Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Open Collective VS Parse

Compare Open Collective VS Parse and see what are their differences

Open Collective logo Open Collective

Recurring funding for groups.

Parse logo Parse

Build applications faster with object and file storage, user authentication, push notifications, dashboard and more out of the box.
  • Open Collective Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-25
  • Parse Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-17

Open Collective features and specs

  • Transparency
    Open Collective offers transparent accounting and financial reporting, allowing everyone to see how funds are being used.
  • Community Engagement
    It allows communities to come together and support projects they care about with funding, facilitating strong community involvement.
  • Easy Fundraising
    The platform simplifies the process of raising funds for open source projects, non-profits, and other community-driven initiatives.
  • Global Reach
    Open Collective supports contributions from around the world, which can significantly expand the pool of potential donors and supporters.
  • Managed Fiscal Hosting
    It provides fiscal hosting services that handle various financial and administrative tasks, reducing the workload for project maintainers.

Possible disadvantages of Open Collective

  • Fees
    Open Collective charges fees for its services, which can be a downside for projects with limited budgets.
  • Complexity for Small Projects
    For very small projects or initiatives, the platform might be overly complex and offer more features than needed.
  • Dependence on Platform
    Relying solely on Open Collective for funding and financial management might create dependency, limiting flexibility to switch strategies.
  • Geographical Limitations
    While it has global reach, there may be certain countries where donors or users face restrictions or limitations in using the platform.
  • Learning Curve
    New users might find the platform's features and options overwhelming at the start, requiring time to learn and navigate effectively.

Parse features and specs

  • Open Source
    Parse Platform is open-source, which means it is free to use and can be customized to fit the needs of your application without any licensing fees.
  • Rich Feature Set
    Parse provides a wide range of built-in features such as a robust database system, real-time notifications, user authentication, cloud functions, and file storage, reducing the amount of development work needed.
  • Cross-Platform Support
    Parse supports multiple platforms including iOS, Android, JavaScript, .NET, and more, enabling easier development across different types of applications.
  • Community and Documentation
    There is a strong community around Parse with extensive documentation and numerous tutorials, which can help developers quickly resolve issues and learn best practices.
  • Unified Backend
    Parse allows developers to manage database, server code, and user authentication in one unified platform, simplifying backend management.

Possible disadvantages of Parse

  • Self-Hosting Complexity
    While Parse is open-source, it requires self-hosting, which involves managing and maintaining your own server infrastructure, adding operational complexity.
  • Performance
    Depending on your server setup and scaling needs, you might encounter performance issues, especially for high-traffic applications, requiring constant monitoring and fine-tuning.
  • Limited Scalability
    Parse might not be as scalable as other backend solutions like Firebase, particularly for apps that need to handle massive amounts of data and users.
  • Initial Setup Time
    The initial setup of a Parse server and its environment can be time-consuming and challenging, particularly for those without DevOps experience.
  • Feature Limitations
    While Parse offers a rich feature set, some advanced features available in other modern backend-as-a-service (BaaS) platforms may lack, necessitating custom development.

Analysis of Parse

Overall verdict

  • Parse is a good choice for developers looking for a flexible and scalable backend solution that can be deployed on their own servers or using cloud services. It is particularly beneficial due to its active community and extensive documentation.

Why this product is good

  • Parse is a popular open-source backend-as-a-service framework that simplifies app development by handling server-side components, freeing developers to focus on front-end development. It offers features like push notifications, cloud functions, social media integration, and a real-time database.

Recommended for

  • Developers who want an open-source solution with the freedom to self-host.
  • Teams building mobile or web applications that require a robust backend service.
  • Projects that need strong support for relational data and real-time functionalities.
  • Developers looking to avoid the overhead of writing custom backend code.

Open Collective videos

What is Open Collective?

Parse videos

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Open Collective and Parse)
Crowdfunding
100 100%
0% 0
Developer Tools
0 0%
100% 100
Fundraising And Donation Management
Realtime Backend / API
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Open Collective and Parse

