Which is better for a mobile app: supastack or Native Express?
It depends on whether the app stands alone or belongs to a larger SaaS. Native Express is the faster path to a consumer mobile app: an Expo starter on Supabase with RevenueCat and Superwall purchases, AI chat, image and scan flows, and an agent-guided setup, at $229 one-time. supastack fits products where mobile shares a backend with a web app: team workspaces, eight billing providers, API keys, webhooks and an audit log. For a standalone consumer app, Native Express; for a SaaS with mobile, supastack.
TL;DR
Different scopes: Native Express is a mobile-only starter aimed at getting a consumer app into the App Store and Google Play quickly, backed by Supabase and RevenueCat. supastack is a full-stack foundation where the Expo app is one of four clients sharing a single backend with the web app.
- Pick Native Express for a standalone consumer app: store subscriptions, finished AI screens, an agent-guided setup that interviews you and strips what you do not need.
- Pick supastack when the app is one surface of a SaaS: a real web product behind it, team workspaces, web billing across eight providers, API keys, webhooks and an audit log.
At a glance
| supastack | Native Express | |
|---|---|---|
| Structure | Monorepo: web, mobile, desktop, shared packages | Expo app + Supabase project |
| Web app | Next.js 16.3 or TanStack Start | No |
| Mobile | Expo 57 (iOS + Android) | Expo (iOS + Android) |
| Desktop | Yes (Tauri) | No |
| Auth | Better Auth: email OTP, password, magic link, OAuth, 2FA, passkeys, admin impersonation and bans; Auth.js option | Supabase Auth: Apple, Google, email |
| Backend | Shared API + Postgres (Drizzle), jobs, webhooks | Supabase: database, auth, edge functions |
| Team workspaces | Personal + organization workspaces, invites, owner/admin/member roles | No, single-user consumer model |
| Web billing | 8 web providers, per-seat | No web checkout |
| Store billing | RevenueCat scaffolded behind the paywall | RevenueCat + Superwall |
| AI | Provider router, encrypted BYOK keys, per-workspace usage budgets, model price catalog | Chat, image studio, photo scan, quota + consent |
| API keys + outbound webhooks | Yes | No |
| Push notifications | Expo notifications | Yes, with opt-in onboarding |
| Audit log, GDPR export | Yes | Account deletion flow |
| Languages | en, de, es, fr | i18n module |
| Deploy | Vercel, Docker, self-host | EAS Build + store submission guides |
| Test files in repo | 144 | Testing guide, no committed suite |
Where supastack is stronger
A real web product behind the app, Next.js or TanStack Start, so sign-in, data and billing live on your own server rather than inside a Supabase project you wire up per app.
Teams and B2B, organization workspaces, invites, roles and per-seat billing. Native Express is a single-user consumer model.
Web billing too, eight providers for the browser plus RevenueCat on mobile; Native Express monetizes through the stores only.
A developer platform, workspace API keys, signed outbound webhooks, an audit log and GDPR export for customers and compliance.
Desktop and tests, a signed Tauri app plus 144 test files covering the golden path.
Where Native Express is stronger
Store-first completeness, RevenueCat and Superwall paywalls, push notifications, onboarding, analytics and an App Store release checklist are already wired for a consumer launch.
Finished AI screens, streaming chat, image generation and a camera scan flow with quota and consent handling, keys kept on Supabase edge functions.
Agent-guided setup, the bundled skill interviews you, writes a product brief and strips what you do not need.
Lighter scope, one mobile app and a Supabase backend is less to learn when the product really is just an app.
Who should pick which
| You are building | Pick |
|---|---|
| Mobile-only consumer app with store subscriptions | Native Express |
| First app launch guided by an agent setup flow | Native Express |
| SaaS where mobile shares a backend with the web app | supastack |
| B2B product with teams and seat billing | supastack |
| Product needing customer API keys or webhooks | supastack |
| Desktop or multi-surface product | supastack |
Verdict
If your product is an app and nothing more, Native Express is the quicker, cheaper route. If the app is one surface of a SaaS, or will need teams, web billing or integrations later, supastack's shared backend saves the rebuild.
Comparison based on supastack source code and Native Express's public docs as of November 2026. Check each project's docs for the latest features.