# Railbase vs PocketBase

> The same single-binary, self-hosted simplicity as PocketBase — plus commercial business modules you install at runtime.

_Updated: 2026-06-11_

PocketBase and Railbase start from the same idea: a backend that ships as **one
self-hosted binary** instead of a cloud account and a pile of services. If you
love that model but need ready-made business features, here's how they compare.

## At a glance

| | PocketBase | Railbase |
|---|---|---|
| Shape | Single Go binary | Single Go binary |
| Database | Embedded SQLite | Embedded single-file store (Vault) |
| License | Open-source (MIT), free | Free to self-host; commercial plugins |
| Auth, REST, realtime, files, admin UI | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-tenancy + RBAC | Rules-based | Built into the core |
| Ready business apps | — | Marketplace: helpdesk, inventory, accounting, CMS… |

## When PocketBase is the better choice

PocketBase is **open-source and completely free**, with a polished developer
experience and a large community. If you want a minimal backend for a side
project or micro-SaaS, prefer MIT-licensed source you can fork, and are happy to
build product features yourself, PocketBase is hard to beat.

## When teams pick Railbase

Railbase keeps the single-binary, self-host-anywhere feel, then adds the layers
most products eventually need:

- **Multi-tenancy and RBAC** in the core, not bolted on.
- An **admin SPA** plus a public site frontend out of the box.
- A **plugin marketplace** — buy a helpdesk, inventory, accounting (GL/AP/AR),
  CMS or translation module and install it **at runtime**, self-hosted, with no
  rebuild and no third-party cloud.

In short: choose PocketBase when you want the leanest open-source backend and
will build features yourself; choose Railbase when you want that same
operational simplicity **plus** commercial business modules you run on your own
server.

## FAQ

### Is Railbase open source like PocketBase?

No. PocketBase is MIT-licensed open source. The Railbase core is closed-source
but **free to self-host** — you download and run the binary at no cost; only
the optional business plugins are paid (per-seat licenses).

### Does Railbase use SQLite like PocketBase?

No. Railbase persists everything in Vault — an embedded, single-file NoSQL
document store. The operational model is the same as PocketBase's SQLite file:
one data file next to one binary, and a backup is a file copy.

### Does Railbase support multi-tenancy?

Yes. Tenant isolation and role-based access control are part of the core, not
an add-on — every collection, API call and plugin is tenant-scoped.

### Can I extend Railbase with my own code?

Yes. `railbase init` scaffolds a site you build on with schema definitions,
hooks, scheduled jobs and the TypeScript SDK — and compiled plugins from the
marketplace install at runtime without a rebuild.

## Get started

[Download Railbase](../download) · [browse the plugins](../plugins)