Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users
Neeraj Sameer Allu - PeerSpot reviewer
Founder at Tuft
Real User
Top 5
Managed product and give a very big free credit to start with
Pros and Cons
  • "Google Firebase supports all types of authentication."
  • "Google Firebase lacks a SQL database."

What is our primary use case?

I mainly use authentication, database, notifications, and remote config. Most of the key features of Firebase.

What is most valuable?

The authentication. It's a managed product that supports all types of authentication and has a generous free trial. They give a very big free credit to start with.

Firebase Analytics is good enough, but I prefer to use Google Analytics directly by inserting their tag in my code.

We don't use their app distribution product. It's okay, but not that useful.

What needs improvement?

They lack a SQL database. It would be great to have that feature added.

Like PlanetScale. They have a Firebase database as well as a real-time database, but no SQL database.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using it for three to four years now. 

Buyer's Guide
Google Firebase
January 2025
Learn what your peers think about Google Firebase. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2025.
831,265 professionals have used our research since 2012.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's stable. No issues so far.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

All students use it, especially for building side projects. Maybe not everyone uses all features, but Firebase authentication is widely used.

Firebase authentication is very scalable. But for the Firestore database, people say you can get a big bill when you scale up.

We didn't experience that because we didn't reach that scale, but their pricing plans indicate it can get very expensive.

Cloud Storage is good, but I switched to Cloudflare R2 because to the cheap pricing plans. However, at scale, Firestore can have issues with concurrent writes, like exceeding rate limits.

How are customer service and support?

We did reach out to them for GCP, but not for Firebase. 

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?


How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is very easy. Even for a beginner. Their documentation is good, and there are a lot of helpful videos on YouTube.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The pricing plans indicate it can get very expensive.

What other advice do I have?

I would definitely recommend it to others. It is very easy to learn. 

Overall, I would rate it a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Flag as inappropriate
PeerSpot user
Pranay Koley - PeerSpot reviewer
Junior Software Developer at Weavers Web Solutions Private Limited
Real User
Top 5
Seamless cloud database integration enhances data management and a highly responsive support team
Pros and Cons
  • "The access to Firestore is very easy."
  • "As we are a small team, we have only utilized some features, however, all those features have been very useful, and there is no problem."

What is our primary use case?

We use Firebase primarily for storing user data, authentication data, and many more - like Apple authentication data, Google authentication data, Facebook authentication data, and storage of any authentication data in Firestore. 

We also use it for chat modules such as one-to-one or real-time chat using the real-time database.

How has it helped my organization?

Firebase has been very useful to us. We have been using Firebase for three years, and it has been beneficial as we can store user data efficiently. Additionally, the access to Firestore is very easy.

What is most valuable?

Firebase provides valuable features in the Flutter framework. We can use Firebase through the SDK. The provider like Firebase gives access to their database through Stream or FutureBuilder. The integration with Flutter is seamless, making it very easy to use.

What needs improvement?

There are many features in Firebase that we have not used. As we are a small team, we have only utilized some features, however, all those features have been very useful, and there is no problem.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Firebase for three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Stability is excellent, given that Firebase is a Google product.

How are customer service and support?

The support from Google is highly responsive. We once encountered an incident where a developer mistakenly deleted the database. We emailed Google's support team, and they promptly recovered the full database for us.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

What other advice do I have?

I recommend Firebase to everyone looking to use any cloud database. It is worth using and very useful.

I'd rate the solution ten out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Google
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Flag as inappropriate
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Google Firebase
January 2025
Learn what your peers think about Google Firebase. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2025.
831,265 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Owner at Go knowledge
Real User
Top 5
Seamless integration and good efficiency but exploring functions needs refinement
Pros and Cons
  • "The connection between Firebase and the integrated development environments, especially when using Android Studio, is crucial as it saves time."
  • "The exploration of the functions within Firebase could be improved."

What is our primary use case?

We use Google Firebase as a platform where we can upload apps or websites, which helps in scaling them.

How has it helped my organization?

Google Firebase allows for seamless scaling as more people visit our website or app, helping us grow efficiently.

What is most valuable?

The connection between Firebase and the integrated development environments, especially when using Android Studio, is crucial as it saves time.

What needs improvement?

