Firebase vs Firebase Authentication

Google's all-in-one meets the lazy developer's dream for user sign-ins—just add water and pray it scales. 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

Firebase Authentication

The lazy developer's dream for user sign-ins—just add water and pray it scales.

Pros

• Dead-simple setup with pre-built UI components
• Handles social logins and phone auth without breaking a sweat
• Tight integration with other Firebase services like Firestore and Cloud Functions

Cons

• Vendor lock-in that makes switching away feel like a prison break
• Pricing can sneak up on you with high-volume phone authentication

The Verdict

These tools serve different purposes. Firebase is a databases while Firebase Authentication 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 Firebase Authentication excels in its own space.