If you're building a SaaS, mobile app, or side project in 2026 and you're based in Europe — or you're simply trying to stay GDPR-compliant — using Firebase comes with real risks. Google's backend-as-a-service stores data on US servers and is subject to US surveillance law (FISA 702, CLOUD Act). That makes it a compliance liability for EU-based businesses and anyone serving EU users.
The good news: there are excellent EU-built and EU-hosted alternatives that match Firebase feature-for-feature, often at lower cost.
What Firebase actually gives you
Before looking at alternatives, it's worth listing what Firebase bundles:
- Authentication — email/password, OAuth, magic link, phone
- Firestore / Realtime Database — NoSQL document storage with live subscriptions
- Cloud Storage — file uploads and serving
- Cloud Functions — serverless backend logic
- Hosting — static site and SPA hosting with CDN
EU alternatives typically split these concerns into composable services, which is actually a better architecture for production apps.
Top EU-hosted Firebase alternatives
Supabase (EU region)
Supabase is the most Firebase-like replacement. It ships Postgres (relational, not NoSQL), row-level security, realtime subscriptions, auth, storage, and edge functions — all open source and self-hostable. Supabase offers an EU-hosted cloud region (Frankfurt) and is GDPR-compliant by default.
Best for: teams already comfortable with SQL, or anyone migrating from Firestore who wants stronger data guarantees.
Pocketbase
Pocketbase is a single-binary open-source backend: embedded SQLite, auth, file storage, and a real-time API. You host it on any VPS in Europe. No external dependencies, no US cloud.
Best for: indie developers and solo founders who want zero vendor lock-in and full data sovereignty on a €5/month server.
Hetzner + self-hosted stack
Hetzner Cloud (headquartered in Germany) is the low-cost EU infrastructure layer. Pair it with:
- Supabase (self-hosted) or Pocketbase for the backend
- Bunny.net (Netherlands) for CDN and storage
- Plausible Analytics (Estonia) replacing Firebase Analytics
This stack costs a fraction of Firebase at scale and keeps everything in EU jurisdiction.
GDPR considerations when switching
When migrating away from Firebase, ensure:
- Data residency — explicitly configure your new provider's EU region; don't assume it defaults to Europe.
- DPA (Data Processing Agreement) — sign a DPA with your new provider. EU-based providers make this straightforward.
- Existing data — export Firestore data as JSON and import into Postgres/SQLite. The schema migration is the main effort.
- Auth migration — Firebase Auth does not export password hashes. Plan a "re-verify on first login" or password reset flow for existing users.
Summary
| Feature | Firebase | Supabase (EU) | Pocketbase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auth | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Database | Firestore (NoSQL) | Postgres (SQL) | SQLite (SQL) |
| Storage | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Realtime | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Serverless | Cloud Functions | Edge Functions | — |
| EU hosting | ❌ (US by default) | ✅ | Self-hosted |
| Open source | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| GDPR | ⚠️ | ✅ | ✅ |
If you're starting a new project today, Supabase on the Frankfurt region is the closest drop-in replacement. If you want maximum control and don't mind self-hosting, Pocketbase on a Hetzner VPS is the indie developer's best option.
Browse all EU-built developer tools and backend infrastructure on EU Alts.