head to head · open source
Supabase vs watchexec
Supabase has 111,621 GitHub stars, 16,953 forks, 1,128 open issues and last shipped yesterday. watchexec has 7,239 stars, 211 forks, 34 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. Supabase leads on adoption by 1,442% (111,621 vs 7,239 stars). Supabase is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; watchexec is written in Rust under Apache-2.0. Supabase has attracted 15% as many forks as stars, watchexec 3%. Supabase was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| Supabase | watchexec | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 112K | ★ 7.2K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Rust |
| Last push | 2026-10-16 | 2026-10-13 |
| Forks | ⑂ 17K | ⑂ 211 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Supabase if
- You weight community size — 112K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick watchexec if
- You want the watchexec feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Rust
- You evaluated both and watchexec fits your workflow better
About Supabase
Supabase is an open source, Apache 2.0 licensed Postgres development platform that bundles a dedicated Postgres database with authentication, auto generated APIs, realtime subscriptions, file storage, and edge functions for developers building web, mobile, and AI applications.
read the full Supabase overview →
About watchexec
Watchexec is a standalone, language agnostic command line tool written in Rust that watches a path and runs a command whenever it detects modifications, aimed at developers who are tired of re running the same build, test, or lint command by hand.
read the full watchexec overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Supabase or watchexec more popular?
Supabase has 111,621 GitHub stars and watchexec has 7,239. Supabase has the larger community by that measure.
Are Supabase and watchexec free?
Both are open source. Supabase is licensed under Apache-2.0 and watchexec under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Supabase and watchexec?
Supabase is written in TypeScript and watchexec in Rust. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Supabase or watchexec?
Choose Supabase if you want the larger community (111,621 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose watchexec if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.