RxDB vs PocketBase
A detailed comparison to help you choose between RxDB and PocketBase.
Quick Verdict
3.9/5
RxDB
0 reviews
4.0/5
PocketBase
0 reviews
PocketBase is rated higher (4.0 vs 3.9). RxDB is a real-time, offline-first NoSQL database for JavaScript applications. Works in the browser, Node.js, React Native, and Electron. Syncs with CouchDB, Firestore, and others. PocketBase is an open source backend consisting of a single executable file with embedded SQLite database, realtime subscriptions, auth, file storage, and an admin dashboard.
RxDB Reactive database for JavaScript apps with real-time sync | PocketBase Open-source backend with built-in database and real-time APIs | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Rating | 3.9 (0 reviews) | 4.0 (0 reviews)✓ |
| Pricing model | freemium | free and open source (MIT); self-hosted, infrastructure costs only |
| Starting price | Free tier available | Free tier available |
| Best for | JavaScript teams building offline-first, UI-reactive apps (PWAs, Electron, React Native) that may later sync with their own backend | Solo developers and small teams who want a self-hosted backend with auth, database, files and realtime — without running multiple services or paying a platform fee |
| Features | ||
| IPv6 | ||
| DDoS protection | ||
| Automated backups | ✓ | |
| Snapshots | ||
| Managed option | ||
| Bare metal | ||
| GPU available | ||
| S3-compatible | ||
| Hourly billing | ||
| Free tier | ||
| Tags | ||
| Tags | free tieropen source | free tieropen sourceself hostable |
| Visit RxDB → | Visit PocketBase → | |
RxDB
Pros
- + Apache 2.0 core at $0 with replication, reactive queries and schema migration included
- + Pluggable storage engines keep one codebase across browser, Node, Electron and React Native
- + Mature project with a public changelog, 15,000+ commits and a documented replication protocol
- + Explicit conflict handling with revisions instead of silent last-write-wins
- + Tier pricing is published openly, including the exact free-tier limits
Cons
- - Paid tiers jump straight to $99/month billed annually with nothing in between
- - Free tier caps at 13 open collections; trial SQLite storage is evaluation-only at 500 documents
- - RxJS-shaped API carries a learning curve for teams new to observables
- - Effectively a one-primary-maintainer project with no support org behind the free tier
- - Sync backend is bring-your-own; there is no managed hosting or SLA on standard tiers
PocketBase
Pros
- + Complete backend (SQLite, REST API, auth, files, SSE realtime, admin UI) in one MIT-licensed binary
- + Zero software cost and no vendor lock-in: MIT licence explicitly permits commercial reuse and self-hosting
- + Fast local storage and simple deployment — Docker, any VPS, or embedded as a Go framework in your own binary
- + Extensible without Go via JS hooks and migrations; S3-compatible file storage and built-in backup tooling
- + Excellent documentation and a 61.5k-star community; auth covers password, OAuth2, OTP and MFA out of the box
Cons
- - Pre-1.0 with no backward-compatibility guarantee — v0.23 broke the core Go API and hooks
- - Single-node SQLite: no clustering, replication or managed failover; HA and backups are your job
- - Predominantly one maintainer, community support only — no SLA or support contract
- - No official managed hosting (third parties fill that gap), no job queue or cron built in
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