Best Fauna Alternatives (2026)

Fauna alternatives at a glance

1. 1

   Airtable

   Databases

   Spreadsheet-database hybrid for teams.

   Airtable sits mid-to-premium in the no-code database/PM space — pricier than Notion or Trello per seat, but justified by its database depth and automation power. They're not fighting on price; they're going after teams that've outgrown spreadsheets and lighter PM tools but aren't ready for heavyweight custom software.

   Plans: Free $0/mo per seat · Team $24/mo per seat · Business $54/mo per seat · Enterprise Scale Contact Sales

   From $24/mo Free plan Free trial · Fauna vs Airtable → Airtable pricing →
2. 2

   Aiven

   Databases

   Managed open-source data platforms.

   Aiven undercuts AWS RDS and GCP Cloud SQL at the entry point (free tier, $5 plans) to hook indie developers, but the Startup-to-Premium range ($75-$270+) puts them in line with — sometimes above — dedicated DBaaS competitors like Crunchy Data or Timescale Cloud. They're clearly playing multi-cloud flexibility as the wedge to win teams who don't want to be locked into a single hyperscaler's database service.

   Plans: Free $0/mo · Developer $5/mo · Hobbyist $12/mo · Startup $75/mo · Business $180/mo · Premium $270/mo

   From $5/mo Free plan Free trial · Fauna vs Aiven → Aiven pricing →
3. 3

   Appwrite

   Databases

   Open-source backend as a service.

   At $25/mo flat, Appwrite undercuts most BaaS competitors that charge per-seat or bundle fewer resources at that price point — it's positioned as the affordable, developer-friendly option rather than a premium play. They're clearly going after indie devs and small teams who outgrew Firebase's complexity or pricing surprises but aren't ready for enterprise contracts.

   Plans: Free $0/mo · Pro $25/mo · Enterprise Contact Sales

   From $25/mo Free plan · Fauna vs Appwrite → Appwrite pricing →
4. 4

   ClickHouse

   Databases

   Fast open-source OLAP database.

   Sitting in the usage-based analytics database space, ClickHouse avoids sticker-shock flat fees but the escalating per-unit compute rate (nearly double from Basic to Enterprise) signals they're not competing on being the cheap option once you scale up. They're positioning to win teams that want to start cheap and pay more as they mature, rather than budget-conscious shops that need pricing certainty upfront.

   Plans: Basic Contact Sales · Scale Contact Sales · Enterprise Contact Sales

   Custom pricing Free trial · Fauna vs ClickHouse → ClickHouse pricing →
5. 5

   CockroachDB

   Databases

   Distributed SQL that survives anything.

   They're playing a hybrid game — free tier to hook developers like Supabase or PlanetScale, but the custom pricing on upper tiers signals they're chasing enterprise budgets, not competing on transparent low-cost simplicity. This isn't the cheap option once you're past hobby scale; it's positioned as the distributed-SQL choice for teams that need global consistency and are willing to pay for it.

   Plans: Basic $0/mo · Standard Contact Sales · Advanced Contact Sales

   Custom pricing Free plan · Fauna vs CockroachDB → CockroachDB pricing →
6. 6

   Convex

   Databases

   Reactive backend for app developers.

   Convex undercuts most backend-as-a-service and database platforms at the entry point — $25/seat is cheap for what's essentially a full reactive backend — but the $2,500/mo Enterprise floor signals they're not chasing bargain-hunting startups at scale. They're positioned to win indie devs and small teams early, then convert the ones that stick into higher-value accounts rather than nickel-and-diming growing teams seat by seat.

   Plans: Free & Starter $0/mo · Professional $25/mo · Business & Enterprise $2500/mo

   From $25/mo Free plan · Fauna vs Convex → Convex pricing →
7. 7

   Firebase

   Databases

   Backend-as-a-service from Google.

   Firebase isn't competing on sticker price — it's competing on being the fastest path to shipping a mobile/web backend without standing up infrastructure yourself. Against Supabase or AWS Amplify, it's roughly in the same usage-based ballpark, but Google wins on ecosystem maturity and dev experience rather than being the budget pick.

   Plans: No-cost (Spark plan) $0/mo · Pay as you go (Blaze plan) Contact Sales

   Custom pricing Free plan · Fauna vs Firebase → Firebase pricing →
8. 8

   InfluxDB

   Databases

   Time series database platform.

   InfluxDB straddles both ends — free and usage-based tiers undercut anyone charging flat SaaS fees for time-series data, while Enterprise and Cloud Dedicated compete on infrastructure control against Timescale or self-hosted Prometheus setups. They're clearly trying to land developers cheap via Serverless/Core and expand revenue once workloads get serious enough to need custom contracts.

   Plans: Cloud Serverless $0/mo · InfluxDB 3 Core $0/mo · InfluxDB 3 Enterprise Contact Sales · Amazon Timestream for InfluxDB Contact Sales · Cloud Dedicated Contact Sales

   Custom pricing Free plan Free trial · Fauna vs InfluxDB → InfluxDB pricing →
9. 9

   MongoDB Atlas

   Databases

   Managed cloud database service.

   MongoDB sits mid-to-premium in the database-as-a-service space — pricier than raw self-hosted Postgres or DynamoDB's pay-per-request model, but justified by the managed ops layer and document-model flexibility. They're clearly hunting teams who've outgrown free-tier NoSQL options and need something that won't fall over at scale.

   Plans: Free $0/mo · Flex $0/mo · Dedicated $0/mo · Enterprise Advanced Contact Sales

   From $0/mo Free plan · Fauna vs MongoDB Atlas → MongoDB Atlas pricing →
10. 10

    MotherDuck

    Databases

    Serverless DuckDB analytics.

    At $250/mo plus consumption fees, MotherDuck isn't chasing hobbyists — it's mid-market priced compared to heavyweight warehouses like Snowflake or BigQuery, betting that DuckDB's speed and simplicity justify a premium over free/open-source but a discount versus enterprise data warehouse contracts.

    Plans: Lite $0/mo · Business $250/mo · Enterprise Contact Sales

    From $250/mo Free plan Free trial · Fauna vs MotherDuck → MotherDuck pricing →

None of these fit? See every databases tool we price →

What is the best alternative to Fauna?

Airtable is the closest Fauna alternative we track for databases. Paid plans start at $24/mo, and there is a free plan to start on. Aiven and Appwrite are also worth a look.

Are there free alternatives to Fauna?

Yes — Airtable, Aiven, Appwrite and 6 more offer a free plan, so you can switch without paying up front.

How much do Fauna alternatives cost?

Entry prices range from $0/mo (MongoDB Atlas) to $250/mo (MotherDuck). Each product page has the full verified tier breakdown.