---
title: Convex
slug: convex
url: "https://toolweight.com/tools/convex"
homepage: "https://www.convex.dev"
categories: convex-alternatives
last_verified: 2026-11-06
dataset_version: 0738be72
license: CC-BY-4.0
---

# Convex

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

- Schema, server functions and client bindings in a single TypeScript project
- Every query reactive by default: dependent writes push results to clients with no subscription code
- Writes run as transactions under optimistic concurrency with automatic retries
- Open source under FSL-1.1-Apache-2.0 and self-hostable, but no SQL surface

## 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 |
| 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 | Permalink |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 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. | https://toolweight.com/compare/convex-alternatives#convex--reactivity_model |
| TS inference | ● | Vendor-claimed | 2026-07-20 | https://docs.convex.dev/database/schemas | - | https://toolweight.com/compare/convex-alternatives#convex--ts_inference |
| Transactions | occ | Vendor-claimed | 2026-07-20 | https://docs.convex.dev/database/advanced/occ | Optimistic concurrency with automatic retries; mutations are serialisable in effect. | https://toolweight.com/compare/convex-alternatives#convex--transaction_semantics |
| Local-first sync | ○ | Inferred | - | - | Optimistic updates and a live cache, but no offline query engine or write reconciliation. | https://toolweight.com/compare/convex-alternatives#convex--local_first_sync |
| Optimistic writes | ● | Vendor-claimed | 2026-07-20 | https://docs.convex.dev/client/react/optimistic-updates | - | https://toolweight.com/compare/convex-alternatives#convex--optimistic_updates |
| Cron & scheduling | ● | Vendor-claimed | 2026-07-20 | https://docs.convex.dev/scheduling | Declarative crons plus one-off scheduling from inside mutations. | https://toolweight.com/compare/convex-alternatives#convex--scheduled_functions |
| File storage | ● | Vendor-claimed | 2026-07-20 | https://docs.convex.dev/file-storage | - | https://toolweight.com/compare/convex-alternatives#convex--file_storage |
| Vector search | ● | Vendor-claimed | 2026-07-20 | https://docs.convex.dev/search/vector-search | - | https://toolweight.com/compare/convex-alternatives#convex--vector_search |
| Full-text search | ● | Vendor-claimed | 2026-07-20 | https://docs.convex.dev/search | - | https://toolweight.com/compare/convex-alternatives#convex--full_text_search |
| Auth | first-party-addon | Inferred | - | - | Convex Auth is an official library you install; Clerk and Auth0 remain first-class integrations. | https://toolweight.com/compare/convex-alternatives#convex--auth_included |
| Hard limits | 1 MiB per document; 32,000 documents or 16 MiB scanned per query; queries and mutations capped at 1s of user-code compute. | Vendor-claimed | 2026-11-06 | https://docs.convex.dev/production/state/limits | - | https://toolweight.com/compare/convex-alternatives#convex--hard_limits |
| Cold start | 0ms | Inferred | - | - | Functions run in a warm V8 isolate pool; no user-visible cold path on paid tiers. | https://toolweight.com/compare/convex-alternatives#convex--cold_start |
| Function timeout | 10min | Inferred | - | - | Actions get roughly 10 minutes. Queries and mutations are capped near 1 second, the headline does not apply to database work. | https://toolweight.com/compare/convex-alternatives#convex--function_timeout |
| 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. | https://toolweight.com/compare/convex-alternatives#convex--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. | https://toolweight.com/compare/convex-alternatives#convex--self_hostable |
| 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. | https://toolweight.com/compare/convex-alternatives#convex--bulk_export |
| Raw SQL | ○ | Vendor-claimed | 2026-07-20 | https://docs.convex.dev/database | - | https://toolweight.com/compare/convex-alternatives#convex--raw_sql |
| Schema changes | declarative-push | Inferred | - | - | schema.ts is diffed and validated on deploy; data backfills are hand-written mutations. | https://toolweight.com/compare/convex-alternatives#convex--schema_migrations |
| MCP server | ● | Vendor-claimed | 2026-07-20 | https://docs.convex.dev/ai/convex-mcp-server | - | https://toolweight.com/compare/convex-alternatives#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. | https://toolweight.com/compare/convex-alternatives#convex--agent_fit |
| Pricing model | per-seat + usage | Vendor-claimed | 2026-07-20 | https://www.convex.dev/pricing | - | https://toolweight.com/compare/convex-alternatives#convex--pricing_model |
| 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. | https://toolweight.com/compare/convex-alternatives#convex--entry_price |
| Egress metered | ● | Vendor-claimed | 2026-11-06 | https://www.convex.dev/pricing | - | https://toolweight.com/compare/convex-alternatives#convex--egress_billing |
| GitHub stars | 8,000 | Inferred | - | - | convex-backend, approximate as of mid-2026. | https://toolweight.com/compare/convex-alternatives#convex--github_stars |
| Backing | venture-backed | Inferred | - | - | - | https://toolweight.com/compare/convex-alternatives#convex--backing |
| Positioning | The open-source reactive database for app developers. | Vendor-claimed | 2026-07-20 | https://www.convex.dev | - | https://toolweight.com/compare/convex-alternatives#convex--positioning |

**Verdict.** Fastest empty-repo-to-realtime path here, but a 4 on exit cost with no SQL escape hatch.

## Alternatives

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

## Logo & brand colours

SVG files: https://toolweight.com/teams/convex/logo.svg and https://toolweight.com/teams/convex/mono.svg. JSON: https://toolweight.com/api/v1/brands/convex.

| Hex | oklch |
| --- | --- |
| #f3b01c | oklch(80.0% 0.160 80.0) |
| #8d2676 | oklch(45.9% 0.163 338.3) |
| #ee342f | oklch(61.9% 0.222 27.7) |

## 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/tools/convex
- Machine-readable: https://toolweight.com/tools/convex.md · https://toolweight.com/api/v1 · https://toolweight.com/mcp
- Toolweight takes no affiliate revenue and sells no placements.