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Head-to-head · Backend as a Service

Back4app vs Nhost

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 5 checks side by side
Higher score Back4app #6 in Backend as a Service 7.9/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 4 features Visit Back4app
Nhost #7 in Backend as a Service 7.8/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Nhost

Back4app leads on 0 checks, Nhost on 0, and 5 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 5 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreBack4app · 7.9/10
  • Free planboth
  • Most featuresNhost · 4 of 4

Back4app scores higher on our rubric for backend as a service: 7.9 against 7.8 out of 10; our editors rank them #6 and #7.

Back4app is the better fit for affordable MongoDB-based application backends. Nhost is the better fit for graphQL-first Postgres applications.

  • Back4app fits best

    Affordable MongoDB-based application backends

  • Nhost fits best

    GraphQL-first Postgres applications

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Side by side

Feature Back4app 7.9/10 Visit ↗ Nhost 7.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 7.9 7.8
Ranking #6 in Backend as a Service #7 in Backend as a Service
Best for Affordable MongoDB-based application backends GraphQL-first Postgres applications
Pricing model Free plan + paid Free plan + paid
Starting price $5/unit/mo $25/mo
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud, Self-hosted Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms Web, iOS, Android Web, Windows, macOS, Linux
Support Email, Tickets, Community Email, Community, Docs · 24/7
Compliance SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, HIPAA SOC 2, GDPR, 2FA
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Back4app 0/4 · Nhost 4/4
Serverless functions Not checked yet ✓ (best)
Realtime data Not checked yet ✓ (best)
File storage Not checked yet ✓ (best)
Automatic APIs Not checked yet ✓ (best)
Specs
Database type Not checked yet Relational
Authentication methods Not checked yet Not checked yet
Free authentication users Not checked yet Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Managed MongoDB with automatic REST and GraphQL APIs
  • Free plan plus containers starting at $5 per month
  • Authentication, realtime sync, storage, and scheduled jobs
  • Generated GraphQL queries, mutations, and realtime subscriptions
  • Authentication includes MFA, WebAuthn, OAuth, and magic links
  • Local Docker development, Git deployments, storage, and functions
Cons
  • Container pricing is charged per container, per month
  • Deployment regions are limited to 1
  • The platform spans many services, requiring architectural decisions
  • Team pricing rises to $599 per month
  • Dedicated clusters are an Enterprise add-on
  • GraphQL is central to the platform's API approach
Our verdict

Back4app combines managed backend services with container-based deployment for teams building web and mobile applications. Its backend includes managed MongoDB hosting, automatically generated REST and GraphQL APIs, authentication with…

Read the review →

Nhost is a managed backend platform for developers building web and mobile applications around PostgreSQL and GraphQL. Each project gets a dedicated PostgreSQL database, with automatically generated queries, mutations, and realtime…

Read the review →
  1. Back4appBackend as a Service 7.9Free plan
  2. NhostBackend as a Service 7.8Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Back4app — where it wins

    • Managed MongoDB with automatic REST and GraphQL APIs
    • Free plan plus containers starting at $5 per month
    • Authentication, realtime sync, storage, and scheduled jobs

    Where it doesn't

    • Container pricing is charged per container, per month
    • Deployment regions are limited to 1
    • The platform spans many services, requiring architectural decisions

  • Nhost — where it wins

    • Generated GraphQL queries, mutations, and realtime subscriptions
    • Authentication includes MFA, WebAuthn, OAuth, and magic links
    • Local Docker development, Git deployments, storage, and functions

    Where it doesn't

    • Team pricing rises to $599 per month
    • Dedicated clusters are an Enterprise add-on
    • GraphQL is central to the platform's API approach

More comparisons

All backend as a service comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update