Firebase Studio

Firebase Studio is Google's cloud development environment: a browser IDE built on Code OSS, with Gemini assistance and an App Prototyping agent that builds Next.js apps from a prompt. It is being retired. New workspaces and signups closed on 22 June 2026, and the service shuts down on 22 March 2027. We checked the facts below on 31 October 2026 from Google's own Firebase pages. We did not test it ourselves.

At a glance

What Firebase Studio is, and why this page leads with the sunset

If you are searching for Firebase Studio today, the most useful fact is the date. The docs open every page with a notice: Firebase Studio is sunsetting on 22 March 2027, and as of 22 June 2026 you cannot create a new workspace or sign up. You can keep working in existing workspaces and migrate them.

Only the development environment is retired. Google says apps already deployed to Firebase keep running, and that core products (Cloud Firestore, Authentication, App Hosting and others) are not affected.

The docs describe the product as a cloud-based environment for building full-stack AI apps in the browser, combining the older Project IDX with AI agents and Gemini assistance. The docs also still label it "in Preview," and say that means it is not subject to any SLA or deprecation policy.

So this page serves two readers. If you have a workspace, it explains what you have and how to move it. If you are choosing a tool, it explains what you missed and what the closest options are.

Timeline

The release notes also record earlier steps: Gemini CLI came preinstalled in July 2025, an "Add MCP Server" command arrived in August 2025, and per-workspace control over which MCP tools are enabled followed in September 2025.

What it was and how it worked

Firebase Studio had two ways in, and the AI docs describe both.

Coding workspace (Code view)

A full coding workspace with AI help inline in the editor and in chat. The docs say Gemini can suggest and generate code, explain code, update project files, run terminal commands and read command output. The environment is a Code OSS-based IDE running on a Google Cloud VM, which you can customise with Nix. It can preview web and Android apps in the browser and use the Firebase Local Emulator Suite.

You could import a project from source control or a local archive, or a Figma design through the Builder.io plugin. A template gallery covered frameworks and languages, and you could make custom templates.

App Prototyping workspace (Prototyper view)

A no-code flow. You describe an app in natural language, optionally with an image, and the agent produces an app blueprint, code and a web preview. You can then refine it, edit the code, roll back, publish and monitor.

The docs state the agent generates Next.js web apps, "with other platforms and frameworks planned in the future." When the app needs a database or sign-in, the agent can set up Cloud Firestore and Firebase Authentication. Apps with AI features connect to the Gemini Developer API through Genkit flows, with either your own Gemini key or a project and key that Firebase Studio provisions.

Since 22 June 2026, creating new workspaces with the Prototyping agent is disabled.

Pricing and limits

Firebase Studio access was free. Limits depended on your Google Developer Program tier.

Without a Premium plan, you could hold two workspaces in total across Flutter and React Native with Expo. Because new workspaces are disabled, these limits no longer apply to new registrations.

The AI docs say Gemini is available at no cost while Firebase Studio is in preview.

Where money entered

The Prototyping agent publishes through Firebase App Hosting. Setting that up creates or links a Firebase project and needs a Cloud Billing account. Linking billing moves the project to the pay-as-you-go Blaze plan, charges usage beyond the no-cost quota, and moves your Gemini Developer API usage to the paid tier.

The docs also say reCAPTCHA Enterprise, used for App Check, gives up to 10,000 assessments at no cost.

So "free" described the studio, not the app you ran on Google Cloud. If you built here, your running costs sit in your Firebase and Google Cloud billing, and they continue after the studio closes.

Models used

The docs name Gemini as the assistant. The release notes mention Gemini 3.0 Flash Preview and Gemini 3.0 Pro Preview, and say Gemini 3.0 Flash was rolling out to Prototyper workspaces. They also record the output token default rising to 32,768. We did not find a current, complete model list, and with new access closed there is little reason to expect one.

The docs warn that Gemini "can generate output that seems plausible but is factually incorrect," and advise validating output and not using untested generated code in production. They also tell you not to enter personal data or user data into the chat.

Integrations, auth and deploy

• Database and auth: Cloud Firestore and Firebase Authentication, set up by the Prototyping agent when the app needs them.
• Deploy: Firebase App Hosting. Setup requires Cloud Billing.
• Source control: the docs mention uploading a workspace to GitHub, and a GitHub sync that keeps an existing App Hosting URL during migration to AI Studio.
• Design import: Figma through the Builder.io plugin.
• AI in your app: Gemini Developer API through Genkit flows.
• Image uploads to the Prototyping agent must be under 3 MiB.
• Project association: the agent view can only publish to the Firebase project it created. You can publish to other projects through GitHub or by creating an App Hosting backend.

