PocketBase vs RevenueCat
Open-source backend in a single Go binary
vs. Mobile subscription infrastructure — iOS + Android + web in one API
Pricing tiers
PocketBase
Self-Hosted
MIT-licensed single binary. Run on any VPS / Docker / bare metal. No usage caps — only limited by your server.
$0 base (usage-based)
RevenueCat
Starter
$0. Free up to $2,500 MTR (monthly tracked revenue). All core features. Email support.
Free
Pro
$0 base + 1% of MTR above $2,500. All features + priority support + SLA.
$0 base (usage-based)
Enterprise
Custom. Volume discount, dedicated support, custom contract.
Custom
Free-tier quotas head-to-head
Comparing self-hosted on PocketBase vs starter on RevenueCat.
| Metric | PocketBase | RevenueCat |
|---|---|---|
| No overlapping quota metrics for these tiers. | ||
Features
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.
RevenueCat · 13 features
- Audiences + Targeting — Target users by cohort, country, event.
- Charts — Cohort retention, LTV, MRR dashboards.
- Customer Center — Native UI for subscription management.
- Data Integrations — Push events to Mixpanel/Amplitude/Segment/etc.
- Entitlements — Server-authoritative feature unlocks independent of SKU.
- Experiments — Built-in A/B testing.
- Offerings + Packages — Remote product groupings + package targeting.
- Paywalls — Remote-configurable native paywall UI templates.
- Purchases — Unified purchase API across stores.
- Receipt Validation — Server-side App Store + Play receipt validation.
- Restore Purchases — Cross-device + reinstall restore.
- Web Billing (Stripe) — Accept subs via web with Stripe, reconcile with mobile.
- Webhooks — Subscription lifecycle events.
Developer interfaces
| Kind | PocketBase | RevenueCat |
|---|---|---|
| SDK | Go API (extend as library), pocketbase (Dart), pocketbase (JS SDK) | RevenueCat Android SDK, RevenueCat Flutter, RevenueCat iOS SDK, RevenueCat React Native, RevenueCat Web Billing |
| REST | REST API | RevenueCat REST API |
| OTHER | Admin Dashboard, Realtime SSE | RevenueCat Dashboard, RevenueCat Webhooks |
Staxly is an independent catalog of developer platforms. Outbound links to PocketBase and RevenueCat are plain references to their official websites. Pricing is verified against vendor pages at publication time — reconfirm before buying.
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