Firebase vs AWS Amplify

Google's all-in-one meets aws's 'easy button' for full-stack apps that works great until you need to escape its walled garden. Here's our take.

Firebase

Nice Pick

Google's all-in-one. Fast to start, painful to leave.

Pros

• Mature ecosystem
• Great docs
• Fast prototyping
• Google scale

Cons

• Vendor lock-in
• NoSQL limits
• Pricing surprises
• Proprietary

AWS Amplify

AWS's 'easy button' for full-stack apps that works great until you need to escape its walled garden.

Pros

• Tight integration with AWS services like Cognito, AppSync, and S3 out of the box
• CLI and UI that simplify deployment, hosting, and backend setup for React, Next.js, and other frameworks
• Built-in CI/CD pipelines and environment management for rapid prototyping
• Generous free tier for small projects and startups

Cons

• Vendor lock-in: migrating away from Amplify often requires rewriting chunks of your backend
• Limited customization for complex use cases—you'll hit walls if you need fine-grained control over infrastructure

The Verdict

These tools serve different purposes. Firebase is a databases while AWS Amplify is a hosting & deployment. We picked Firebase based on overall popularity, but your choice depends on what you're building.

The Bottom Line

Firebase wins

Based on overall popularity. Firebase is more widely used, but AWS Amplify excels in its own space.