Backend / bridge
Supabase
Open-source Postgres with auth, storage and edge functions: the backend Lovable connects to and Bolt Cloud is built on.
Supabase is a hosted Postgres database with authentication, file storage and edge functions in one dashboard. It matters for AI-built apps because it is the backend most builders reach for: Lovable can connect to your own Supabase project instead of its built-in Cloud, and Bolt says its Cloud databases are managed by Supabase. Because the database is standard Postgres, an app on your own Supabase project can move to another host, which is why it is the usual answer when you want to avoid lock-in. The catch for non-developers is security: tables are readable through the API unless Row Level Security policies restrict them, so an AI-generated app that skips policies can expose user data. Listed plans, checked 29 September 2026: Free at $0 with 500 MB of database, 50,000 monthly active users, 1 GB of file storage, two active projects and projects paused after one week of inactivity; Pro at $25 a month with 8 GB of disk, 100,000 monthly active users, 250 GB of egress, $10 of monthly compute credit and no inactivity pause; Team at $599 a month. Spend caps are on by default on Pro.
Strengths
- Real Postgres: the data and schema are portable, unlike a proprietary backend
- Authentication, storage and edge functions in the same project, so a simple app needs no other backend service
- Free plan is enough to build and demo an app: 500 MB database, 50,000 monthly active users and 1 GB storage
- Pro at $25 a month removes the inactivity pause and adds a spend cap that is on by default
- Connects to Lovable directly, and Bolt Cloud is built on it, so the skills transfer between builders
Trade-offs
- Row Level Security has a learning curve, and skipping it can leave user data readable; see the Lovable security checklist and authentication guide
- Free projects pause after one week of inactivity, which matters for a demo you share weeks later
- Free plan is limited to two active projects
- Compute is billed separately from the plan on Pro beyond the included $10 credit, so a busy app can cost more than $25
- Moving from Lovable Cloud to your own Supabase is manual: you export data and rebuild the schema
Our take
Supabase is the default backend for AI-built apps and the safest choice if you care about leaving later, because it is standard Postgres. Use the free plan to build, upgrade to Pro before real users depend on the app so it does not pause, and treat Row Level Security as a launch requirement rather than an option.