diff --git a/.changeset/loud-brooms-pull.md b/.changeset/loud-brooms-pull.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..8ed3e22c5b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/loud-brooms-pull.md
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+---
+'@backstage/catalog-client': patch
+'@backstage/plugin-catalog-backend': patch
+---
+
+Moved `getEntities` ordering to utilize database instead of having it inside catalog client
+
+Please note that the latest version of `@backstage/catalog-client` will not order the entities in the same way as before. This is because the ordering is now done in the database query instead of in the client. If you rely on the ordering of the entities, you may need to update your backend plugin or code to handle this change.
diff --git a/packages/catalog-client/src/CatalogClient.ts b/packages/catalog-client/src/CatalogClient.ts
index 2440f043d7..2e7912b69a 100644
--- a/packages/catalog-client/src/CatalogClient.ts
+++ b/packages/catalog-client/src/CatalogClient.ts
@@ -18,7 +18,6 @@ import {
   CompoundEntityRef,
   Entity,
   parseEntityRef,
-  stringifyEntityRef,
   stringifyLocationRef,
 } from '@backstage/catalog-model';
 import { ResponseError } from '@backstage/errors';
@@ -142,35 +141,7 @@ export class CatalogClient implements CatalogApi {
         options,
       ),
     );
-
-    // do not sort entities, if order is provided
-    if (encodedOrder.length) {
-      return { items: entities };
-    }
-
-    const refCompare = (a: Entity, b: Entity) => {
-      // in case field filtering is used, these fields might not be part of the response
-      if (
-        a.metadata?.name === undefined ||
-        a.kind === undefined ||
-        b.metadata?.name === undefined ||
-        b.kind === undefined
-      ) {
-        return 0;
-      }
-
-      const aRef = stringifyEntityRef(a);
-      const bRef = stringifyEntityRef(b);
-      if (aRef < bRef) {
-        return -1;
-      }
-      if (aRef > bRef) {
-        return 1;
-      }
-      return 0;
-    };
-
-    return { items: entities.sort(refCompare) };
+    return { items: entities };
   }
 
   /**
diff --git a/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/DefaultEntitiesCatalog.ts b/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/DefaultEntitiesCatalog.ts
index 9049685d38..91c7592aff 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/DefaultEntitiesCatalog.ts
+++ b/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/DefaultEntitiesCatalog.ts
@@ -249,7 +249,18 @@ export class DefaultEntitiesCatalog implements EntitiesCatalog {
         ]);
       }
     });
-    entitiesQuery = entitiesQuery.orderBy('final_entities.entity_id', 'asc'); // stable sort
+
+    if (!request?.order) {
+      entitiesQuery = entitiesQuery
+        .leftOuterJoin(
+          'refresh_state',
+          'refresh_state.entity_id',
+          'final_entities.entity_id',
+        )
+        .orderBy('refresh_state.entity_ref', 'asc'); // default sort
+    } else {
+      entitiesQuery.orderBy('final_entities.entity_id', 'asc'); // stable sort
+    }
 
     const { limit, offset } = parsePagination(request?.pagination);
     if (limit !== undefined) {