The exploration of the functions within Firebase could be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have used Google Firebase for about three years now.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Google Firebase is very stable, and I would rate its stability as a nine out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I would rate the scalability of Firebase as an eight or nine out of ten.

How are customer service and support?

There is so much documentation available that I have not needed to contact customer support.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Before Google Firebase, I did not use a different solution.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is pretty straightforward, it literally happens within ten minutes.

What was our ROI?

If you provide your app for four thousand users, the cost is around. Most of the features are free.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The cost efficiency is perfect, with many features being free. Licensing or pricing is highly cost-effective for small companies.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Oracle Apex is also a very good solution for developing apps.

What other advice do I have?

I would absolutely recommend Firebase to other developers, especially those developing apps on platforms like Flutter.

I'd rate the solution seven out of ten.

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Google
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Flag as inappropriate
PeerSpot user
Ashik Rahman - PeerSpot reviewer
Project Manager at Primal Codes Technologies Pvt
Real User
Top 10Leaderboard
Offers storage can be easily used in our mobile applications but needs to improve the support offered
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature of the solution stems from the fact that its storage can be easily used in our mobile applications."
  • "The tool's support requires improvement."

What is our primary use case?

Google Firebase is not an alternative to Vercel. For my job, I use the tool to host the Next.js app application. The option to host the Next.js app was launched a year ago.

I have been using Firebase for some of its features, like its cloud functions and authentication kind of purpose. We cannot compare Google Firebase with Vercel.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of the solution stems from the fact that its storage can be easily used in our mobile applications. The tool can be used for cloud messaging. The push notifications on iOS and Android services are very easy to use.

What needs improvement?

Google Firebase is a very big application.

In our company, we are actually using a small part of the application, so I do have challenges, but we have online communities for Firebase. Google's support is very low, and it takes a lot of time. The tool's support requires improvement.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have six years of experience with Google Firebase. I am a customer of the tool.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I have not faced any stability issues with the product.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The product offers high scalability features, but the cost is very high on a large scale. The tool has some mechanisms for improvements, but it is costly.

How are customer service and support?

I rate the technical support a seven out of ten.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

What was our ROI?

Actually, there are some other mechanisms in the tool that we can avoid. We can use many other services. If we are hosting and using Google Firebase to send SMS, it will cost a large volume. If we choose the local providers, we can get a tool similar to Google Firebase at a very low rate.

What other advice do I have?

The authentication part in the product is very easy to use, but for custom development, we have to use the product manually, making it a reason why we don't have to use the authentication feature.

The tool has many features, but sometimes, using all its features can be a little difficult, and it is not easy to implement. You need to read the documentation to figure out the process for using the features.

I recommend Google Firebase for cloud storage and cloud communication to others.

I rate the tool a seven out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Flag as inappropriate
PeerSpot user
Azmir Uddin Alif - PeerSpot reviewer
Full-stack Developer at a tech vendor with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
Top 5
Real-time database is a good feature for me and implementation is easy
Pros and Cons
  • "If I were to make a chatting application I would use this product because it is easy to learn and implement."
  • "If I were to review the service, it would be about paid functionalities, like implementing notifications, is easy, but debugging is not."

What is our primary use case?

I use Google Firebase for user authentication when I work with mobile apps. Firebase is easy for other than the database, in my opinion, because it gives real-time functionalities. That's easy because if I work with raw NodeJS or Express, then when I want real-time functionalities, I have to use Socket.IO, but Firebase has its own built-in real-time capabilities, and that's easy for implementation.

What is most valuable?

The real-time database is a good feature for me. The second option is notifications. When I work with PWAs and use Firebase's functionalities, their notifications are awesome. 

The implementation is easy. The only tough part is that they have paid functionalities. So when we use any type of NodeJS or other languages, we implement Firebase, and then it's paid. But the notification service is great, and so is the real-time database.

What needs improvement?

I have used Google Firebase for a maximum of two years. If I were to review the service, it would be about paid functionalities, like implementing notifications, is easy, but debugging is not. I have to connect to my Google console and upload the functionalities every time. This doesn't make sense to me because if I want to see the console, I have to upload to it. This is the biggest reported issue from me. 

