Stow vs Supabase Storage
Supabase Storage is file storage inside Supabase, next to your Postgres database and sign-in, with access rules tied to your users. Stow (usestow.com) is a separate library that many apps and AI agents share, each with its own key, with search and automatic analysis included.
Checked . Prices and features change, so confirm the details on Supabase Storage’s own site before you decide.
At a glance
| Topic | Stow | Supabase Storage |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A hosted library for the files and data your apps and AI agents use, with one HTTP API. | File storage that’s part of Supabase, alongside its Postgres database and auth. |
| Getting started | Sign up, add an app, and use its key. No buckets or access policies to set up. | Create a project and a bucket, then write row level security policies for who can read and write. |
| Uploading | One request with a file or with text as JSON. The file type is detected from its contents. Up to 25 MB per file. | From the browser or a server with supabase-js, resumable uploads for large files, or an S3-compatible protocol. |
| Finding files | Built-in search by tags (including key:value tags), text, folder and file type. | File details live in a Postgres table you can query with SQL, next to your app’s data. Listing has a search option. |
| Private files | Upload with visibility set to private: the file gets no link at all, and only your keys can read it. | Buckets are private by default: access follows your row level security policies, or a signed URL. |
| Public links | Every public file gets a permanent link, cached for up to a year. | In a public bucket, anyone who has a file’s URL can open it. |
| Transformations | Files are served exactly as uploaded: no resizing or format conversion. | Image resizing and compression on Pro: 100 images included, then $5 per 1,000. |
| Automatic analysis | On Pro and Scale: audio transcripts, summaries and tags, written automatically. | None for files. Vector buckets store embeddings you create, for similarity search. |
| AI agents | A plain HTTPS API any agent can call. A Stow MCP server is in early access. | An official MCP server. Its storage tools are off by default and manage buckets and settings, not files. |
| File size | Up to 25 MB per file. | 50 MB on Free, up to 500 GB on Pro. |
| Free plan | Free: 500 files, 1 GB, 10,000 requests a day, 2 apps. | 1 GB of storage and 10 GB of egress, in up to 2 active projects that pause after a week without activity. |
| Paid pricing | Pro $19 a month (50,000 files, 100 GB, 10 apps). Scale $49 a month (500,000 files, 1,000 GB, unlimited apps). | Pro from $25 a month: 100 GB of storage, then $0.0213 per GB, and egress past 250 GB from $0.03 per GB. |
What each does better
Where Supabase Storage is stronger
- Access rules tied to your own users, enforced in the database.
- File details you can query with SQL and join to your own tables.
- Large, resumable uploads: up to 500 GB per file on Pro.
- Image transformations, and vector buckets for embeddings.
- Part of a full backend: database, auth and storage in one project.
Where Stow is stronger
- One library for many unrelated apps and agents, each with its own key and folder, rather than one project’s policies for everyone.
- Search by tags, text, folder and type without writing SQL or access policies.
- Automatic transcripts, summaries and tags on Pro.
- An MCP server whose tools upload, search and read files.
- A free plan that doesn’t pause when you’re not using it.
Which to choose
Choose Supabase Storage if
- Your app already uses Supabase for its database and sign-in.
- Files belong to your app’s users, and access should follow their accounts.
- You need uploads bigger than 25 MB, or image transformations.
Choose Stow if
- Several apps or AI agents need the same files, whatever they’re made with.
- You want search and automatic tagging without writing SQL or access policies.
- Your files are under 25 MB and come from servers, scripts and agents.
Questions
- Can I use Stow from an app that uses Supabase?
- Yes. Stow is a separate HTTPS API, so any app can call it with its own key, whatever database it uses. Files whose access must follow your app’s own user accounts are a better fit for Supabase Storage’s row level security.
- Does Supabase Storage have search?
- File details live in a Postgres table (storage.objects) you can query with SQL, and listing files has a search option. Stow searches by tags, text, folder and type in one API call.
- Can AI agents use Supabase Storage through MCP?
- Supabase’s official MCP server has a storage tool group that’s off by default and manages buckets and settings; it doesn’t upload or read files. Stow’s MCP server, in early access, uploads, searches and reads files.
- How big can files be?
- Supabase Storage: 50 MB on Free and up to 500 GB on Pro. Stow: up to 25 MB per file on every plan.
Sources
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Try Stow free
The free plan holds 500 files for up to 2 apps, with no card needed. Upgrade when you want more room, or automatic transcripts, summaries and tags.
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