PocketBase vs Polar

PocketBase

Polar

PocketBase · 12 features

• Access Rules — Record-level access rules (filter expressions) referencing @request and @collect…
• Admin Dashboard — Built-in web UI for schema + data management.
• Auth — Email+password, OAuth2 (Google, GitHub, Facebook, Apple, Discord, Microsoft, etc…
• Backups — Built-in backup/restore with S3 upload option.
• Built-in Mailer — SMTP integration for verification, password reset, magic link emails.
• Collections — Schema-defined record types with fields, validations, and record/admin/auth acce…
• Embedded JS Engine — JavaScript VM (goja) lets you write hooks in JS without recompiling.
• Extend as Go Library — Embed PocketBase in a larger Go app, add custom routes and events.
• File Storage — Local filesystem or S3-compatible storage with access rules.
• Hooks — Server-side Go or JavaScript hooks that run on CRUD events (OnRecordBeforeCreate…
• Migrations — JS/Go migration scripts applied on startup.
• Realtime Subscriptions — SSE-based subscriptions to collection changes.

Polar · 15 features

• Customer Portal — Self-serve subscription management.
• Feature Flags — Simple flag mgmt tied to subscription tiers.
• Framework Adapters — Next.js, BetterAuth, TS, Python, Laravel, Ruby, 11+ more.
• Fraud Protection — Chargeback + fraud handling included.
• GitHub Sponsors Import — Import existing sponsors to Polar.
• Global Tax Compliance — VAT/GST/sales tax filed by Polar.
• Hosted Checkout — Polar-hosted + embeddable checkout.
• License Keys — Generate + validate license keys for software.
• Metering — Track API calls, tokens, custom units.
• One-off Purchases — Single purchases + digital downloads.
• Open-Source Backend — Full platform code on GitHub.
• Sandbox Environment — Test transactions without charging.
• Subscriptions — Tiered plans with upgrades/downgrades.
• Usage-Based Billing — Event ingestion → meter → invoice.
• Webhooks — Resource events with HMAC signatures.