Supabackup vs BackupDrill — dumps to Google Drive vs restore-tested backups
Supabackup is the simplest way to get a Supabase database dump into Google Drive on a schedule, and at $9/month it is cheaper than anything here. BackupDrill can back up to your Google Drive too, or to a bucket you own. It costs more and does more: a weekly restore drill that proves the backup comes back and, in a bucket, Storage files in the same snapshot once you add the project’s Storage S3 keys. Supabackup facts checked in September 2026.
Side by side
| Supabackup | BackupDrill | |
|---|---|---|
| Price (as of September 2026) | Free: 1 backup job, weekly, databases up to 500 MB. Pro $9/month: 3 jobs, daily, up to 5 GB per database. Business $59/month (listed as coming soon): 10 jobs, hourly, up to 100 GB | Free: 1 project, weekly, one restore drill on the first backup. Solo $19/month: 5 projects, daily backups, weekly restore drills. Team $49/month: 20 projects. Agency $99/month: 100 projects plus client PDF reports |
| Where the backup lands | Your Google Drive, under a supabackups folder — Supabackup says the dump streams there without being stored on its servers | Your Google Drive, in a BackupDrill folder (BackupDrill can only see the files it creates), or your own S3, Cloudflare R2, Backblaze B2, or Wasabi bucket — bytes stream through the worker and are never written to BackupDrill's disks |
| What gets backed up | The Postgres database as a dump file | The Postgres database (public schema by default), plus Storage files when backups go to a bucket and you add the project's Storage S3 keys — each file with a sha256 in the snapshot manifest |
| Restore verification | Not described on its site — the job reports success when the dump reaches Drive | Yes — scheduled drills restore the latest snapshot into a throwaway Postgres and verify archive checksum, table counts, populated tables, and sampled Storage file checksums; the report is emailed |
| Connecting a project | Sign in, connect Google Drive, paste the database connection URI | Connect with Supabase OAuth — BackupDrill creates a read-only backup role in the project and never sees your database password — or run a generated SQL snippet, or paste a connection string; then connect Google Drive or add a bucket's keys |
| When a backup fails | The job pauses so it is not retried blindly; the dashboard shows the error, and Pro users get an email | You get an email; a backup that shrinks by more than 30% emails you too |
| Restore path | Download the dump from Drive and restore it yourself with psql or pg_restore | Hosted restore wizard restores the database into a fresh Supabase project, from Drive or a bucket, and hands you the Storage-only CLI command for any files; for bucket backups, the open-source CLI also restores end to end; or plain pg_restore, following the RECOVERY.md saved next to each backup |
| Retention | Pro keeps the latest 7, 14, or 30 backups, or everything if auto-delete is off | 3 snapshot records on Free, 30 on Solo and Team, 60 on Agency. In a bucket, BackupDrill never deletes objects — lifecycle rules on the bucket decide; on Google Drive, backups past that count go to Drive's trash |
Facts checked against Supabackup’s homepage in September 2026 — plans and limits change, so confirm on their site. Both tools read your whole database on every run, which counts as egress on your Supabase project.
Choose Supabackup if
- You want a daily dump in Google Drive and nothing else. Twenty seconds of setup, $9/month, a file you can open — for a side project whose whole state is the database, that is a complete answer.
- Your database is under 500 MB and you are fine with weekly — the free plan covers that outright.
Choose BackupDrill if
- Users upload files. A database dump restores
storage.objectsrows that point at files you no longer have; backing up to a bucket, BackupDrill copies the files into the same snapshot once you add the project’s Storage S3 keys, and the drill checks a sample of them by checksum. - You want proof, not a green tick. Every week on paid plans, the latest snapshot is restored into a throwaway Postgres and verified — the passing report lands in your inbox, and a failed drill emails you before the incident that needs it.
- You would rather not paste a database password anywhere. Connecting with Supabase OAuth creates a read-only role in the project; the authorization token is discarded once the role exists.
- You want to connect Google Drive without creating keys, or use your own S3, R2, B2, or Wasabi bucket with lifecycle rules you set.
The one-sentence difference
Supabackup answers “do I have a copy of my database?” cheaply and well; BackupDrill answers “will my project — files included — actually come back?” and charges $10/month more for the answer. If the second question is the one keeping you up, start with the quickstart — the free plan covers one project.
Other Supabase backup comparisons
Weighing more than one option? The tools roundup covers the field, and there are head-to-heads against SimpleBackups, ReviveDB, BackProve, Databasus and Supabase PITR.
FAQ
Is Supabackup free?
It has a free plan: one backup job, weekly, for a database up to 500 MB, into your Google Drive. Daily backups, more jobs, and email alerts start on Pro at $9/month. BackupDrill's free plan also covers one project weekly, into your Google Drive or a bucket you own, and runs a restore drill on the first backup.
Does Supabackup back up Supabase Storage files?
Its site describes database dumps only. Storage files live outside the database, so a Supabackup dump restores your tables and none of your users' uploads. BackupDrill includes Storage files in the same snapshot once you add the project's Storage S3 keys.
Does Supabackup test that backups restore?
Nothing on its site says so — success means the dump reached Google Drive. BackupDrill restore-tests on a schedule: each drill restores the latest snapshot into a throwaway Postgres and checks tables, rows, and a sample of Storage files before reporting.
Which is cheaper for one production project?
Supabackup, at $9/month for daily backups versus $19/month for BackupDrill Solo. The $10 buys restore drills every week, a hosted restore wizard, and, if you back up to a bucket, Storage files in the snapshot. If you would rather pay less and restore by hand, Supabackup is the honest pick.
Sources
- Supabackup — homepage (plans, FAQ)
- Supabase docs — Database Backups
- BackupDrill — what is covered
Facts and prices last verified September 7, 2026 against the sources above. Written by the team behind BackupDrill.