NovaHelm
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NovaHelm

Built with TypeScript.
Shipped as 26 packages.
Designed for developers.

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Comparison

NovaHelm vs Firebase

Managed BaaS vs ownable fullstack engine

Try NovaHelm FreeView Pricing
FeatureFirebaseNovaHelm
AuthenticationFirebase Auth (managed)Better Auth (RBAC, API keys, MFA, self-hosted)
DatabaseFirestore (NoSQL, managed)PostgreSQL + Drizzle ORM (SQL, self-hosted or managed)
RealtimeRealtime Database / Firestore listenersSocket.io + Redis (typed events, presence)
StorageCloud Storage (managed)S3/MinIO (self-hosted or managed)
FunctionsCloud Functions (serverless)BullMQ workers (27+ job types, scheduled)
HostingFirebase Hosting (managed)Docker / Coolify / NovaHelm Cloud
AIVertex AI (separate service)Built-in (Claude, OpenAI, Ollama, RAG)
CommerceNot includedBuilt-in (Stripe, cart, checkout, inventory)
Admin UIFirebase Console (limited)Full Console + Schema Builder + Admin Kit
PricingPay-per-use (can spike)Free self-hosted, predictable cloud tiers

Where Firebase excels

  • Zero infrastructure management — fully managed by Google
  • Generous free tier for small projects
  • Deep integration with other Google Cloud services
  • Battle-tested at massive scale
  • Simple getting-started experience

Why teams choose NovaHelm

  • Own your data and infrastructure — no vendor lock-in
  • SQL database (PostgreSQL) instead of NoSQL — better for relational data
  • Built-in AI, commerce, analytics, and 15+ modules — not separate services
  • Full admin dashboard with schema builder — not just a console
  • Self-host free forever or use managed cloud — your choice
  • Module marketplace for extending functionality

Migrating from Firebase

  1. 1Export Firestore data to JSON using firebase-admin SDK
  2. 2Create NovaHelm project with `npx @novahelm/cli new`
  3. 3Map Firestore collections to Drizzle schema tables
  4. 4Import data using seed scripts
  5. 5Replace Firebase Auth with Better Auth
  6. 6Replace Cloud Functions with BullMQ workers

Ready to migrate from Firebase?

Migration takes a few hours, not weeks. Start with a fresh NovaHelm project and import your data.

Get Started

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