Firebase vs Turso for Solo Developers

Quick Comparison

Firebase Overview

Firebase is Google's complete app development platform. Firestore handles your database, Firebase Auth manages authentication, Cloud Storage handles files, Cloud Functions runs backend logic, and Hosting serves your static sites. The mobile SDKs for iOS and Android are among the best in the industry.

The feature that sets Firebase apart is real-time synchronization. Subscribe to a Firestore document or collection, and changes propagate to every connected client instantly. No WebSocket boilerplate, no pub/sub setup. For collaborative apps, chat features, and live dashboards, Firebase makes real-time trivially simple.

The downside is Firestore's NoSQL data model. Documents and collections. No SQL, no joins, no complex aggregations. You design your data around your query patterns, and changing those patterns later often means restructuring your entire data layer. This is manageable for simple apps but becomes painful as complexity grows.

Turso Overview

Turso takes SQLite to the edge. Built on libSQL (a SQLite fork), Turso distributes your database across global edge locations. Reads happen from the nearest replica, giving your users low latency no matter where they are. Writes sync back to the primary location and propagate to all replicas.

The embedded replica feature is what makes Turso unique. You can embed a read replica of your Turso database directly inside your application. Reads hit the local copy with literally zero network latency. This is a level of read performance that no traditional client-server database can match. For content-heavy sites and read-heavy applications, it's a game changer.

Turso's free tier provides 9GB of storage, 500 databases, and 25 million row reads per month. That's plenty for side projects and small applications. The Scaler plan at $29/month gives you higher limits and more edge locations.

Key Differences

Data model. Firebase uses Firestore, a NoSQL document store. Turso uses libSQL (SQLite-compatible), a relational database. You write SQL with Turso: joins, aggregations, constraints, indexes. With Firebase, you query documents within collections using Firestore's API. For relational data, Turso is dramatically more natural and powerful.

Platform vs database. Firebase is a platform. Database, auth, storage, hosting, functions, analytics, push notifications. Turso is a database. You need to bring your own auth, storage, and hosting. For solo developers who want everything in one place, Firebase reduces the number of services you manage. For those who prefer picking the best tool for each job, Turso is one piece of a custom stack.

Edge distribution. Turso's entire value proposition is data at the edge. Your database exists in multiple global locations, and reads are served from the nearest one. Firebase's Firestore runs in your selected region (or multi-region for higher cost). For globally distributed applications, Turso's edge architecture provides genuinely better read latency.

Embedded replicas. Turso lets you embed a SQLite replica in your application for zero-latency reads. Firebase has no equivalent. If your application reads from the database far more than it writes (blogs, content sites, APIs that mostly serve data), embedded replicas give Turso a performance advantage that Firebase can't match.

Real-time sync. Firebase has built-in, seamless real-time sync. Turso has no real-time subscription feature. If your application needs clients to see changes as they happen (chat, collaborative editing, live scores), Firebase handles this natively. With Turso, you'd build your own real-time layer with WebSockets or Server-Sent Events.

Querying. Turso supports full SQL. Complex joins, aggregations, subqueries. Firebase supports basic document queries within a single collection. Cross-collection queries require client-side joins or denormalized data. For any application that needs reporting, analytics, or complex data retrieval, SQL wins.

Cost model. Firebase charges per read, write, and storage. Traffic spikes mean cost spikes. Turso's Scaler plan is flat monthly pricing with usage limits. For predictable budgeting, Turso is simpler. For low-traffic apps, Firebase's free tier might be cheaper.

When to Choose Firebase

• You're building a mobile app with iOS/Android SDK needs
• Real-time sync is a core requirement
• You want a complete platform (auth, storage, hosting, database)
• Your data model is simple and document-oriented
• You want the fastest path from idea to deployed app

When to Choose Turso

• You're building an edge-first application and global read latency matters
• Your application is read-heavy and would benefit from embedded replicas
• You need SQL for complex queries and relational data
• You're building a content-heavy site that serves global audiences
• You want SQLite's simplicity with cloud-scale distribution

The Verdict

Firebase and Turso are tied at 8/10, but for very different reasons. They excel at different things, and the right choice depends entirely on what you're building.

Choose Firebase if you're building a real-time application, a mobile app, or anything where the integrated platform (auth + storage + database + hosting) saves you significant setup time. Firebase's weakness is its NoSQL data model. If your data is simple and document-oriented, that weakness doesn't matter.

Choose Turso if you're building a globally distributed, read-heavy application where latency matters. Content platforms, API backends, and data-heavy sites benefit from embedded replicas and edge distribution. Turso's weakness is that it's just a database. You assemble everything else yourself.

For most solo developers, I'd actually recommend looking at Supabase first, which combines PostgreSQL's power with Firebase's platform approach. But if your choice is strictly between Firebase and Turso, pick based on your primary need: real-time and integrated platform (Firebase) or edge-distributed SQL with maximum read performance (Turso).