Why China Lacks 'Nurturing' DevTools like Vercel & Supabase

I’ve been asking myself a question lately: Why doesn’t China have “nurturing” companies like Vercel or Supabase?

As a developer, using Vercel and Supabase feels incredibly “smooth.” Their design philosophy seems tailored for individuals and small teams. They feel less like vendors and more like partners.

In contrast, the domestic cloud landscape feels different. I believe the reasons aren’t just technical—they are deeply rooted in market logic and culture.

1. Market Logic: Patience vs. Survival

The core difference lies in how companies view their users.

The overseas developer tool market is mature. Users are willing to pay for “Developer Experience” (DevEx). Vercel can afford to be patient. The student using their free tier today might be the CTO of a unicorn tomorrow. This is a long-term investment.

In China, competition is fierce and direct. Cloud providers focus on enterprises and big contracts. While there are millions of individual developers, they aren’t seen as “high-quality revenue sources” yet. Resources naturally tilt towards those who pay immediately, rather than “nurturing” seedlings that might grow later.

2. The Philosophy of “Free”

This difference manifests clearly in the “Free Tier” strategy.

• Vercel’s Free Tier feels like a “License to Experiment.” You can fail, restart, and iterate without fear.
• Domestic “Free Trials” often feel like “Limited Experience Coupons.” They usually come with a time limit (e.g., “Free for 1 month”) and strong pressure to convert.

The former encourages innovation; the latter encourages anxiety.

3. Tech Stack Inertia

Vercel and Supabase didn’t rise in a vacuum. They are built upon a specific technical culture: Git-first workflows, JAMStack architecture, and deep integration with open source.

In China, this culture is less pervasive. Many teams prioritize “Stability” above all else—sticking to mature, legacy stacks with local support. In an environment that values “tried and true” over “bleeding edge,” the soil for a JAMStack-native platform is naturally thinner.

4. Attitude Towards Failure

This is abstract but crucial. The Vercel+Supabase model essentially allows for “Low-Cost Failure.”

If my side project dies, I lose nothing. My account is still there. My other projects are safe. This safety net is essential for creativity.

In the domestic environment, both technically and culturally, we are harsher on failure. Product designs often feature prominent “Expiration Warnings” or “Service Interruption” alerts. These subtle cues increase the psychological cost of trial and error.

Conclusion

I don’t believe China will never have such companies. Services like Tencent CloudBase or LeanCloud have made attempts. But a truly developer-centric, “nurturing” ecosystem is still rare.

For now, my strategy is simple: Adapt.

I use Vercel and Supabase to validate ideas quickly because they offer the best DevEx. If a project succeeds and needs to serve domestic users specifically, only then do I consider migrating to domestic platforms.

Until the market values “Developer Experience” as much as “Enterprise Features,” understanding these different game rules is part of being a developer here.