Solo builder here. I'm running sqlquest.app — an adaptive SQL tutor — on Supabase's free tier since January. Traffic is tiny, maybe 10-20 real sessions a day. Every page load touches 5-6 tables though, and egress adds up quick when your app does state sync properly.
Went ~15% over the 5GB/month free egress cap. Instead of a soft warning or overage billing, the project hard-fails. Every API request returns 402. Login breaks. Signups break. Everything user-facing dies.
Two options:
- Wait for the billing cycle to reset and hope the "short delay after reset" doesn't stretch into hours (it did)
- Upgrade to Pro at $25/mo, instantly unblocked
I was 20 minutes from a live paid student demo when this hit. Paid the $25.
The $25 tier gives 250GB egress — 50× what I need. There's no middle ground for solo builders who've crossed the free cap but don't need enterprise headroom.
Questions for HN:
- Has anyone else hit this? How'd you handle it?
- Any existing workarounds (PostgREST + self-hosted, different provider with better pricing ladder)?
- Is there a case to be made to Supabase for a $5-10/mo "solo" tier between Free and Pro? Or is the $25 tier strategically important for their unit economics?
Not trying to bash the product — I love the DX and I'm not switching. Just frustrated with the pricing jump. Curious if the community has opinions.
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