Supabase Auth
FreemiumOpen-source Firebase Authentication alternative.
Published 29 May 2026 · Last updated 27 September 2026
Scores
Popularity3/5
Popular within the Supabase ecosystem; growing alongside Supabase's adoption.
Learning Curve3/5
Row-level security policies and JWT configuration require solid backend experience.
Flexibility5/5
Row-level security, custom JWT claims, and auth hooks provide deep control over auth logic.
Performance4/5
GoTrue is a lightweight Go service; fast token verification and session management.
Portability3/5
Based on open standards like JWT and OAuth with a Supabase wrapper; partially portable.
About Supabase Auth
Supabase Auth is the authentication service built into Supabase, running the open-source Supabase Auth server (formerly GoTrue). Its defining trait is integration with PostgreSQL Row Level Security: the signed-in user's ID and role are available inside RLS policies through auth.uid() and auth.jwt(), so data access rules live in the database next to the data rather than in a separate layer.
It supports email and password, magic links, one-time passwords, social providers (Google, GitHub, Apple, Microsoft, and many more), phone sign-in through SMS providers such as Twilio, anonymous sign-ins, and TOTP multi-factor authentication, with phone-based MFA as a paid add-on. SAML single sign-on is available on paid plans. The JWT issued at sign-in authorises calls to Supabase's REST, GraphQL, Storage, and Realtime APIs.
Supabase Auth can also verify users from third-party providers such as Clerk, Auth0, and Firebase Auth, so teams can keep an existing auth system while using Supabase for data. Auth hooks let you customise tokens and flows with Postgres functions or HTTP endpoints.
It is included in every Supabase plan, priced by monthly active users: the free plan covers 50,000, and Pro and Team include 100,000 with a small per-user overage. The whole stack is open source and can be self-hosted. The trade-offs are fewer pre-built UI components than Clerk and less mature enterprise SSO than Auth0.
Key Features
- Native PostgreSQL Row Level Security integration
- Email, magic link, OTP, phone, anonymous, and social sign-in
- TOTP multi-factor auth, with phone MFA as an add-on
- SAML single sign-on on paid plans
- JWTs that authorise Supabase APIs, Storage, and Realtime
- Third-party auth support for Clerk, Auth0, and Firebase
- Auth hooks for custom tokens and flows
- Open source and self-hostable
Pros
- Auth and database permissions share one model through RLS
- Open source and self-hostable with the rest of Supabase
- Free plan covers 50,000 monthly active users
- Part of a full backend with database, storage, and functions
- Can accept users from Clerk, Auth0, or Firebase
Cons
- Best used with Supabase's database; standalone use is limited
- Fewer pre-built UI components than Clerk
- Enterprise SSO is less mature than Auth0's
- Phone MFA and SSO add cost on paid plans
Supabase Auth Pricing
Freemium- · 50,000 monthly active users
- · Social, email, and anonymous sign-in
- · 1-hour auth audit log retention
- · 100,000 MAU included, then $0.00325 per MAU
- · SAML SSO: 50 MAU included, then $0.015
- · Phone MFA add-on $75/month
- · 7-day auth audit logs
- · 100,000 MAU included, then $0.00325 per MAU
- · SOC 2 and role-based dashboard access
- · 28-day auth audit logs
- · Custom MAU and SSO pricing
- · Enterprise SLA and dedicated support
- · Extended audit log retention
Tech Stacks with Supabase Auth
Supabase + Next.js
ProjectThe fastest way to launch a modern web app. Next.js handles the frontend and API routes; Supabase provides Postgres, auth, realtime, and storage out of the box.
Python Web (FastAPI + React)
ProjectA clean separation of concerns: React on the frontend, FastAPI serving a typed REST API, and PostgreSQL for persistent storage (MySQL, MariaDB, and serverless Postgres hosts are also available). Docker keeps environments consistent.
React Native + Supabase
ProjectCross-platform mobile app built with Expo's managed workflow and backed by Supabase. Ships to iOS and Android from a single JavaScript codebase.
Tools Related to Supabase Auth
Works well with Supabase Auth(2)
Supabase Auth integrates with Spring Boot via JWT verification — Spring Security can validate Supabase JWTs for API routes.
Supabase Auth integrates with FastAPI via JWT verification — FastAPI reads Supabase JWT tokens to protect API routes in a Next.js + Supabase stack.
Integrates with Supabase Auth(2)
Supabase Auth works natively in Next.js via @supabase/ssr — server-side session handling, middleware protection, and cookie-based auth flow are first-class features.
Supabase Auth (GoTrue) is Supabase's first-party auth service, included in every Supabase project and tied into Postgres Row Level Security policies. It is also open source and self-hostable on its own, so it can back other Postgres-based stacks.
Tools that enforce Supabase Auth(1)
Lovable wires Supabase Auth for all user authentication in generated apps.
Alternatives to Supabase Auth(4)
Supabase Auth is bundled with the Supabase platform; Clerk is a standalone auth service with richer prebuilt UI components and session management.
Both platform-bundled auth services; Firebase Auth uses Firebase's NoSQL model, Supabase Auth is Postgres-native and self-hostable.
Both support the same auth flows; Supabase Auth is self-hostable and Postgres-native, Auth0 is a mature enterprise SaaS with broader SSO/compliance features.
BetterAuth is a standalone auth library with no platform coupling — an alternative to Supabase Auth for teams that want Supabase's database without its auth module, or use a different stack entirely.
