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InstantDB

Realtime backend for client-side apps: a sync engine with a relational query language, plus auth, permissions, file storage and presence, used from the frontend through its SDKs.

Users being moved · Aug 2026: The team joined OpenAI. Instant Cloud no longer accepts signups and shuts down on August 31, 2027; existing apps must self-host the open-source version or move elsewhere. Source ↗

Visit instantdb.com ↗Alternatives
Works with AI agents:llms.txt
Ask your AI about this, with this page as the source:ChatGPT ↗Claude ↗Perplexity ↗

Where it fits

Database · Backend platformRealtime, multiplayer and offline-friendly apps where the frontend queries and writes data directly, with auth, permissions and storage included.Trade-off: Instant Cloud closed to new signups in August 2026 and shuts down in August 2027, so new projects mean self-hosting it.

How InstantDB itself is built

15 tools, from its own code, website and Product Hunt page.

AI SDKAmazon S3ClaudeExpressFly.ioMinIOMuxNext.jsPostHogReactSolidJSStripeSvelteVercelVue.js

Who uses it

2 makers' products, each linked to the source that shows it, and 1 open-source projects that declare it in their code.

The maker says so 2Declared in code 1How evidence is collected →
MentorUnlock your full potential with AI powered goal management

“InstantDB helped us iterate quickly by abstracting all the complex data ops and allowing us to focus on building Mentor.”

DatabaseMaker says so · source ↗

Open source: a project that declares InstantDB as a dependency in its public code — verifiable, but not necessarily a live product.

What makers say

3 makers on why they use InstantDB, in their own words on Product Hunt.

InstantDB helped us iterate quickly by abstracting all the complex data ops and allowing us to focus on building Mentor.
MentorOct 2026 ↗
The team of InstantDB has shown pure care of the user wants and open-sourcing their mind, high quality educational blog posts.
What is Your New Year's Resolution?Oct 2026 ↗
It’s a simple, good-enough feature set to kickstart whatever seems interesting with just one prompt.
What is Your New Year's Resolution?Apr 2026 ↗

Loved and watch-outs

Themes that recur in makers' words and Hacker News comments, each linked to what it summarises, with how Product Hunt tags its reviews.

Alternatives to InstantDB

All alternatives by situation →
SupabasePostgres plus auth, storage and realtime in one project.Open sourceFree tier564 makers · database
ConvexRealtime, collaborative apps written entirely in TypeScript.Open sourceFree tier50 makers · database
FirebaseMobile apps that need offline sync and client-side SDKs.Free tier182 makers · database
NeonServerless Postgres that scales to zero, with a branch per preview deploy.Open sourceFree tier95 makers · database
PlanetScaleApps that expect heavy scale and want zero-downtime schema changes.29 makers · database
TursoSQLite at the edge, or one database per customer.Open sourceFree tier13 makers · database
MongoDBDocument-shaped data and teams already fluent in Mongo.Self-hostableFree tier131 makers · database
PostgreSQLThe engine behind most of the hosted options above, run on your own server or container for full control and a flat cost.Open sourceFree tier74 makers · database
ClickHouseFast aggregate queries over billions of rows of events, logs or metrics, self-hosted or on ClickHouse Cloud.Open sourceFree tier40 makers · database

On Product Hunt, people weigh it against: Supabase, Convex, Xano, Appwrite, Firebase, PocketBase, Turso.

Questions makers ask about InstantDB

Is InstantDB free?

No permanent free tier.

Is InstantDB open source or self-hostable?

Open source, and you can self-host it. source ↗

Can AI coding agents work with InstantDB?

It serves an llms.txt docs index.

Who uses InstantDB?

2 makers' products we track, each with a source, and 1 open-source projects declare it in their code. source ↗