---
title: ElectricSQL
slug: electricsql
url: "https://toolweight.com/options/electricsql"
homepage: "https://electric-sql.com"
categories: convex-alternatives
last_verified: 2026-07-20
license: CC-BY-4.0
---

# ElectricSQL

> Postgres read-path sync: stream subsets of your own database to clients over HTTP.

Electric syncs shapes, filtered subsets of Postgres tables, out of a database you already run, over plain HTTP with a caching layer in front. It deliberately handles reads only: writes go through whatever API you already have. That narrowness is the point, and it makes Electric the lightest commitment on this page. It is a sync layer, not a backend, so auth, storage and functions remain yours.

## Identity

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| Name | ElectricSQL |
| Company | ElectricSQL |
| One-liner | Postgres read-path sync: stream subsets of your own database to clients over HTTP. |
| Site | https://electric-sql.com |
| Docs | https://electric-sql.com/docs |
| Repo | https://github.com/electric-sql/electric |
| Founded | 2021 |
| Funding | Venture-backed |
| Open source | Yes |
| Licence | Apache-2.0 |
| Brand | https://toolweight.com/vendors/ElectricSQL |
| Compared in | 1 |

## Where it is compared

### [Convex alternatives](https://toolweight.com/compare/convex-alternatives)
Ranked **#6 of 11** on default weights.
| Field | Value | Confidence | Verified | Source | Note |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reactivity | push | Vendor-claimed | 2026-07-20 | https://electric-sql.com/docs/guides/shapes | Shapes stream over HTTP with long-polling semantics and CDN caching. Reads only. |
| TS inference | ◐ | Inferred | - | - | Shape results are typed if you type them; there is no schema-to-client inference. |
| Transactions | mvcc | Inferred | - | - | Your Postgres. Electric never handles writes. |
| Local-first sync | ◐ | Vendor-claimed | 2026-07-20 | https://electric-sql.com/docs | Read-path sync only, writes go through your existing API, and reconciling them is your design problem. |
| Optimistic writes | ◐ | Inferred | - | - | Documented patterns rather than a first-party API. |
| Cron & scheduling | ○ | Inferred | - | - | - |
| File storage | ○ | Inferred | - | - | - |
| Vector search | ◐ | Inferred | - | - | Available in your Postgres; not part of Electric. |
| Full-text search | ◐ | Inferred | - | - | Available in your Postgres; not part of Electric. |
| Auth | bring-your-own | Vendor-claimed | 2026-07-20 | https://electric-sql.com/docs/guides/auth | Shape requests are proxied through your own auth layer. |
| Hard limits | Shape size, a shape has to be small enough to hold on the client and cheap enough to re-materialise on the server. | Inferred | - | - | - |
| Cold start | - | Unknown | - | - | Electric is a long-running sync service, not a function runtime. |
| Function timeout | - | Unknown | - | - | No function runtime. |
| Exit cost | 2 | Inferred | - | - | The lightest commitment here. Your Postgres, schema, writes and API are untouched; removing Electric means replacing shape subscriptions with fetches. Nothing about your data model was ever Electric-shaped. |
| Self-hostable | ● | Vendor-claimed | 2026-07-20 | https://electric-sql.com/docs/guides/deployment | Apache-2.0; a single service beside your Postgres. |
| Bulk export | ● | Inferred | - | - | It is your Postgres. |
| Raw SQL | ● | Inferred | - | - | - |
| Schema changes | sql-migrations | Inferred | - | - | Your own migrations; Electric follows the logical replication stream. |
| MCP server | ○ | Inferred | - | - | - |
| Agent fit | 2 | Inferred | - | - | A minimal surface, but the agent must still assemble the write path, auth proxy and client store, most of the app is not Electric. |
| Pricing model | free (self-host) + optional cloud | Inferred | - | https://electric-sql.com/pricing | - |
| Entry price | - | Unknown | - | - | Self-hosting is free under Apache-2.0. Electric Cloud has paid tiers whose current price was not verified. |
| Egress metered | ◐ | Inferred | - | - | Self-hosted, your own bandwidth. On the cloud, data transferred is a billed dimension. |
| GitHub stars | 8,000 | Inferred | - | - | Approximate as of mid-2026. |
| Backing | venture-backed | Inferred | - | - | - |
| Positioning | Postgres sync engine, sync little subsets of your data into local apps. | Vendor-claimed | 2026-07-20 | https://electric-sql.com | - |

**Verdict.** The narrowest tool here and the best-behaved: read-path sync over a Postgres you already own, with an exit close to free. It solves a quarter of what Convex solves, and it is honest about which quarter.

## Alternatives

- [Appwrite](https://toolweight.com/options/appwrite), Open-source backend platform: databases, auth, storage, functions, self-hostable.
- [Convex](https://toolweight.com/options/convex), Reactive TypeScript backend: database, functions and live queries in one project.
- [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

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