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Database & Data Management · head to head

Firestore vs Grist

Firestore logo

Firestore

Database & Data Management

Flexible, scalable NoSQL cloud database from Firebase

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
G

Grist

Database & Data Management

The evolution of spreadsheets

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Firestore has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Firestore the no-cost Spark plan caps Standard edition at 50,000 document reads, 20,000 writes and 20,000 deletes per day; Grist hosted plans run $10 to $29 per month per workspace, and the free self-hosted option requires running the software yourself to avoid that cost

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Firestore and Grist actually diverge.

Attributes where Firestore and Grist differ
AttributeFirestoreGrist
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Ios, Android, FlutterWeb
Founded2011Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Database & Data Management).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Firestore

  • Document Model
  • Real-time Updates
  • Offline Support
  • ACID Transactions
  • Expressive Queries
  • Multi-region
  • Security Rules
  • Firebase Auth

Only in Grist

Nothing recorded that Firestore does not also cover.

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Firestore

  • Storing structured application data with realtime listenersnot Grist
  • Backing mobile and web apps with a serverless document databasenot Grist
  • Building offline first apps that sync when connectivity returnsnot Grist

Grist

No use cases recorded yet. See the Grist review.

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Firestore

  • The no-cost Spark plan caps Standard edition at 50,000 document reads, 20,000 writes and 20,000 deletes per day
  • The Spark plan caps storage at 1 GiB and network egress at 10 GiB per month
  • Charging is per document read, so a query returning many documents bills for every one of them
  • Going beyond the free thresholds requires the pay as you go Blaze plan billed at Google Cloud rates with no fixed monthly ceiling

Grist

  • Hosted plans run $10 to $29 per month per workspace, and the free self-hosted option requires running the software yourself to avoid that cost

Pricing, plan by plan

Firestore

Free
  • SparkFree
    • 1GB storage
    • 50K reads/day
    • 20K writes/day
  • BlazeFree
    • Pay as you go
    • Unlimited operations
    • Multi-region

Grist

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Grist review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Firestore if

  • You need document model.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Flutter.
  • You also want real-time updates.
Firestore review

Choose Grist if

Nothing in the data separates Grist from Firestore on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Grist review

Questions people ask

Is Firestore or Grist better?
Neither clearly leads. Firestore starts at Free and Grist at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Firestore or Grist?
Firestore has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Firestore and On request for Grist.
Does Firestore or Grist run on more platforms?
Firestore runs on Web, Ios, Android, Flutter. Grist runs on Web.
Can I use Firestore for free?
Yes. Firestore has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Grist starts at On request.
What is Firestore best used for?
Firestore is most often used for storing structured application data with realtime listeners, backing mobile and web apps with a serverless document database, building offline first apps that sync when connectivity returns. Of those, storing structured application data with realtime listeners and backing mobile and web apps with a serverless document database are not what Grist is typically brought in for.
What can Firestore do that Grist cannot?
Firestore covers Document Model, Real-time Updates, Offline Support, ACID Transactions.
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Related pages

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