Hibira vs Firebase Realtime Database
Firebase Realtime Database syncs a shared database to clients and bills by GB stored and downloaded; Hibira publishes events from your server on fixed monthly plans.
Firebase Realtime Database is a hosted JSON database that keeps every connected client in sync, priced by data stored and data downloaded. Hibira is a publish and subscribe service on the Pusher protocol: your server publishes events to channels and connected clients receive them, priced by monthly plan.
At a glance
| Firebase Realtime Database | Hibira | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A synced database you read and write from clients | Channels your server publishes to; nothing is stored |
| Protocol and SDKs | Firebase SDKs | Pusher protocol: pusher-js, Laravel Echo and every Pusher SDK |
| Free plan | Spark: 100 simultaneous connections, 1 GB stored, 10 GB downloaded a month | 100 connections, 200,000 messages a day, 2 GB a month |
| Paid | Blaze, pay as you go: $5 per GB stored, $1 per GB downloaded after the free amount | $35/month: 1,000 connections, 2 million messages a day, 40 GB |
| Spending limit | None built in; set budget alerts | Hard limits per plan, no overage bill |
| Presence | Build it with onDisconnect writes | Presence channels with the member list |
| Regions | US (Iowa), Belgium, Singapore | Hong Kong cluster today; Tokyo and Singapore planned |
Firebase figures are from firebase.google.com/pricing and its locations page, checked on 2026-10-25.
Firebase
Hibira
A different model
With Firebase, clients read and write a shared tree of data and security rules decide who may touch which part. With Hibira, your own server stays the source of truth: it saves to your database as usual, then publishes an event, and private and presence channels are authorized by an endpoint on your server. If your backend is Laravel, Rails, Django or Node, Hibira fits next to it without moving your data.
When Firebase is the better fit
- You want clients to sync data directly, including offline, without writing a backend.
- You already use other Firebase products such as Authentication and Hosting.
- You send mostly small amounts of data, where paying per GB downloaded costs little.
When Hibira is the better fit
- Your data lives in your own database and you only need to push changes to clients.
- You use, or want to use, the Pusher protocol and Laravel Broadcasting.
- You want a fixed monthly price with hard limits instead of an open-ended bill.
- Your users are in East and Southeast Asia and you want servers in Hong Kong.
The integration guides show how to publish from each server language.
Common questions
Is Hibira a database like Firebase Realtime Database?
No. Hibira stores nothing: your server saves to your own database as usual, then publishes an event that connected clients receive.
How are Firebase and Hibira priced?
Firebase Realtime Database charges for data stored and data downloaded. Hibira charges a fixed monthly plan with hard limits, and is free up to 100 connections and 200,000 messages a day.
Can I use Hibira with Laravel, Rails or Django?
Yes. Hibira sits next to your existing backend without moving your data, and private and presence channels are authorized by an endpoint on your server.
Firebase Realtime Database is a trademark of its owner.