Backend as a Service for Game Developers, Honestly Compared
We compared 9 providers across pricing, features, and infrastructure so you don't have to.
9 Game Backend Providers, Side by Side
No single backend wins for everyone. Here is where each one fits, and where horizOn is the better choice for indie and small studio developers.
Game Backend Comparison: Features at a Glance
Key differences between all 9 backend as a service providers.
| Feature | horizOn | Firebase | PlayFab | Supabase | Nakama | brainCloud | AccelByte | LootLocker | Beamable |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| User Management | |||||||||
| Leaderboards | |||||||||
| Cloud Save | |||||||||
| Remote Config | |||||||||
| News / Announcements | |||||||||
| Gift Codes | |||||||||
| User Feedback | |||||||||
| User Logs | |||||||||
| Crash Reporting | |||||||||
| Email Sending |
Backend as a Service Pricing Comparison
What you'd actually pay each month, including multi-region infrastructure.
| Daily Active Users | horizOn | Firebase | PlayFab | Supabase | Nakama | brainCloud | AccelByte | LootLocker | Beamable |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 200 | $0 | $25 | $125 | $75 | $1,800 | $30 | $100 | $50 | $0 |
| 1K | $11 | $40 | $140 | $75 | $1,800 | $30 | $100 | $80 | $100 |
| 10K | $57 | $220 | $275 | $400 | $1,800 | $275 | $925 | $585 | $600 |
| 50K | $1,145 | $1,325 | $1,350 | $1,660 | $1,800 | $925 | $3,500 | $2,485 | $2,228 |
| 100K | $1,145 | $3,225 | $3,330 | $3,650 | $2,400 | $1,700 | $5,800 | $4,835 | $4,455 |
| 250K | $1,145 | $8,830 | $9,500 | $9,550 | $4,200 | $4,000 | $12,500 | $11,735 | $11,138 |
All costs in USD. All competitor costs include multi-region infrastructure (EU, US, Asia) to match horizOn's included deployment.
horizOn prices converted from EUR to USD at 1.1448 (2026-07-03).
We calculated the total monthly cost for each provider at different DAU levels. All costs include the infrastructure needed to match horizOn's 3-region deployment.
Assumptions
Monthly Active Users (MAU) = DAU x 3 50 API calls per DAU per day 7.5 MB data transfer per DAU per day (225 MB/month) 3 server regions: EU (Frankfurt), US (Ashburn), AS (Singapore) Setup costs amortized over 12 months
We use the same assumptions for every provider. If a provider doesn't offer native multi-region, we include the cost of equivalent infrastructure (CDN, proxy servers, or additional instances).
Sources
All pricing data was collected from official sources.
| Provider | Source | Verified |
|---|---|---|
| Firebase | Visit pricing page | 2026-03-06 |
| PlayFab | Visit pricing page | 2026-03-06 |
| Supabase | Visit pricing page | 2026-03-06 |
| Nakama | Visit pricing page | 2026-03-06 |
| brainCloud | Visit pricing page | 2026-03-06 |
| AccelByte | Visit pricing page | 2026-03-06 |
| LootLocker | Visit pricing page | 2026-03-06 |
| Beamable | Visit pricing page | 2026-03-06 |
Detailed horizOn vs. Competitor Comparisons
Deep-dive into how horizOn compares to each game backend provider individually.
Firebase
Pay-per-use (per operation, per MAU, per GB)
Detailed ComparisonPlayFab
Metered per-operation + base plan fee
Detailed ComparisonSupabase
Fixed plan fee ($25/mo Pro) + usage overage
Detailed ComparisonNakama
Per-CPU capacity ($400/CPU + $200/DB CPU)
Detailed ComparisonbrainCloud
Fixed plan ($30/mo) + per-API-call overage ($10.50/M)
Detailed ComparisonAccelByte
Peak Concurrent Users (PCCU) based ($0.0248-$0.11/PCCU)
Detailed ComparisonLootLocker
MAU-based with contact-for-pricing tiers ($0.015/MAU overage)
Detailed ComparisonBeamable
API call tiers ($30-$600/mo) + $10/M overage
Detailed Comparison
The Best Backend Doesn't Have to Be the Most Expensive
horizOn gives you enterprise-grade infrastructure at indie-friendly prices. Start free, scale when you're ready.