Open Collective Reviews

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Parse Reviews

10 Top Firebase Alternatives to Ignite Your Development in 2024
If you’re looking for a Firebase alternative that gives you full control and the freedom to tinker, Parse Platform is your jam. Again, it’s a popular open-source framework loved by developers who want to build custom backends without being tied to a specific provider.
Source: genezio.com
Top 7 Firebase Alternatives for App Development in 2024
Back4App is a backend-as-a-service (BaaS) platform that uses Parse Server, the open-source version of the Parse backend. It simplifies backend development and management, providing developers with a robust platform for building modern applications.
Source: signoz.io
What is AWS Amplify? - AWS Amplify Alternatives
It is well-known for making the development process quick, easy, and simple. Using Parse, you may complete a day's worth of work in a few hours.
Source: mindmajix.com
2023 Firebase Alternatives: Top 10 Open-Source & Free
Community Support – If Firebase comes with the backing of Google, then Parse is also tested and trusted by Facebook. Yes, Facebook is the parent company of Parse. Therefore, it has a big community. You can find resources and solutions regarding Parse on GitHub, Stack Overflow and several other programming forums.
12 Best Open-source Database Backend Server and Google Firebase Alternatives
Parse server is an open-source database backend solution which speed up application building. It features database, user management, authentication, file upload and push notification.I used Parse for a few times, and I was satisfied with the speed and productivity it offers, especially in terms of developer tools as it comes with dozens of SDKs, libraries and sample code to...
Source: medevel.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Open Collective should be more popular than Parse. It has been mentiond 159 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Open Collective mentions (159)

  • Funding in Open Source: A Conversation with Chad Whitacre
    Chad has been leading the Open Source Pledge, a simple framework to get companies to fund the projects they rely on. The idea is straightforward: for every developer your company employs, allocate $2,000 per year to open source. Distribute those funds however you want—GitHub Sponsors, Open Collective, Thanks.dev, direct payments, etc. The only other ask is to publish a blog post showing what you did. - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • None of the top 10 projects in GitHub is actually a software project 🤯
    We see some projects that can financially survive (via sponsor or external infrastructure such as open collective or patreon), favoring the long-term sustainability. Thus, we keep our stand on promoting a transparent governance model to state where the investment will be managed and who can benefit from it, especially when knowing that non-technical users have an increasing key role in these communities. - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • Sustainable Funding for Open Source: Navigating Challenges and Emerging Innovations
    Leverage multiple platforms: Utilize GitHub Sponsors along with OpenCollective to broaden funding sources. - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • Exploring Open Source Project Sponsorship Opportunities: Enhancing Innovation with Blockchain and NFTs
    Traditionally, open source projects were sustained by volunteer contributions and modest donations. However, as digital infrastructure came to rely on open source software, the need for reliable, scalable funding became evident. Enter corporate sponsorship—a model where companies invest in open source initiatives to secure their technology stacks, attract top talent, and foster innovation. This has spurred the... - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • Innovative Strategies for Open Source Project Funding: A Comprehensive Guide
    Abstract: This post explores various open source project funding strategies and examines their evolution, core concepts, applications, challenges, and future trends. We discuss methods such as sponsorship and donations, crowdfunding, dual licensing, paid services, foundations and grants, and the freemium model. Through real-world examples and a technical yet accessible approach, this guide offers insight into... - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
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Parse mentions (21)

  • Supabase Alternatives 🔄 in 2025 😼
    Parse deserves mention primarily for its historical significance as the precursor that inspired the entire backend-as-a-service space. Founded in 2011, Parse pioneered many concepts that we now take for granted in modern BaaS platforms. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • The 2024 Web Hosting Report
    Backend as a Service (BaaS) goes back to early 2010’s with companies like Parse and Firebase. These products integrated everything a backend provides to a webapp in a single, integrated package that makes it easier to get started and enables you to offload some of the devops maintenance work to someone else. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • How to set up a Parse Server backend with Typescript
    Parse Server is a great way to quickly spin up a backend for your project. Parse is a Node based utility that sits on top of ExpressJS. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • Free online DB for production app
    You can try https://parseplatform.org/, it is self-hosted if you need. And also there are a number of cloud services with compatible API, like https://www.back4app.com/ It has dart-friendly generated API client, much simpler than firebase and is built on top of postgresql and mongodb. Source: almost 3 years ago
  • Supabase Series B
    Not to crash the party or anything. Supabase is great and all but in terms of feature completeness and getting actual products built, it doesn't come close to Parse[0]. Same with Appwrite. Both of these are very popular but they either lack essential features or have them behind a subscription wall. For example, the OSS version of Supabase (last I checked) doesn't include the edge functions which are really... - Source: Hacker News / almost 3 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Open Collective and Parse, you can also consider the following products

GitHub Sponsors - Get paid to build what you love on GitHub

Firebase - Firebase is a cloud service designed to power real-time, collaborative applications for mobile and web.

Liberapay - Liberapay is a recurrent donations platform.

AWS Amplify - JavaScript library for app development using cloud services

Patreon - Patreon enables fans to give ongoing support to their favorite creators.

Back4App - Low code backend to build apps faster and scale easily.