Is PocketBase or Rowy better?

Neither clearly leads. PocketBase starts at Free and Rowy at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, PocketBase or Rowy?

PocketBase starts at Free and Rowy at Free.

Does PocketBase or Rowy run on more platforms?

PocketBase runs on Linux, Windows, macOS, FreeBSD. Rowy runs on Web.

Can I use PocketBase for free?

Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.

What is PocketBase best used for?

PocketBase is most often used for embedded realtime database with rest api, backend-as-a-service for single-file deployments, rapid application development with email/oauth2 authentication, file storage and media attachment management. Of those, embedded realtime database with rest api and backend-as-a-service for single-file deployments are not what Rowy is typically brought in for.

What can PocketBase do that Rowy cannot?

PocketBase covers REST API, Real-time subscriptions, Admin UI, SQLite. Rowy covers Firestore backed grid, Browser authored cloud functions, Typed columns, Runs in your Google Cloud project.

APIs · head to head

PocketBase vs Rowy

PocketBase

APIs

Open-source backend with REST API, real-time subscriptions and Admin UI

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

Rowy

Spreadsheets

Spreadsheet interface for Google Cloud Firestore with cloud functions written in the browser

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Each has a real cost: PocketBase requires technical expertise to deploy and maintain; Rowy every Firestore limit is inherited, including the one megabyte per document ceiling and roughly one sustained write per second per document, which surprises users who expect spreadsheet behaviour.
They diverge on capability: PocketBase covers REST API, Rowy covers Firestore backed grid.
Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which PocketBase and Rowy actually diverge.

Attributes where PocketBase and Rowy differ
Attribute	PocketBase	Rowy
Pricing model	Unknown	Open source, no licence fee
Platforms	Linux, Windows, macOS, FreeBSD	Web
Category	APIs	Spreadsheets
Founded	2021	Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 PocketBase

REST API
Real-time subscriptions
Admin UI
SQLite
Webhooks
File storage
Go support
Docker support

Only in Rowy

Firestore backed grid
Browser authored cloud functions
Typed columns
Runs in your Google Cloud project
Role based access
Form view
Open source

What people use each for

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

PocketBase

Embedded realtime database with REST APInot Rowy
Backend-as-a-service for single-file deploymentsnot Rowy
Rapid application development with email/OAuth2 authenticationnot Rowy
File storage and media attachment managementnot Rowy
Lightweight alternative to Firebase or traditional backend infrastructurenot Rowy
Go and JavaScript customisable application frameworknot Rowy

Rowy

A Firebase application that needs an internal admin interface without building onenot PocketBase
Operations staff correcting production records in Firestore without developer involvementnot PocketBase
Attaching a small transformation or notification function to a field change without a full deployment pipelinenot PocketBase
A content team populating documents that a mobile application reads directly from Firestorenot PocketBase

Where each one falls short

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

PocketBase

Requires technical expertise to deploy and maintain
No built-in hosting provided
Community support only

Rowy

Every Firestore limit is inherited, including the one megabyte per document ceiling and roughly one sustained write per second per document, which surprises users who expect spreadsheet behaviour.
Firestore has no joins, so linking tables in the grid is a convenience layer rather than a relational feature and reports across collections still need a separate query.
It is useful only to teams already on Firebase, so choosing it effectively locks the operational tooling to one cloud vendor.
Query costs are billed by document read, and an unfiltered grid on a large collection can generate a bill that a spreadsheet user has no intuition for.
Development activity has slowed relative to the broader category, so evaluate current maintenance before making it load bearing for internal operations.

Pricing, plan by plan

PocketBase

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the PocketBase review.

Rowy

Free

Open source self hostedFree
- No licence fee
- Deploys into your own Google Cloud project
- You pay Google Cloud for Firestore reads, writes and storage

Which should you pick?

Choose PocketBase if

You need rest api.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Linux, Windows, macOS, FreeBSD.
You also want real-time subscriptions.

PocketBase review

Choose Rowy if

You need firestore backed grid.
You want to start without paying.
You also want browser authored cloud functions.

Rowy review

Questions people ask

Is PocketBase or Rowy better?: Neither clearly leads. PocketBase starts at Free and Rowy at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, PocketBase or Rowy?: PocketBase starts at Free and Rowy at Free.
Does PocketBase or Rowy run on more platforms?: PocketBase runs on Linux, Windows, macOS, FreeBSD. Rowy runs on Web.
Can I use PocketBase for free?: Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is PocketBase best used for?: PocketBase is most often used for embedded realtime database with rest api, backend-as-a-service for single-file deployments, rapid application development with email/oauth2 authentication, file storage and media attachment management. Of those, embedded realtime database with rest api and backend-as-a-service for single-file deployments are not what Rowy is typically brought in for.
What can PocketBase do that Rowy cannot?: PocketBase covers REST API, Real-time subscriptions, Admin UI, SQLite. Rowy covers Firestore backed grid, Browser authored cloud functions, Typed columns, Runs in your Google Cloud project.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

PocketBase: How much does PocketBase cost?

PocketBase is completely free and open-source. It is a self-hosted backend solution with database, authentication, and file storage capabilities at no cost.

Source

Rowy: Where is my data stored?

In your own Firestore instance inside your own Google Cloud project. Rowy does not hold a copy.

PocketBase: Is PocketBase open-source?

Yes, PocketBase is open-source software. You can download, modify, and deploy it yourself at no cost with no licensing restrictions.

Source

Rowy: What does it cost to run?

No licence fee. You pay Google Cloud for Firestore reads, writes, storage and function invocations, and an open grid on a big collection reads a lot.

Rowy: Can it do joins across collections?

Not really. Firestore does not support joins, and no interface layer can add them.

Rowy: Is there a row limit?

Not from Rowy. The limits that bite are Firestore document size and per document write throughput.

Rowy: Is it suitable if I am not on Firebase?

No. It is specifically a Firestore interface.

PocketBase vs Rowy

PocketBase

Rowy

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in PocketBase

Only in Rowy

What people use each for

PocketBase

Rowy

Where each one falls short

PocketBase

Rowy

Pricing, plan by plan

PocketBase

Rowy

Which should you pick?

Choose PocketBase if

Choose Rowy if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on PocketBase

More on Rowy

Keep looking

Other head to heads