Simple queries time out on SQLite stored on EFS · Reliability & bugs · Blocks work
“I am seeing a lot (multiple per day) errors where it seems like the database could not be reached”
No one in the public record says they left PocketBase; here is what pushes its users away, and what its category peers report
Friction holds 17 sourced reports about PocketBase (pocketbase.io) from 57 public source threads (as of 2026-10-15), and none says the author left. This page shows what its users say pushes them away, and the problem profile of Supabase.
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What pushes people away from PocketBase
The most-reported open problems, worst severity first. Each links to the item with its source.
No way to store NULL values in fields · API & developer experience · Blocks work
“There's no ability to set null as a value of an item despite null being a perfectly valid data type in SQLite”
Admin UI not responsive on mobile, needs horizontal scrolling · Mobile · Annoyance
“PB's UI wasn't responsive, i.e. you had to scroll a lot horizontally on mobile”
Hard to debug JavaScript hooks run on the embedded runtime · API & developer experience · Annoyance
“How do I debug goja? It doesn't seem like I can set breakpoints as usual”
Few tutorials and cookbooks in the Go/PocketBase ecosystem · Documentation · Annoyance
“I attribute a lot of Django/Laravel's popularity to these resources, that are currently missing in the Go/Pocketbase ecosystem”
See all 17 themes for PocketBase
Other backend platform tools on Friction, and what their users struggle with
Switching trades one set of problems for another. The same evidence, for each tool Friction covers in this category:
Supabase
29 reports · 66 source threads · most-discussed area: Reliability & bugs
- Making views respect row level security takes real heroics
- Unable to create a second Free Plan project
- Lost access to an existing project and organization
PocketBase vs Supabase: side by side · Supabase alternatives
Counts and reports reflect people who post in public (developers and technical buyers are over-represented). A tool with fewer reports is not a better tool; it may only be discussed less. How the data is built.