RAG Backend, Not Framework: Agentic Loops on Postgres
An agentic RAG loop's real dependency is a governed RAG backend: pgvector, BM25, metadata, and state on one Postgres, not LangGraph glue.
COMPARISON
The Supabase alternative for AI apps
Powabase runs the same open-source core services as Supabase (GoTrue, PostgREST, Storage, and Realtime), and both give every project its own Postgres instance. We add managed document extraction, retrieval, an agent runtime, and workflows on top, so your AI features live next to your data. Building RAG or agents? Pick Powabase. If a database with auth and storage is all you need, Supabase is enough.
Last reviewed: September 24, 2026
THE SHORT VERSION
Which one fits you.
Choose Powabase if…
- You want document extraction, chunking, embeddings, and retrieval handled for you, not wired up by hand from queues, cron jobs, and functions.
- You want agents running on your backend with built-in tools, your own HTTP tools, MCP servers, and a human approval step.
- You want multi-agent orchestrations and webhook- or cron-triggered workflows in the same project as your data.
- You like the Supabase stack. PostgREST, GoTrue, and Row Level Security all stay.
Choose Supabase if…
- Your app needs a database with auth and storage, and no AI features.
- Your team is already deep in the Supabase ecosystem and doesn't need managed RAG or agents.
- You'd rather build your own embedding pipeline out of Supabase's queues, cron, and functions.
COMPARISON TABLE
Powabase vs. Supabase.
Postgres per project[1][2][3]
Powabase: Its own Postgres instance, with pgvector ready to use
Supabase: Its own dedicated Postgres instance
Auth, REST, storage, realtime[3]
Powabase: The same open-source GoTrue, PostgREST, Storage, and Realtime that Supabase uses, run unchanged
Supabase: GoTrue, PostgREST, Storage, and Realtime
Row Level Security[16][19]
Powabase: Same policy syntax; auth.uid(), auth.jwt(), and auth.role() work identically
Supabase: RLS policies on your tables
Studio[3][17]
Powabase: A fork of Supabase Studio, with added pages for knowledge bases, agents, and workflows
Supabase: Supabase Studio
Document extraction[4][5]
Powabase: Managed: PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and images via OCR
Supabase: Not included; bring your own parser
Chunking and embeddings[6][7]
Powabase: Managed on upload, with five indexing strategies
Supabase: Documented DIY pattern: pgmq, pg_net, pg_cron, and Edge Functions
Retrieval[5][6]
Powabase: Vector, full-text (BM25), hybrid, and tree search, with an optional reranker
Supabase: pgvector with semantic, keyword, and hybrid search
Agent runtime[8][9]
Powabase: Managed ReAct agents with built-in, HTTP, and MCP tools, sessions, and approval hooks
Supabase: Infrastructure for agents you build with a framework
Multi-agent orchestration[9][10]
Powabase: Supervisor, sequential, and parallel strategies
Supabase: Built in the agent framework you bring
Workflows[11][12][13]
Powabase: Block graphs started by API, webhook, or cron, with a copilot that drafts the graph
Supabase: Supabase Cron and Queues as building blocks
MCP server for coding agents[14][15]
Powabase: Hosted, OAuth: SQL, auth users, storage, knowledge bases, agents, and workflows
Supabase: Hosted, OAuth: SQL, migrations, logs, and project management
Self-hosting[3][17][18]
Powabase: Apache-2.0 stack that includes the AI layer, run with Docker Compose
Supabase: Apache-2.0 stack of the core services
WHAT POWABASE ADDS
On top of the database.
Managed RAG
Upload PDFs, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, or images. Powabase pulls out the text (with OCR for scans) and indexes it using one of five strategies. Search by vector, full-text, hybrid, or tree search, with an optional reranker on top.
Read the docs →An agent runtime
Agents run a ReAct loop inside your project. Each one gets eight built-in tools plus your own HTTP tools and MCP servers. Runs keep their session history, and a hook can hold a step until a person approves it.
Read the docs →Workflows
Chain agents and other steps into a block graph, then start it by API, by webhook, or on a cron schedule. You can also describe what you want and let the copilot draft the graph.
Read the docs →
RIGHT FIT
When Supabase fits the job.
- Your app needs a database, auth, and storage, and nothing that searches documents or runs agents. Supabase covers that well, and our AI layer would sit unused.
- Your team already runs production on Supabase and knows the tooling. If managed RAG and agents aren't on the roadmap, staying where you are is the simpler path.
- You want to build and own the AI pipeline yourself. Supabase documents an automatic-embeddings pattern (pgmq, pg_net, pg_cron, and Edge Functions, wired together by you), and you put your own document parser in front of it.
COEXISTENCE & MIGRATION
Use both, or move over.
Keep Supabase, add Powabase
Keep your app, users, and data on Supabase and create a Powabase project for the AI layer. Upload documents to a knowledge base, define your agents and workflows, then call our REST API from your server or backend code for search and agent runs. The Powabase service key stays on the server, never in the browser.
Migrate from Supabase
Your Postgres data moves with standard tools. pg_dump your own schemas from Supabase and restore them into your Powabase project in a single transaction (pg_restore --single-transaction, or psql --single-transaction for a plain SQL dump). The single transaction matters because Powabase's Postgres URL goes through PgBouncer in transaction mode. Test the restore on a copy first. Your app keeps the same PostgREST and GoTrue APIs, and RLS policies behave as before. Auth users and stored files move as separate steps, and scheduled jobs become workflows with a cron trigger.[20][16]
FAQ
Questions.
