Firebase Studio Review 2026: Google's Cloud IDE for Full-Stack Apps
🇺🇸A review of Firebase Studio, Google's cloud-based development environment with Gemini AI and deep Firebase integration. Currently free during preview.
What Is Firebase Studio?
Firebase Studio is Google’s cloud-based agentic development environment for building, testing, and deploying full-stack applications directly from a browser. It provides AI-powered code generation through Gemini, integrated Firebase services, and cloud workspaces that eliminate local setup. Formerly known as Project IDX, it relaunched in April 2025 with tighter Firebase integration. It is currently free during preview.
What Sets It Apart
Firebase Studio’s core differentiator is genuinely deep Firebase integration rather than a bolted-on connection. Firebase Auth, Firestore, Cloud Storage, Cloud Functions, and Hosting are first-class features of the IDE. Setting up authentication flows, database schemas, and deployment pipelines happens within the editor rather than through separate dashboards. For teams already building on Firebase, this collapses several workflow steps into one interface.
The zero-setup cloud workspaces are particularly valuable for teams. Every member gets the same pre-configured environment — no “works on my machine” issues, no onboarding documentation for local setup. The built-in Gemini AI understands your Firebase configuration and generates code that connects to your actual backend services, not generic boilerplate.
The preview status is a real limitation, not just a label. There are no SLA guarantees on uptime or data persistence, which means production-critical workflows carry risk. The tight Firebase integration also means tighter ecosystem lock-in — migrating away from Google services later requires rewriting integration code.
Who It’s For
- Developers building new projects on Firebase who want integrated tooling
- Teams that want zero-setup cloud development environments
- Students and learners exploring full-stack development without local configuration
- Hackathon participants who need to go from idea to deployed app quickly
- Teams needing SLA guarantees or non-Google backends should wait for general availability or use other tools
Sources
Key Features
Supported Models
Gemini model family
Firebase Studio Pricing
Free (Preview)
Free during preview; no SLA
- ✓ Cloud-based workspaces
- ✓ AI code generation
- ✓ Firebase integration
- ✓ App deployment
- ✓ Template gallery
Firebase Studio is included in the Google AI subscription, which also covers 5 other tools.
Plans, features, and usage limits may change. Always check Firebase Studio's official pricing for the latest details.
Confirmed Features
Platform Support
Platforms: Web (Browser)
IDEs: Built-in cloud IDE