A Firebase alternative, without the extensions
Firebase leans on Extensions for payments, in-app purchases, email and search, and Extensions shuts down on 31 March 2027. Anythink builds those in: a REST API generated from your data model, subscriptions with Apple in-app purchases, visual workflows, Meilisearch and push notifications with action buttons, in one project.
Anythink and Firebase, compared
What's built in, what needs an extension, and where Firebase is the better fit.
| Capability | Anythink | Firebase |
|---|---|---|
| REST API generated from your data model | Built in | Not available |
| OpenAPI spec for your own data API | Built in | Not available |
| Social sign-in, including Apple and Google | Built in | Built in |
| Row-level access for groups and teamsFirebase: security rules you write and maintain. | Built in | Add-on, extension or DIY recipe |
| Full-text and faceted searchFirebase points to Algolia-style extensions. | Built in | Add-on, extension or DIY recipe |
| Geo search: radius, bounding box, distance sortFirestore needs geohash libraries you implement. | Built in | Add-on, extension or DIY recipe |
| Visual workflow engine | Built in | Not available |
| Subscriptions and paymentsFirebase's Stripe payments extension. | Built in | Add-on, extension or DIY recipe |
| Apple in-app purchasesFirebase relies on the RevenueCat extension; Extensions shut down on 31 March 2027. | Built in | Add-on, extension or DIY recipe |
| Push notifications | Built in | Built in |
| Dashboards and charts on app data | Built in | Not available |
| MCP server for AI assistants | Built in | Built in |
| Realtime sync and offline persistenceRealtime is planned for Anythink. | Not available | Built in |
● Built in◐ Add-on, extension or DIY recipe– Not available
Based on Firebase's public documentation, checked 28 September and 3 October 2026. An add-on means an extension, a partner integration or a recipe you build and run yourself.
What Firebase needs Extensions for, built into Anythink
Payments, purchases, email and search are core features here, not marketplace add-ons with a shutdown date.
Payments without the Stripe extension
Plans, trials and offer codes on Stripe, with entitlement checks your app can call, built into the platform rather than installed from a marketplace.
Apple in-app purchases without RevenueCat
Receipts are verified on the server against the App Store, re-verifying never duplicates a subscription, and each purchase is bound to the account that made it.
A REST API from your data model
Every entity gets list, filter, create, update and delete endpoints the moment you save it, with an OpenAPI spec for client generators and per-entity public or private access.
Workflows instead of Cloud Functions glue
React to record changes, schedules, manual runs or API calls with steps for email, push, API calls, scripts and AI providers, in a visual editor.
Search that Firestore doesn't do
Typo-tolerant search, facets, highlighting and geo radius search on every project, indexed as records change, with no Algolia extension.
Push you can act on
Send through FCM to Android and iOS and through web push, with iOS action buttons whose taps start a workflow on your backend.
Which one fits
Choose Anythink if
You take payments or in-app purchases, run automations and need search, and you don't want each of those to depend on an extension with a shutdown date. You want a REST API and an OpenAPI spec generated from your data model, and an AI assistant that can run the whole backend.
Choose Firebase if
Your app depends on realtime sync and offline persistence on the device today, or you're invested in Google's wider tooling such as Analytics and Crashlytics. Those are real strengths, and Anythink doesn't offer realtime yet.
Moving across
Model your collections as entities in the Anythink dashboard or with the CLI, export documents to CSV and import them with saved column mappings, then switch your app to the generated REST API. Keep FCM for delivery: Anythink sends push through it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Anythink a good Firebase alternative?
It is if you want payments, Apple in-app purchases, workflows and search built in rather than installed as Extensions. If your app relies on realtime sync and offline persistence today, Firebase is the better fit.
What replaces Firebase Extensions when they shut down?
In Anythink, the jobs Extensions handle are core features: Stripe subscriptions, Apple in-app purchase verification, email on record changes and search. There's nothing to install or migrate when a marketplace closes.
Does Anythink have realtime like Firestore?
Not yet. Realtime is planned. Today your app reads and writes through the REST API, and workflows react to every record change on the server.
Can I keep using Firebase Cloud Messaging?
Yes. Anythink sends push notifications through FCM to Android and iOS, and through web push to browsers, so your existing Firebase project keeps handling delivery.
How do I move my Firestore data?
Recreate each collection as an entity, export the documents to CSV and import them with saved column mappings. Nested documents become related entities.
Still have questions?
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