---
title: PocketBase
slug: pocketbase
url: "https://toolweight.com/options/pocketbase"
homepage: "https://pocketbase.io"
categories: convex-alternatives
last_verified: 2026-07-20
license: CC-BY-4.0
---

# PocketBase

> One Go binary: SQLite database, auth, file storage, realtime and an admin UI.

PocketBase is a single executable providing an SQLite-backed database, auth, file storage, a realtime subscription API and an admin dashboard, extensible in Go or embedded JavaScript hooks. It scales exactly as far as one machine does, which is further than most people expect. Because the store is a plain SQLite file, data extraction is a copy command and raw SQL is available from hooks.

## Identity

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| Name | PocketBase |
| Company | PocketBase |
| One-liner | One Go binary: SQLite database, auth, file storage, realtime and an admin UI. |
| Site | https://pocketbase.io |
| Docs | https://pocketbase.io/docs/ |
| Repo | https://github.com/pocketbase/pocketbase |
| Founded | 2022 |
| Open source | Yes |
| Licence | MIT |
| Compared in | 1 |

## Where it is compared

### [Convex alternatives](https://toolweight.com/compare/convex-alternatives)
Ranked **#4 of 11** on default weights.
| Field | Value | Confidence | Verified | Source | Note |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reactivity | push | Vendor-claimed | 2026-07-20 | https://pocketbase.io/docs/api-realtime/ | Server-sent events on collection changes. |
| TS inference | ◐ | Community-reported | - | - | The SDK is typed; collection types come from community typegen tools, not first-party inference. |
| Transactions | serialisable | Inferred | - | - | SQLite in WAL mode: one writer at a time, commits serialised. Fine until write concurrency is the bottleneck. |
| Local-first sync | ○ | Inferred | - | - | - |
| Optimistic writes | ○ | Inferred | - | - | - |
| Cron & scheduling | ◐ | Inferred | - | - | Cron jobs are available from Go or the embedded JS hooks; there is no managed scheduler product. |
| File storage | ● | Vendor-claimed | 2026-07-20 | https://pocketbase.io/docs/files-handling/ | Local disk or any S3-compatible bucket. |
| Vector search | ○ | Inferred | - | - | - |
| Full-text search | ◐ | Inferred | - | - | Filter expressions with LIKE. SQLite FTS is reachable from hooks but not exposed through the collection API. |
| Auth | built-in | Vendor-claimed | 2026-07-20 | https://pocketbase.io/docs/authentication/ | - |
| Hard limits | One machine. SQLite tops out near a billion bytes per value and a single concurrent writer; everything else is your disk and RAM. | Inferred | - | - | - |
| Cold start | 0 ms | Inferred | - | - | One always-on process; there is nothing to spin up. |
| Function timeout | - | Unknown | - | - | Hooks run in your own process, no platform-imposed ceiling. |
| Exit cost | 3 | Inferred | - | - | The data is a SQLite file you already have, which is the cheapest extraction on this page. The rewrite is the client SDK and the collection rules DSL, which touch every call site. |
| Self-hostable | ● | Vendor-claimed | 2026-07-20 | https://pocketbase.io/docs/going-to-production/ | Self-hosting is the only option; there is no vendor cloud. |
| Bulk export | ● | Inferred | - | - | Copy the SQLite file. |
| Raw SQL | ● | Inferred | - | - | Available from Go and JS hooks, and directly against the file. |
| Schema changes | declarative-push | Vendor-claimed | 2026-07-20 | https://pocketbase.io/docs/go-migrations/ | Console edits auto-generate migration files you commit. |
| MCP server | ○ | Inferred | - | - | No official server; community implementations exist. |
| Agent fit | 3 | Inferred | - | - | A single binary and a local database are easy for an agent to drive, but the schema lives in the admin UI. |
| Pricing model | free (self-host only) | Vendor-claimed | 2026-07-20 | https://pocketbase.io | - |
| Entry price | $0 /mo | Vendor-claimed | 2026-07-20 | https://pocketbase.io | MIT-licensed software; your only cost is the box, realistically a $5 VPS. |
| Egress metered | ○ | Inferred | - | - | Whatever your host charges you. |
| GitHub stars | 48,000 | Inferred | - | - | Approximate as of mid-2026. |
| Backing | solo-maintainer | Community-reported | - | - | Primarily one maintainer. So far that has been a stability advantage rather than a liability. |
| Positioning | Open-source backend in one file. | Vendor-claimed | 2026-07-20 | https://pocketbase.io | - |

**Verdict.** Absurdly good value for single-machine workloads, and the easiest data extraction here, the store is a file you own. The ceiling is real: one writer, one box, and a bus factor of roughly one.

## Alternatives

- [Appwrite](https://toolweight.com/options/appwrite), Open-source backend platform: databases, auth, storage, functions, self-hostable.
- [Convex](https://toolweight.com/options/convex), Reactive TypeScript backend: database, functions and live queries in one project.
- [ElectricSQL](https://toolweight.com/options/electricsql), Postgres read-path sync: stream subsets of your own database to clients over HTTP.
- [Firebase](https://toolweight.com/options/firebase), Google's app platform: Firestore documents, auth, functions, deep mobile SDKs.
- [InstantDB](https://toolweight.com/options/instantdb), Client-side reactive database with a relational graph model and instant sync.
- [Neon + Drizzle](https://toolweight.com/options/neon-drizzle), The DIY baseline: serverless Postgres, a typed SQL query builder, nothing else.
- [Nhost](https://toolweight.com/options/nhost), Postgres plus Hasura GraphQL, auth, storage and serverless functions.
- [Zero](https://toolweight.com/options/rocicorp-zero), Sync engine that puts a queryable client cache in front of your own Postgres.
- [Supabase](https://toolweight.com/options/supabase), Managed Postgres with auth, storage, realtime and edge functions around it.
- [Triplit](https://toolweight.com/options/triplit), Full-stack database that syncs: local cache, server, relational queries, offline.

## Licence and attribution

Data from toolweight (https://toolweight.com), licensed CC-BY-4.0.

- Licence: [CC-BY-4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
- Canonical HTML: https://toolweight.com/options/pocketbase
- Machine-readable: https://toolweight.com/options/pocketbase.md · https://toolweight.com/api/v1 · https://toolweight.com/mcp
- toolweight takes no affiliate revenue and sells no placements. Corrections: https://toolweight.com/suggest