A Self-Hosted Supabase Alternative in Plain PHP
Supabase bundles auth, a database and an API behind a managed service. Simple Stack gives you the same building blocks as plain PHP + SQLite on a box you own — no project to provision, no usage bill.
Supabase is a great managed backend — auth, a Postgres database, row-level security and an auto-generated API, all hosted for you. The trade-offs are the usual managed-service ones: a project you provision and depend on, a pricing tier that steps up as you grow, and a stack you do not fully control. Simple Stack takes the self-hosted bet: the same core pieces — sign-in, a JSON API, per-user data and an admin console — as readable PHP and a SQLite file on a VPS you own outright. Different tool, honest trade-off; check Supabase’s current pricing for the managed side.
Self-hosted PHP vs a managed Supabase project
| Simple Stack | Supabase | |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting model | Self-host, your VPS | Managed service |
| Database | SQLite file | Hosted Postgres |
| Auth (Apple / Google / email) | ||
| Stripe billing built in | × | |
| Admin console included | ~ | |
| Cost scales with usage | × | ~ |
| You own the whole stack | ~ | |
| Whole codebase fits in agent context | × |
When each one wins
You want a managed Postgres with realtime, row-level security and edge functions, and you are happy to depend on (and pay) a hosted service as you scale.
You want to self-host on a cheap fixed-cost VPS, own every line, skip the managed-service bill, and have your AI agent edit the whole backend from the docs.
Common questions
On a single box, yes — with WAL mode it serves concurrent readers and writers for real traffic. You give up multi-machine write scaling; see Ship a SaaS on a $5 VPS for where the limits actually are.
See the whole backend running before you buy.
Seven live demos, no signup, nothing saved. Then it is yours for £49.