Appwrite — Free Plan for Startups

Deal Highlights

Appwrite — The Open-Source Backend Your Startup Actually Owns

Appwrite is an open-source backend-as-a-service platform that provides authentication, databases, storage, serverless functions, and real-time messaging out of the box. Self-host it on your own infrastructure or use Appwrite Cloud — either way, you get a complete backend without vendor lock-in.

Firebase Without the Lock-In

Firebase is powerful but proprietary. Your data lives on Google's terms, pricing is unpredictable at scale, and migration is painful. Appwrite gives you the same developer experience — auth, database, storage, functions — with the freedom to self-host and the ability to export your data anytime.

Core Services

Authentication supports 30+ login methods including email, OAuth, phone, magic links, and passkeys. The database is document-based with real-time subscriptions, complex queries, and automatic indexing. Storage handles file uploads with image transformations, virus scanning, and CDN delivery. Functions run server-side code in 10+ runtimes triggered by events, schedules, or HTTP requests.

Developer Experience

The SDK supports 15+ platforms — Flutter, React Native, Swift, Kotlin, Web, Node.js, Python, and more. The CLI handles local development, deployment, and CI/CD. The console dashboard provides a visual interface for managing all services.

Appwrite vs Supabase

Supabase uses PostgreSQL (relational). Appwrite uses a document database (NoSQL-like). Supabase has stronger SQL capabilities and row-level security. Appwrite has a simpler permission model and more built-in features like image transformations and phone auth. Both are open-source and self-hostable.

Appwrite vs Firebase

Firebase has a larger ecosystem and better real-time performance. Appwrite is open-source, self-hostable, and has more predictable pricing. Firebase is better for rapid prototyping. Appwrite is better for startups that want infrastructure ownership.

Getting Started

1. Sign up for Appwrite Cloud through SaaSOffers or self-host with Docker
2. Create a project and choose your services
3. Install the SDK for your platform
4. Build your app with authentication, database, and storage ready to go

Pricing

Self-hosted is free forever. Appwrite Cloud has a free tier with 10GB bandwidth, 2GB storage, and 750K executions. Pro at $15/month adds more resources and team features.

Who Is This Deal For?

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about this startup deal.