Yes. Powabase runs the same open-source GoTrue, PostgREST, Storage, and Realtime services Supabase uses, with the official images unchanged. We fork Studio only to add the AI pages. The AI service, knowledge bases, agents, and workflows are ours. Powabase is an independent project, not affiliated with or endorsed by Supabase.
Yes. Your app and data stay on Supabase, and a Powabase project holds the AI layer. Upload documents to a knowledge base, define agents and workflows, and call the Powabase REST API from your server for search and agent runs. Keep the service key on the server, out of the browser.
Yes. Supabase ships pgvector and documents an automatic-embeddings pattern built from pgmq, pg_net, pg_cron, and Edge Functions. You wire that up yourself and bring your own document parsing. On Powabase we run extraction, chunking, embedding, indexing, and reranking for you, behind one API.
No. Powabase stores embeddings with pgvector in your project's own Postgres, next to a BM25 index over the same chunks. Search by vector, full-text, hybrid, or tree search, and add the optional reranker when you want it. Your app data and your document index live in one database.
Yes. Point it at our hosted MCP server, https://mcp.powabase.ai/mcp. It signs in with OAuth, and from there the agent can run SQL, manage auth users and storage, and create and run knowledge bases, agents, and workflows. You can also install the Powabase Agent Skill with npx skills add powabase-ai/agent-skills.
Yes. pg_dump your own schemas from Supabase and restore them into your Powabase project in a single transaction, since its Postgres URL is a transaction-mode pooler. Try the restore on a copy first. PostgREST, GoTrue, and your RLS policies keep working as they did. Auth users and stored files move separately, and scheduled jobs become cron-triggered workflows.
Related reading
RAG & Retrieval Backend & Comparisons Unified BaaS vs. Compose-Your-Own Stack: Head-to-Head
Unified BaaS vs compose-your-own stack: which wins for your project? We compare cost, flexibility, and speed so you can choose with confidence.
Agents & Workflows Build an AI Customer Support Agent on Postgres
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Sources
- https://supabase.com/docs/guides/platform/compute-and-disk: Every Supabase project comes with its own dedicated Postgres instance.
- https://docs.powabase.ai/concepts/architecture: Each Powabase project gets its own Postgres database and service pods.
- https://github.com/powabase-ai/powabase: Powabase runs the upstream GoTrue, PostgREST, Storage, and Realtime images unchanged on Postgres with pgvector, forks Studio to add the AI pages, and is Apache-2.0 as a single-project Docker Compose stack that includes the AI service.
- https://docs.powabase.ai/concepts/sources-extraction: Powabase extracts PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and images (via OCR).
- https://supabase.com/docs/guides/ai: Supabase AI & Vectors: pgvector with semantic, keyword, and hybrid search; no managed document extraction or chunking pipeline described.
- https://docs.powabase.ai/concepts/knowledge-bases-indexing: Indexing runs automatically when a source is added; five indexing strategies; embeddings stored in pgvector with a BM25 index; vector, full-text, hybrid, and tree search; optional cross-encoder reranking.
- https://supabase.com/docs/guides/ai/automatic-embeddings: Supabase automates embeddings with a documented pattern built from Edge Functions, pgmq, pg_net, and pg_cron.
- https://docs.powabase.ai/concepts/agents-tools: Powabase agents: ReAct loop, eight built-in tools, custom HTTP tools, MCP servers, sessions, hooks, and human approval.
- https://supabase.com/solutions/agents: Supabase for Agents is backend infrastructure for agents built with frameworks such as LangChain or CrewAI.
- https://docs.powabase.ai/concepts/orchestrations-concept: Powabase orchestrations: supervisor, sequential, and parallel strategies.
- https://docs.powabase.ai/concepts/workflows-concept: Powabase workflows: block graphs with API, webhook, and schedule (interval or cron) triggers, plus a copilot.
- https://supabase.com/docs/guides/cron: Supabase Cron schedules recurring jobs in Postgres.
- https://supabase.com/docs/guides/queues: Supabase Queues provides durable message queues in Postgres.
- https://supabase.com/docs/guides/ai-tools/mcp: Supabase's hosted MCP server with OAuth, with tools for SQL, migrations, logs, and project management.
- https://powabase.ai/integrations/: The hosted Powabase MCP server at mcp.powabase.ai/mcp signs in with OAuth; the agent can run SQL, manage auth users and storage, and create and run knowledge bases, agents, orchestrations, and workflows.
- https://docs.powabase.ai/guides/migrating-from-supabase: PostgREST, GoTrue, and RLS patterns (auth.uid(), auth.jwt(), auth.role()) work the same on Powabase; scheduled jobs move to cron-triggered workflows.
- https://github.com/supabase/supabase: Supabase is Apache-2.0, and its repository includes the Studio dashboard.
- https://supabase.com/docs/guides/self-hosting: Supabase can be self-hosted.
- https://supabase.com/docs/guides/database/postgres/row-level-security: Supabase uses Postgres Row Level Security policies on your tables.
- https://docs.powabase.ai/guides/connection-pooling: All external Postgres connections to Powabase go through PgBouncer in transaction mode, hence restoring a dump in a single transaction.