Our take
Pick Appwrite if app teams who will stay on Cloud Free (project freezes at the cap) or self-host OSS at $0 while they create a first Movies document, then add a dedicated database at $10/month (Starter 1 core / 1 GB) when they want reserved compute — and confirm the live Pro card before they treat overage as a fixed seat. Pick PocketBase if indie and small-app teams who will self-host at $0 (one binary) while they
single-binary backend desk
Best for
Appwrite Auth + data + files you start on Cloud Free or a $10 DB
PocketBase A backend you start at $0
Free plan
Appwrite $0 · named on the pricing FAQ. Hitting a resource limit freezes the project (Console stays read-only) until you upgrade, delete extras, or wait for the next cycle. Confirm the live Compare plans table for MAU / storage / bandwidth — do not invent those quotas
PocketBase $0 · open source. Realtime database, authentication, file storage, admin dashboard. You run 127.0.0.1:8090
Lowest paid
Appwrite Database — Dedicated $10/mo
PocketBase Not published by the vendor
Runs where
Appwrite Local or hosted
PocketBase Hosted
Watch out
Appwrite Free freezes at the cap
PocketBase $0 is the license, not HA
Last checked
Appwrite 2026-10-22 · appwrite.io/pricing
PocketBase 2026-10-23 · pocketbase.io
app teams who will stay on Cloud Free (project freezes at the cap) or self-host OSS at $0 while they create a first Movies document, then add a dedicated database at $10/month (Starter 1 core / 1 GB) when they want reserved compute — and confirm the live Pro card before they treat overage as a fixed seat.
Read the Appwrite pageindie and small-app teams who will self-host at $0 (one binary) while they open a first Admin log, then stay on that bill until they outgrow a single-node backend.
Read the PocketBase page