---
title: Convex
slug: convex
url: "https://toolweight.com/options/convex"
homepage: "https://www.convex.dev"
categories: convex-alternatives
last_verified: 2026-07-20
license: CC-BY-4.0
---

# Convex

> Reactive TypeScript backend: database, functions and live queries in one project.

Convex puts the schema, the server functions and the client bindings in a single TypeScript project, and makes every query reactive by default, when a mutation changes data a query depends on, the result is pushed to subscribed clients with no subscription code. Writes run as transactions under optimistic concurrency control with automatic retries. The backend is open source under FSL-1.1-Apache-2.0 and can be self-hosted. There is no SQL surface: every read goes through Convex's own query builder.

## Identity

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| Name | Convex |
| Company | Convex, Inc. |
| One-liner | Reactive TypeScript backend: database, functions and live queries in one project. |
| Site | https://www.convex.dev |
| Docs | https://docs.convex.dev |
| Repo | https://github.com/get-convex/convex-backend |
| Founded | 2021 |
| Funding | Venture-backed |
| Open source | Yes |
| Licence | FSL-1.1-Apache-2.0 |
| Brand | https://toolweight.com/vendors/Convex |
| Compared in | 1 |

## Where it is compared

### [Convex alternatives](https://toolweight.com/compare/convex-alternatives)
Ranked **#5 of 11** on default weights.
| Field | Value | Confidence | Verified | Source | Note |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reactivity | push | Vendor-claimed | 2026-07-20 | https://docs.convex.dev/functions/query-functions | Query results are invalidated and re-pushed by the server when a dependent write commits; no subscription code. |
| TS inference | ● | Vendor-claimed | 2026-07-20 | https://docs.convex.dev/database/schemas | - |
| Transactions | occ | Vendor-claimed | 2026-07-20 | https://docs.convex.dev/database/advanced/occ | Optimistic concurrency with automatic retries; mutations are serialisable in effect. |
| Local-first sync | ○ | Inferred | - | - | Optimistic updates and a live cache, but no offline query engine or write reconciliation. |
| Optimistic writes | ● | Vendor-claimed | 2026-07-20 | https://docs.convex.dev/client/react/optimistic-updates | - |
| Cron & scheduling | ● | Vendor-claimed | 2026-07-20 | https://docs.convex.dev/scheduling | Declarative crons plus one-off scheduling from inside mutations. |
| File storage | ● | Vendor-claimed | 2026-07-20 | https://docs.convex.dev/file-storage | - |
| Vector search | ● | Vendor-claimed | 2026-07-20 | https://docs.convex.dev/search/vector-search | - |
| Full-text search | ● | Vendor-claimed | 2026-07-20 | https://docs.convex.dev/search | - |
| Auth | first-party-addon | Inferred | - | - | Convex Auth is an official library you install; Clerk and Auth0 remain first-class integrations. |
| Hard limits | 1 MiB per document; roughly 16k documents or 8 MiB scanned per query; queries and mutations capped near 1s of compute. | Inferred | - | https://docs.convex.dev/production/state/limits | Approximate, re-verify against the limits page before designing around them. |
| Cold start | 0 ms | Inferred | - | - | Functions run in a warm V8 isolate pool; no user-visible cold path on paid tiers. |
| Function timeout | 10 min | Inferred | - | - | Actions get roughly 10 minutes. Queries and mutations are capped near 1 second, the headline does not apply to database work. |
| Exit cost | 4 | Inferred | - | - | Proprietary query builder plus proprietary runtime. Data exports cleanly via `npx convex export`, but every read, write, subscription and the reactive render model is rewritten. Self-hosting bounds vendor risk, not exit cost. |
| Self-hostable | ● | Vendor-claimed | 2026-07-20 | https://docs.convex.dev/self-hosting | convex-backend is FSL-1.1-Apache-2.0: the licence converts to Apache-2.0 on a delay and restricts running it as a competing service. |
| Bulk export | ● | Vendor-claimed | 2026-07-20 | https://docs.convex.dev/database/import-export/ | `npx convex export` produces a zip of JSONL per table, self-serve. |
| Raw SQL | ○ | Vendor-claimed | 2026-07-20 | https://docs.convex.dev/database | - |
| Schema changes | declarative-push | Inferred | - | - | schema.ts is diffed and validated on deploy; data backfills are hand-written mutations. |
| MCP server | ● | Vendor-claimed | 2026-07-20 | https://docs.convex.dev/ai/convex-mcp-server | - |
| Agent fit | 5 | Inferred | - | - | Schema, functions and client types in one repo, a local dev loop, and type errors that point at the fix. The best agent target on this page. |
| Pricing model | per-seat + usage | Vendor-claimed | 2026-07-20 | https://www.convex.dev/pricing | - |
| Entry price | $25 /mo | Vendor-claimed | 2026-07-20 | https://www.convex.dev/pricing | Professional is priced per team member, so a five-person team starts at five times this before usage. |
| Egress metered | ● | Vendor-claimed | 2026-07-20 | https://www.convex.dev/pricing | Bandwidth is metered per GB beyond the included allowance. |
| GitHub stars | 8,000 | Inferred | - | - | convex-backend, approximate as of mid-2026. |
| Backing | venture-backed | Inferred | - | - | - |
| Positioning | The open-source reactive database for app developers. | Vendor-claimed | 2026-07-20 | https://www.convex.dev | - |

**Verdict.** The fastest path from empty repo to working realtime feature, and the clearest thinking about transactions on this page. It is also a 4 on exit cost with no SQL escape hatch, a bet worth making deliberately rather than by default.

## Alternatives

- [Appwrite](https://toolweight.com/options/appwrite), Open-source backend platform: databases, auth, storage, functions, self-hostable.
- [ElectricSQL](https://toolweight.com/options/electricsql), Postgres read-path sync: stream subsets of your own database to clients over HTTP.
- [Firebase](https://toolweight.com/options/firebase), Google's app platform: Firestore documents, auth, functions, deep mobile SDKs.
- [InstantDB](https://toolweight.com/options/instantdb), Client-side reactive database with a relational graph model and instant sync.
- [Neon + Drizzle](https://toolweight.com/options/neon-drizzle), The DIY baseline: serverless Postgres, a typed SQL query builder, nothing else.
- [Nhost](https://toolweight.com/options/nhost), Postgres plus Hasura GraphQL, auth, storage and serverless functions.
- [PocketBase](https://toolweight.com/options/pocketbase), One Go binary: SQLite database, auth, file storage, realtime and an admin UI.
- [Zero](https://toolweight.com/options/rocicorp-zero), Sync engine that puts a queryable client cache in front of your own Postgres.
- [Supabase](https://toolweight.com/options/supabase), Managed Postgres with auth, storage, realtime and edge functions around it.
- [Triplit](https://toolweight.com/options/triplit), Full-stack database that syncs: local cache, server, relational queries, offline.

## Licence and attribution

Data from toolweight (https://toolweight.com), licensed CC-BY-4.0.

- Licence: [CC-BY-4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
- Canonical HTML: https://toolweight.com/options/convex
- Machine-readable: https://toolweight.com/options/convex.md · https://toolweight.com/api/v1 · https://toolweight.com/mcp
- toolweight takes no affiliate revenue and sells no placements. Corrections: https://toolweight.com/suggest