Side by side

Google Firebase Realtime Database vs SQLite.swift

Both stand on mobile databases. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.

Google Firebase Realtime Database

Paid WebiPhoneAndroid+1

Google Firebase Realtime Database combines synchronized data, offline support, and automatic conflict handling across web and mobile clients. Its free starting plan and broad SDK coverage make it suitable when those capabilities match an application's needs.

Visit Google Firebase Realtime Database

SQLite.swift

Free plan iPhoneLinuxMac

SQLite.swift offers a broad SQLite interface for Swift projects, with offline use and optional SQLCipher support. Its concurrency behavior and shared-container warning are worth considering when planning database access.

Visit SQLite.swift

The facts

	Google Firebase Realtime Database	SQLite.swift
Free plan	Not published	Yes
Open source	Not published	Not published
Runs on	Web, iPhone, Android, API	iPhone, Linux, Mac
Lowest paid plan	Free or on request	Free or on request
Plans published	2	1
Maker	Google	Not published
Website	firebase.google.com	github.com
On mobile databases	#27 of 27	#23 of 27

Google Firebase Realtime Database: what it does well

Bidirectional data synchronization
Offline mode on iOS and Android
Automatic conflict resolution
Free Spark plan available
SDKs for multiple languages and platforms

What to know first

Blaze usage beyond quotas is billed
Spark allows 100 simultaneous connections
No plan prices are listed

SQLite.swift: what it does well

Type-safe SQL expression building for Swift.
Includes schema queries and migrations.
Supports SQLCipher database encryption.
Runs on iOS, Linux, and macOS.

What to know first

Does not provide data synchronization.
Documentation advises against shared group containers for databases.
An open transaction blocks statement execution on other threads.

Alternatives to Google Firebase Realtime Database Alternatives to SQLite.swift The whole list