The docs also warn that Firebase Studio needs third-party cookies enabled in most browsers, because it renders an iframe from one domain inside another. They explain that workspaces use shared service accounts, which you should not grant access to personal projects.

MCP support

Yes, in the IDE workspace. The release notes record two features: a command-palette command, "Firebase Studio: Add MCP Server," from August 2025, and, from September 2025, the ability to choose which MCP tools are enabled for a workspace. The docs also mention that templates can include MCP servers. We found no MCP-specific data-handling statement. For general background, see what are MCP servers and our MCP tools directory.

Privacy and data handling

Google's AI page says your use of Firebase Studio is governed by the Google Terms of Service, and that generative AI features are governed by the Generative AI Prohibited Use Policy and the Gemini API Additional Terms of Service, specifically the Unpaid Services version.

On training, the docs say:

• To block your prompts and responses from being used for model training, do not use the App Prototyping agent and do not use Gemini assistance in Firebase Studio.
• To block your code from being used for model training, turn off code completion and code indexing in your Firebase Studio settings.

That is a more blunt trade than most tools offer: to opt out you give up the AI features. Because the unpaid-services terms apply, read them before you put client code in. After 22 March 2027, remaining data in Firebase Studio is permanently deleted and cannot be recovered. Agent chat history is not part of the exported zip, though you can download it separately from the /home/user/.idx/ai directory.

Moving off Firebase Studio

Google gives three routes.

Practical points from the migration guide:

• Download a local copy of your files before the shutdown date if you plan to leave Google.
• Your databases and user data in Firebase keep working because the sunset covers only the studio.
• Agent chat history needs a separate download.
• Projects not migrated by 22 March 2027 are lost.

To download files by hand, right-click a directory in the Explorer and choose Zip and Download, or open the /home/user folder and zip your working directory. If you used the Prototyping agent, your working directory is called studio. You can also export to GitHub.

Our own page on Antigravity covers the local option, and Antigravity vs Claude Code compares it with a terminal agent.

Limits and gotchas

• Closed to new users. Nobody can sign up or create a workspace.
• Hard end date. 22 March 2027, with permanent deletion.
• Preview status. No SLA, per the docs.
• Next.js only for the Prototyping agent.
• Billing sits outside the studio. App Hosting needs Cloud Billing and the Blaze plan.
• Opt-out costs features. Avoiding training use means not using the AI.
• Third-party cookies must be on in most browsers.
• A React and Next.js vulnerability notice appears in the FAQ, with a command to update the framework in Code view. If you still have a workspace, read it.

How it compares with peers

For the live app builders, see Lovable, Bolt, v0, Replit Agent and Base44. Their head-to-heads are Bolt vs Lovable, Lovable vs v0 and Replit vs Lovable. The wider list is in best vibe coding tools.

Who should pick something else

Almost everyone starting a new project. A tool that cannot take signups is not a starting point.

• Prompt-to-app builders: Lovable, Bolt, v0, Replit Agent or Base44.
• Developers who want a Google option: Google AI Studio or Antigravity, as Google itself recommends.
• Developers who prefer a terminal agent: Claude Code or Gemini CLI. Our guide to choosing a coding agent helps compare them.
• Anyone with an existing workspace: migrate now, not in March.

Migration checklist for existing workspaces

• Pick a destination: AI Studio for web prototypes, Antigravity for code-first work, or another host.
• Download the code zip and, separately, the agent chat history.
• Push to GitHub if you want a copy outside Google.
• Check what your app uses in Firebase and Google Cloud, since billing continues there.
• If your app uses Google Sign-In, authorise the new project domain.
• Run the framework security update if the FAQ notice applies to you.
• Test the migrated app before you delete anything.
• Finish before 22 March 2027.

For general launch hygiene on any migrated app, see deploy a vibe-coded app and secure a vibe-coded app.

Our take

This is an editorial reading of Google's Firebase documentation, not a hands-on test. The facts were checked on 31 October 2026 from the vendor's own pages.

Firebase Studio had a clear idea: an IDE and a no-code prototype agent in one browser tab, wired to Firebase's backend. That idea now lives on in Google AI Studio and Antigravity, according to Google's own migration page. For a new project there is nothing to evaluate here except what to pick next.

For an existing workspace the advice is dull and urgent. Download everything, including chat history. Move before the last month, because the end state is permanent deletion. And keep an eye on your Cloud Billing account, because the apps you built keep running, and keep billing, after the studio is gone.

Checklist

• Confirm whether you still have a Firebase Studio workspace
• Download the code and the agent chat history
• Choose AI Studio, Antigravity or another host
• Keep your App Hosting URL if it matters, by using the documented route
• Review Cloud Billing and the Blaze plan for the project
• Re-check the sunset notice on firebase.google.com before you act