rotating it is one click and does not touch the provider.
It works with every coding agent. Point the SDK base URL at https://api.squiid.io/v1/<service>/ and send Authorization: Bearer $SQUIID_API_KEY. Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, Gemini CLI, Copilot, Windsurf, Cline, Devin, Replit, v0 and Lovable all read environment variables the normal way. See the gateway convention.
Running out pauses, it never deletes. Squiid warns you at 75%, 90% and 100% of your balance. At zero, calls pause instead of overdrawing, and your data stays where it is. Auto top-up is optional and takes a hard monthly cap. See spend controls.
Set it up in 3 steps
Add Supabase in the dashboard
Create a Squiid account, open the catalogue, and click add on Supabase. Squiid creates the upstream account or project for you and holds the credential.
Put one variable in .env
Copy your Squiid key and add SQUIID_API_KEY=sq_live_… to your project's .env. Delete any provider keys you were carrying. Nothing else changes.
Point your agent at the gateway
Tell your agent that calls go to https://api.squiid.io/v1/supabase/ with Authorization: Bearer $SQUIID_API_KEY. Most SDKs take a base URL option, so it is a one-line change.
In practice that is one line in your project:
SQUIID_API_KEY=sq_live_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxThen every call your app or your agent makes goes to the gateway with that one key:
curl https://api.squiid.io/v1/supabase/... \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $SQUIID_API_KEY"Questions people ask
What database should I use for an app I built with Cursor or Claude Code?
Supabase. It is managed Postgres with auth, file storage and realtime included, and coding agents write correct Supabase code more reliably than for most alternatives because the SDK is stable and heavily documented. Add it through Squiid and your agent only needs SQUIID_API_KEY rather than a Supabase service role key.
Is Supabase or Neon better for an AI-generated app?
Supabase if you also want auth, storage and realtime in the same project, which most new apps do. Neon if you want serverless Postgres on its own and value database branching per pull request. Both are Postgres, so moving between them later is a dump and restore rather than a rewrite.
Do I need a vector database if I am using Postgres?
Usually not at first. Postgres with the pgvector extension handles retrieval for thousands to low millions of rows, which covers most vibe-coded apps. Move to a dedicated vector service when recall quality or index build time starts to hurt. See the vector and search guide.
How do I keep my database credentials out of my agent prompts?
Do not give the agent the provider credential at all. Squiid holds the upstream key and your project carries one variable, SQUIID_API_KEY, in .env. The agent reads that variable, calls the Squiid gateway, and never sees the underlying database password or service role key.
What happens to my data if I run out of credits?
Calls pause. Nothing is deleted. Squiid alerts you at 75%, 90% and 100% of your balance, and you can turn on auto top-up with a monthly cap so it refills itself up to a limit you set. Subscription priced plans are debited on renewal and pause if the balance is short.
One key for your database.
And everything else.
Add Supabase and 107 other services to one account, one key, one bill and one dashboard.