The Ultimate Comparison: Firebase vs Other Platforms - OSSystem Blog about IT news, technology and design

18.11.20

In this article, we compared Firebase with 8 other platforms for application development. Here you will find comparison charts to help you understand the differences, pros and cons of each platform.

What is Firebase used for?

Firebase offers you features such as analytics, databases, communication, crashes notification and etc. It allows you to move and concentrate on your customers. Firebase is designed and scaled on Google resources, even with the largest apps. Firebase products run well with Android and iOS. Firebase exchanges information and insights. So, they fit together even better.

Pros and Cons of Firebase

Pros

Authentication can be done by email and password, Facebook, etc
Firebase provides real-time data
The API is ready-made
Security is built-in in nodes
File backup is by Google Cloud
Firebase file hosting is static
Data is treated as streams
Using Firebase, you can build a highly scalable application
Don’t think about the infrastructure!

Cons

Traditional relational data models do not apply to NoSQL
Installation on-board is possible only for emulation on the local machine
Firebase makes larger databases impossible to query

What is the alternative to Firebase?

Here is the clickable list of alternate databases to Firebase:

AWS
Heroku
Azure
Parse Server
Hoodie
Back4App
CloudKit

Comparison of Firebase with Other Platforms

AWS vs Firebase

Firebase and AWS are server-less technologies. There is no need for server management. This technology limits the burden of management and service processing. Whether you are using Firebase or AWS, both will run your code when you trigger a request. This way, you can easily scale your application. Also, you only have to pay for its runtime.

Differences between Firebase and AWS	Firebase is faster than AWS It is also cheaper than AWS AWS is an open-source database
Pros of AWS	The performance is strong Cloud solutions are beginner-friendly It is easy to set up
Cons of AWS	It is a pay-per-use service The cost depends on the type of traffic you receive If handled incorrectly, AWS will end up costing you more money

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Heroku vs Firebase

Firebase and Heroku service custom domains, backend processing, SSL, and many other great features improve application development. Firebase helps the developer to easily setup the backend. It works with highly flexible backend work. Heroku allows you to add different databases like MongoDB, and MySQL to your system.

Differences between Firebase and Heroku	Unlike Firebase, Heroku can deal with 404’s, redirects Firebase setup backend more easily Heroku gives the command to access log files
Pros of Heroku	Monitoring is simple with the Heroku database Application rollbacks are very easy Heroku offers easy integration with other SaSS services and products
Cons of Heroku	Heroku does not provide static IP addresses Permission controls are granular Heroku database is not good to extract log files for extensive research

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Azure vs Firebase

Azure and Firebase have no similar categories. Azure is categorized as Cloud Platform as a Service (PaaS), and uses relational DBMS compatible with SQL server. In comparison, Firebase is a Baas, supported by a data store.

Differences between Firebase and Azure	Azure scales well and is easier than Firebase Azure is open-source It provides a friendly startup, whereas Firebase provides a fast startup
Pros of Azure	Azure databases are paired with strong cybersecurity It provides a scalable structure compared to Firebase Azure allows you a “pay as you go” service
Cons of Azure	Azure requires more management Needs high platform expertise Server monitoring is also required

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Parse vs Firebase

The Parse server allows its users to self-host. It is an open-source service supported by open-source developers. Firebase provides central data management, whereas the Parse server uses different databases to store different kinds of databases. For instance, MongoDB for data storage and Amazon s3 bucket for file storage.

Differences between Firebase and Parse Server	Firebase runs on Google Cloud Unlike Firebase, Parse runs on any cloud Firebase does not support Geo queries
Pros of Parse	Parse Server is easy to deploy Users can choose a file system of their choice Ensure data security without changing the client code
Cons of Parse	Setting up a local parse server is difficult Deploying your app is not easy You will need an additional Platform provider to host your app

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Hoodie vs Firebase

The Hoodie is an open-source service. It provides many other services except data storage like backend tasks. Firebase is not open source, and that is the main reason for its inflexible scaling.

Differences between Firebase and Hoodie	Hoodie stores data locally and syncs in the background when possible Firebase allows data storage in central stores with online access
Pros of Hoodie	It is easy to write its plugins Store Client, for offline synchronization User data stored locally
Cons of Hoodie	No control over backend services

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Back4app vs Firebase

Back4app is a Software as a Service (SaaS) leading parse service. It has multiple features similar to parse servers like add-ons, performance monitoring and infrastructure.

Differences between Firebase and Back4app	Back4app is open-source, whereas Firebase is closed Back4app works on SaaS, while Firebase works on BaaS
Pros of Back4app	Spreadsheets like easy databases It integrates caching services It provides 24/7 support
Cons of Back4app	Needs to use self-hosted DB Requires a lot of effort to build backend

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CloudKit vs Firebase

CloudKit is a framework that is used to exchange your data from your device to iCloud. It provides complete data sync. This means you can fetch this data from any connected device. An Apple account that you own is required to store your data. It is very easy to maintain your account.

Differences between Firebase and CloudKit	CloudKit provides a traditional relational-style database Firebase provides a subversion repository Firebase offers account logins like Facebook, Twitter, etc
Pros of CloudKit	Automatic and secure authentication Free of cost You can work on cross-platform
Cons of CloudKit	You need a request for every level Objects can’t be nested inside other objects CloudKit does not provide account login i.e., Facebook

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Conclusion

Google Firebase is an efficient backend platform. However, this isn’t the only choice in the world. In this article, we discussed seven alternatives to Google Firebase. All these platforms complement each other. All of them have amazing features and benefits. Yes, there are cons as well. We have discussed their comparison with Firebase. Now you have to choose the best option for you. It is recommended to go with a more cost-effective, scalable, and flexible one.

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