Firebase vs Pubkey Rxdb
Self-hosted for $4/mo on hetzner CAX11, versus $0-$0/user/mo on Firebase.
Side-by-side
| Firebase | Pubkey Rxdb (self-hosted) | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | $0-$0/user/mo | $4.13/mo flat (any team size) |
| Hosting | Firebase's servers | Your VPS (hetzner CAX11) |
| Data ownership | Firebase controls the data | Your disk, your encryption |
| Source code | Closed | Open (Apache-2.0) |
| Customization | API + integrations only | Full source access; modify freely |
| Maintenance burden | Zero | Backups + updates (manual) |
| Health score (ossreplace) | — | 76 / 100 |
Why teams leave Firebase
Pubkey Rxdb answers this by: Open-source alternatives that can replace Firebase.
The cost math
Assumes 5-person team using Firebase at the midpoint price ($0/user/mo).
| Period | Firebase | Pubkey Rxdb on hetzner | You save |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly | $0 | $4.13 | $-4.13 |
| Yearly | $0 | $49.56 | $-49.56 |
| 3 years | $0 | $149 | $-149 |
Deploy Pubkey Rxdb now
One-click deploys at the cheapest provider for this workload:
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Common questions
Is Pubkey Rxdb a good alternative to Firebase?
Pubkey Rxdb is an open-source, self-hostable alternative to Firebase with an ossreplace health score of 76/100 — a composite of project activity, maturity, community, security, and adoption. It runs on your own hetzner VPS from $4.13/mo with full source access under the Apache-2.0 license, versus Firebase's $0–0/user/mo hosted plans.
How much cheaper is Pubkey Rxdb than Firebase?
A 5-person team pays about $0/mo on Firebase. Self-hosting Pubkey Rxdb on hetzner CAX11 costs a flat $4.13/mo regardless of team size — roughly $-149 less over three years (-Infinity% lower).
Is Pubkey Rxdb hard to self-host?
Pubkey Rxdb self-hosts on your own VPS. You handle the install, backups, and updates yourself in exchange for full data ownership and no per-seat fees.
Do you keep control of your data with Pubkey Rxdb vs Firebase?
Yes. Because Pubkey Rxdb runs on your own server, the data lives on your disk under your encryption. With Firebase, Firebase controls the hosting, storage, and access.