Your database choice outlives your frontend framework. For owned SaaS products, Postgres is still the safest default in 2026.
Use Postgres when you need relational data, reporting, migrations and predictable query patterns. Managed Firebase or similar can work for mobile-first prototypes with simple document shapes.
When Postgres wins
- Multi-tenant B2B with joins across users, orgs and resources.
- Financial or operational reporting from SQL.
- Integrations that export CSV or sync via API.
- You want the client to host anywhere (RDS, Supabase, Neon, etc.).
When document stores win
Rapid prototypes with nested JSON, offline-first mobile, or teams already deep in a vendor ecosystem. Plan the migration path if the product succeeds.
Managed hosting
Neon, Supabase, RDS or Railway Postgres all work. Pick based on backup policy, region and who will operate it after handover.
Use this as a working checklist inside your team first. When the same steps repeat every week and spreadsheets start breaking, that is usually the moment to scope the smallest reliable integration that removes repeated copy-paste from a core workflow as an owned system. See the relevant Standen service · More guides · SaaS ops audit.