When I work in the backend with Google Firebase and implement Node.js, I have to upload the function every time. If I upload the function every time to the Google Cloud console, then sometimes it can crash. That side is disappointing for me.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using it for two years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is a stable product. If my client wants a real-time database, top-notch security, and easy user authentication, then we can switch to Firebase. 

Firebase's security is awesome, and implementation is easy. 

If they want a real-time database, I can easily switch to Firebase because they already have a real-time database, and the collection and structure of data is easy to understand.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Everyone on my team uses it. I have ten people on my team, and only two or three did not use Firebase early. When I told them to just read the documentation and try to implement the simple things like user authentication and storing data in the database, it was amazing because they were able to easily implement it. That's why everyone uses Firebase easily.

How are customer service and support?

The documentation is very beginner-friendly. Anyone can learn the service easily.

How was the initial setup?

The deployment is very easy. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The price is too expensive.

What other advice do I have?

My recommendations: 

If you want to easily implement user authentication with Google sign-in or Facebook login, you can use Firebase because it has its own functionality. You can just take their API and implement your code, then you can easily create login functionality. 

If you want to make it easy, then I suggest you use Firebase. But if you want to learn more and create custom features, then I don't suggest Firebase because it has its own built-in functions.

Learning curve:

It's easy to learn  if you want to read the documentation and research. There are two types of beginners: 

  1. Those who want to research and read the documentation. For those who want to research and read the documentation, it's easy.
  2. Those who just want to go to YouTube and search. And do not have any interest. 

The Firebase version is running ten point something now, but I used Firebase version eight. The functionality and the documentation are easy for me. When I want to upload an image, Firebase has the code. I copy and paste the code, change one or two things, and that's it.

Overall rating:

If I were to make a chatting application and use Firebase, I would give it a nine or nine point eight out of ten because it is easy to learn and implement. But if we consider the price, I would give it a five or four out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Private Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Flag as inappropriate
PeerSpot user
Senior Flutter Developer at Mindorigin Technologies Private Limited
Real User
Top 20
Easy to use and provides useful analytics features and documentation
Pros and Cons
  • "Google Analytics for Firebase is the best feature of the solution."
  • "The notifications must be made a little bit better."

What is our primary use case?

I use Analytics for Firebase, Firebase Cloud Messaging, and Firebase Crashlytics. I have also used Firebase Performance.

What is most valuable?

Google Analytics for Firebase is the best feature of the solution. Generally, for analytics, I must integrate GA4 for the web. Since Firebase supports analytics, I can now analyze on the same dashboard using Google Analytics. It is very useful for me. The notification services, Google Analytics, and Crashlytics are easy to use.

What needs improvement?

The notifications must be made a little bit better. Firebase Cloud Messaging doesn’t support non-dismissable notifications. I encountered some difficulties migrating the code from Firebase Cloud Storage to another DB.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for three years and two months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The product had bugs. I haven't found any bugs for the past one and a half years. There are conflicts with the Flutter text package while migrating to the latest Firebase version. It would be better if the problem were resolved.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The product is much more scalable compared to other solutions. I know 12 people in the organization who use the solution. Eight know the tool well and use it in different company projects.

How are customer service and support?

I contacted support when I started using the solution. Now, I don’t need any support. The documentation is understandable.

How was the initial setup?

The initial installation was easier after FlutterFire CLI was created. It was very useful to integrate the product. Before FlutterFire CLI, it was a little bit harder to integrate the tool into iOS.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The tool is affordable. The cost is a bit high compared to REST API. Some clients prefer REST API over Firebase.

What other advice do I have?

I have deployed one project in the cloud. I have used some services of the solution for other use cases. The services similar to notification services, Google Analytics, and Crashlytics are not easy to use in other tools. I will recommend the solution if someone wants to use the notification services, Messaging, Analytics, and Crashlytics. However, I will not suggest if someone wants to use Firebase Cloud Storage.

The solution is difficult to learn if someone is just starting their career. If we get a little bit of guidance from a senior, it will be very easy. I number the patchwork for app versioning and deployment just like Android versioning. The first digit will be for batches from right to left, the second for major updates, and the third for a complete app version change. I increase the number by one for every build, patch it, and publish it. I use the same logic if I am deploying in Firebase.

