Firebase Studio
Cloud agentic dev environment
Build full-stack AI apps in the browser with Gemini
Reviewed by The Desk · Last verified July 2026
“A genuinely capable cloud IDE that paired a VS Code-based workspace with a prompt-driven App Prototyping agent and deep Firebase wiring, but Google has put it into sunset: new workspaces have been disabled since June 2026 and the whole environment shuts down March 22, 2027.”
Skip it ifSkip it for anything new. Google disabled new workspace creation on June 22, 2026 and will delete the environment on March 22, 2027, so starting a project here means building on a platform with a fixed expiry date. Reach for an actively supported tool instead.
What it is
Firebase Studio is Google's cloud-based, agentic development environment for building full-stack, AI-powered apps entirely in the browser. It grew out of Project IDX, which was rebranded and expanded into Firebase Studio at Google Cloud Next in April 2025. Under the hood it runs a Code OSS (VS Code) editor on a Nix-customizable virtual machine with integrated emulators, layered with Gemini coding assistance and an App Prototyping agent that turns multimodal prompts into working applications without writing code.
Its strongest pitch was proximity to the Google stack: you could prototype a Next.js app from a prompt, refine it in a familiar IDE, wire in Genkit for AI flows and RAG, and deploy straight to Firebase App Hosting, all from any device. The free tier gave three workspaces, with more unlocked through paid Google Developer Program tiers, and heavier backend usage rolled onto Firebase's pay-as-you-go Blaze pricing.
The decisive caveat is timing. In March 2026 Google announced that Firebase Studio is being sunset; new workspace creation and signups were disabled on June 22, 2026, and the environment shuts down completely on March 22, 2027, with data deleted thereafter. Google is redirecting developers to Google Antigravity for agentic coding and to Google AI Studio for browser prototyping. As a result, this is no longer a tool a new user can meaningfully adopt, which is the central fact any prospective buyer should weigh.
Key features
- App Prototyping agent (prompt-to-app, initially Next.js)
- Gemini-powered AI coding assistance with model selection
- Code OSS / VS Code-based cloud IDE
- Nix-customizable virtual machine environment
- Integrated app emulators and live preview
- One-click deploy to Firebase App Hosting
- Genkit integration for AI flows and RAG
- Multimodal prompting (text, images, drawing)
Who it’s for
Prototyping full-stack AI web apps from a natural-language prompt
Building and refining Next.js apps with an in-browser agent
Deploying web apps straight to Firebase App Hosting
Cloud development from any device without a local setup
Pros & cons
The good
- VS Code-based cloud IDE with a Nix-customizable VM and integrated emulators, so real full-stack work happened entirely in the browser
- App Prototyping agent turned multimodal prompts into working Next.js apps with no local setup
- Tight Firebase integration for one-click App Hosting deploys and Genkit-based AI flows
The catch
- Being sunset: new workspaces disabled June 2026, full shutdown March 22, 2027
- Generous features gated behind Google Developer Program tiers, with only 3 free workspaces by default
- Prototyping agent was largely limited to Next.js and the Firebase/Google Cloud ecosystem
Pricing
| Tier | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | 3 workspaces per user · Gemini coding assistance · Cloud IDE and emulators |
| Google Developer Program (Standard) | Free | 10 workspaces per user · Standard Gemini quota |
| Google Developer Program (Premium) | Custom | 30 workspaces per user · Increased Gemini quota · Paid subscription |
Free tier — 3 workspaces free (10 with the free Google Developer Program tier); new workspace creation disabled since June 22, 2026
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Questions people ask
Is Firebase Studio being shut down?
Yes. Google announced the sunset in March 2026, disabled new workspace creation and signups on June 22, 2026, and will fully shut down the environment on March 22, 2027, after which remaining data is deleted. Core Firebase services like Firestore, Authentication, and App Hosting are unaffected.
Is Firebase Studio free?
Access to the environment itself was free, with 3 workspaces per user by default, 10 on the free Google Developer Program tier, and 30 on the paid Premium plan. Using paid backend services such as App Hosting moved your project onto Firebase's pay-as-you-go Blaze plan.
What replaces Firebase Studio?
Google is steering users toward Google Antigravity for code-first agentic development and folding Firebase services into Google AI Studio for browser-based prototyping.
What was Project IDX?
Project IDX was Google's earlier cloud IDE; it was rebranded and expanded into Firebase Studio at Google Cloud Next in April 2025, adding the App Prototyping agent and deeper Firebase and Gemini integration.