PocketBase Review
Open source backend in a single Go binary: database, auth, storage, and admin UI
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Looking for a PocketBase alternative? See our ranked comparison.→What is PocketBase?
PocketBase is an open source backend that ships as one executable file. Run it and you get an embedded SQLite database with realtime subscriptions, built-in user auth (including OAuth2 for Google, GitHub, GitLab, and Facebook), file storage (local disk or S3), and an admin dashboard, all in a single process with no external dependencies to install.
It's built in Go and is also usable as a framework: you can extend it with Go code or JavaScript hooks instead of just running the prebuilt binary. Because everything lives in one SQLite file, deployment is as simple as copying that file and the binary to a server and starting it.
The project is maintained mostly by one developer, Gani Georgiev. It has no company behind it and no hosted product of its own. If you want a managed version, you go to a third party like PocketHost or run it yourself on any VPS.
PocketBase screenshots
Who it's for
- ✓ Solo developers and small teams who want a real database, auth, and file storage running in five minutes without setting up separate services
- ✓ Side projects, internal tools, and MVPs where a single SQLite-backed server is enough load
- ✓ Developers who want to self-host and own their data instead of depending on a vendor's cloud
Who should look elsewhere
- ✗ Teams that need to scale writes across multiple servers, since PocketBase runs as a single instance on a single SQLite file
- ✗ Teams that want a managed, SLA-backed cloud service instead of running and patching their own server
- ✗ Apps that need mature production guarantees today rather than a fast-moving pre-1.0 project
Pros
- + One binary, no separate database or auth service to stand up
- + Free and MIT licensed, including for commercial use
- + Realtime subscriptions and an admin UI are built in from the start, not bolted on
- + Extendable with Go or JavaScript hooks when the defaults aren't enough
Cons
- – Runs as a single instance on embedded SQLite, so horizontal scaling requests (multiple nodes, alternate databases like CockroachDB or libsql) have been closed by the maintainer rather than implemented
- – Still pre-1.0. The docs themselves say it is not recommended for production-critical apps unless you're willing to read the changelog and do manual migration steps between versions
- – Maintained largely by one person, which is a real bus-factor risk for production infrastructure. A 2025 FLOSS/fund sponsorship for the project was withdrawn in early 2026 before any money was disbursed, over cross-border payment concerns
- – No official hosted offering, so you're responsible for backups, uptime, and server maintenance yourself
PocketBase pricing
No public entry price to compare, so budget depends on a sales quote.
| Plan | Price | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing is quote-only. Contact the vendor for a quote. | ||
PocketBase is free, open source software under the MIT license (confirmed on the GitHub repo). There is no vendor pricing page, no paid tier, and no usage limits set by PocketBase itself, since you download the binary and run it on your own server. Your only cost is whatever server or storage you host it on. If you want someone else to run it for you, third-party hosts like PocketHost charge for that (plans from about $9.99/month), but that is a separate service, not PocketBase's own pricing. Confirmed on the docs site, which has no pricing section.
Pricing verified July 22, 2026 · source
How PocketBase's pricing compares
PocketBase next to its closest alternatives on entry price, billing, and whether pricing is public.
| Tool | Starting price | Billing | Free option | Pricing disclosed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PocketBase | Free tier + custom | free | Yes | Not disclosed |
| Supabase | $25/mo | tiered | Yes | Partly public |
| Firebase | Free tier + custom | usage-based | Yes | Not disclosed |
| Appwrite | $25/mo | usage-based | Yes | Partly public |
| Nhost | $25/mo | tiered | Yes | Partly public |
| Convex | $25/seat/mo | usage-based | Yes | Partly public |
Is PocketBase still actively developed?
Last significant update: July 2026. v0.39.9 fixed Shift+Click range bulk selection in Firefox, updated the goja JS engine and related dependencies to fix TypedArray and regex issues, and made minor optimizations and fixes to the filter (fexpr) parser for large string literals and control characters.
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PocketBase FAQ
Is PocketBase free?+
Yes. It's open source under the MIT license with no paid tier. You only pay for whatever server you run it on.
Can PocketBase scale across multiple servers?+
Not natively. It runs as a single instance backed by one SQLite file. The maintainer has said there are no plans for horizontal scaling, and has closed community feature requests to support alternate distributed databases like CockroachDB or libsql/Turso instead.
Is PocketBase ready for production?+
The project's own docs say it's not recommended for production-critical apps yet, unless you're comfortable reading the changelog and doing manual migration steps between releases.
Is there an official hosted version of PocketBase?+
No. PocketBase itself only ships as self-hosted software. Managed hosting comes from third parties, not from the PocketBase project.