Most of the applications I have worked on are e-commerce-based applications. The main requirement for clients in such applications is conversion rate. When a user interacts with a particular product, the client wants to know whether the user purchased the product or not. They want to know where the users lost interest and went away without making the payment. Google Analytics helped me fix such issues much better than any other product. I'm very happy with it.

Sometimes, I couldn't figure out how to fix issues when working on iOS. Suppose I’m just upgrading Firebase through workspace.yaml, sometimes, I may need to check whether the native version is supported. I will have to go through the documentation again. It will be much better if it is fixed by changing the version in workspace.yaml. Everything else works well.

Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Ruven Naidoo - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Software Developer Team Lead at Dilowa
Real User
Top 10Leaderboard
Achieves real-time interactions with automatic updates for seamless user experience
Pros and Cons
  • "The real-time database feature is the most valuable, allowing real-time feedback without needing to constantly poll the database."
  • "There needs to be an easy way to duplicate a database."

What is our primary use case?

I am using Google Firebase as a real-time database for all my applications. It allows me to get data in real time with an automatically refreshable website, so there is no delay. Even if the data changes, my website automatically updates, even if it is open in a browser.

How has it helped my organization?

Google Firebase has helped my organization by providing a real-time database, which means I don't have to worry about delays and ensures automatic website updates. It also provides an easy way to manage user authentication with various providers like Google, Microsoft, and Facebook.

What is most valuable?

The real-time database feature is the most valuable, allowing real-time feedback without needing to constantly poll the database. It enables real-time interactions similar to seeing cars moving on a map in real time.

What needs improvement?

There needs to be an easy way to duplicate a database. Currently, creating a copy of a database is a manual process, which could be improved with an option to automatically create another copy.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with Google Firebase for probably ten years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

From the point of view of reliability, Google Firebase works well with no issues.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

In terms of scalability, Google Firebase handles it well. It automatically scales like YouTube when hosting video content, allowing millions of customers to stream the same content without any manual intervention.

How are customer service and support?

I have not needed to contact Google support for Firebase. Whereas, I have contacted AWS support, which is really good, because I couldn't figure out certain things. For Google, I never needed the support.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I have used Google Cloud and AWS previously. Google Cloud is the cheapest and their free tier is very generous. Google Cloud has allowed me to run sites for years without any cost, unlike AWS which costs me even though it receives less traffic.

How was the initial setup?

The setup process for Google Firebase is not difficult. I have looked it over and found that you don't have to know a lot to get started.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Google Cloud is the cheapest among the solutions I have used. Their free tier is very generous, allowing me to run sites with no cost.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I evaluated AWS and Azure before using Google Firebase.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend Google Firebase because it provides reliable and scalable solutions.

I'd rate the solution ten out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Google
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Flag as inappropriate
PeerSpot user
Frontend Developer at Prodapt
Real User
Top 10
Effortless web app deployment with command line efficiency
Pros and Cons
  • "The main part that I like about Firebase is that it provides command line tools."
  • "You need to have some experience with deployment."

What is our primary use case?

I use Google Firebase for deploying my web applications. Whenever I have leisure time, I try to code some web applications and develop them. Then, I deploy these web applications using Google Firebase.

What is most valuable?

The main part that I like about Firebase is that it provides command line tools. It gives you a set of command lines and instructions to deploy, which you can use easily to deploy in the terminal itself. There is no need to manually move the files to Firebase.

What needs improvement?

Maybe not for someone new to deployment and authentication, as it's somewhat difficult to use. You need to have some experience with deployment.

For how long have I used the solution?

Professionally, I haven't used it, however, I've used it personally for deploying my personal projects for the past year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I have not faced any issues with its stability.

How are customer service and support?

I did not contact their support team. Whatever issues I faced, I resolved by directly searching on Google or stack overflow.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I used Dynatrace for error logging in the production environment.

How was the initial setup?

There is a learning curve for about a week.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Firebase is open source and free up to a certain level, so there is no need to pay any amount up to a certain point.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We also use Google Analytics for error logging.

What other advice do I have?

I can suggest Google Firebase over other deployment tools because of its seamless authentication and open-source nature.

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Google
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Flag as inappropriate
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Google Firebase Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: January 2025
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Google Firebase Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.