❦ OPINION · Database & backend
Convex vs Supabase
Side by side: strengths, tradeoffs, features, pricing, and who each one fits. Same rubric, no editor's thumb on the scale, no winner declared — you decide.
Convex
TypeScript-first reactive backend — database, server functions, realtime, all typesafe end-to-end.
Supabase
Open-source Postgres backend with auth, storage, realtime, and edge functions — the Firebase alternative.
❦ How each one performs
Founder fit by dimension
| Dimension | Convex | Supabase |
|---|---|---|
| Setup speed | 8.8 `npx convex dev` to running schema in 3 minutes. | 9.5 Project to first API call in under 5 minutes. |
| Ease of use | 9.0 Best DX in the category if you're a TypeScript dev. | 8.8 RLS is the learning curve; everything else is intuitive. |
| Pricing transparency | 8.0 Tiers are clear; usage-based above adds variance. | 9.0 Clear free / $25 / $599 tiers; usage-based above. |
| Integrations | 7.5 Auth integrates with Clerk / Auth0 cleanly; ecosystem still growing. | 9.0 Auto-generated REST + GraphQL, native client libraries everywhere. |
| Solo-founder fit | 8.5 Free tier carries side projects; Pro covers early MRR. | 9.5 Free tier is enough for serious projects; $25 covers $0–$10k MRR easily. |
❦ Feature matrix
Features
| Feature | Convex | Supabase |
|---|---|---|
| PostgreSQL (real) | no (custom) | ● Yes |
| Auth (built-in) | via Clerk / Auth0 | ● Yes |
| Realtime subscriptions | yes (default) | ● Yes |
| File storage | ● Yes | ● Yes |
| Edge functions | ● Yes | yes (Deno) |
| Auto-generated REST API | ● Yes | ● Yes |
| End-to-end typesafe | ● Yes | — No |
| Scheduled functions / cron | ● Yes | — No |
| Vector / embeddings | ● Yes | — No |
| Connection pooling | n/a | ● Yes |
| Self-hostable | — No | ● Yes |
| TypeScript-first | ● Yes | — No |
| Auto-generated GraphQL | — No | ● Yes |
| Branching (DB per PR) | — No | Pro tier |
| Point-in-time recovery | — No | Pro tier |
| Vector / pgvector | — No | ● Yes |
❦ Every tier, side by side
Pricing
Convex
| Starter | $0 | 1 GB storage, 1M function calls / mo |
| Professional | $25/mo + usage | Higher limits, scheduled jobs, vector search |
| Enterprise | Custom | SLAs, dedicated infra, support |
Supabase
| Free | $0 | 500 MB DB, 50,000 MAU, 5 GB bandwidth |
| Pro | $25/mo | 8 GB DB, 100,000 MAU, daily backups |
| Team | $599/mo | SOC 2, SSO, audit logs |
| Enterprise | Custom | Dedicated infrastructure, SLA |
❦ What each one is genuinely good at, and what to know going in
Strengths and tradeoffs
Convex
Strengths
- ●Best typesafe DX in the backend-as-a-service category
- ●Reactive queries — UI updates without manual subscription wiring
- ●Built-in scheduled functions, file storage, vector search
- ●Free tier is generous enough for real prototypes
Tradeoffs
- ●Not Postgres — migration to a standard database is non-trivial
- ●Smaller community and ecosystem than Supabase
- ●Some patterns (complex joins, raw SQL) require workarounds
Supabase
Strengths
- ●Real PostgreSQL — not a NoSQL surprise that bites later
- ●Auth + storage + realtime + edge functions in one product
- ●Free tier is genuinely production-grade for early-stage apps
- ●Open source — you can self-host if you ever need to
Tradeoffs
- ●Edge functions are less polished than Vercel's — pair if you need both
- ●Row-level security has a real learning curve for new SQL developers
- ●Free tier database pauses after 1 week of inactivity (rude awakening for side projects)
❦ Who each one is built for
Fit by founder type
| Founder type | Convex | Supabase |
|---|---|---|
| Solo Founder | Strong fit If you're TypeScript-first, this is the fastest DX in backend-as-service. | Strong fit Free tier covers your first product. $25 covers $0–$10k MRR. |
| Small Team | Strong fit Designed for this size — reactive apps without backend engineering team. | Strong fit Pro tier is the standard for early-stage SaaS. |
| Agency | Not the right fit Per-project lock-in makes agency multi-tenant work painful. | Workable Workable per-project; team management features still maturing. |
❦ Quick reference
Key facts
Convex
- 2021
- San Francisco, CA
- Tens of thousands of projects
- Cursor, Anthropic Console (parts), Lerna
- $56M Series A (2024)
Supabase
- 2020
- Remote
- 1.5M+ databases
- Mozilla, GitHub, 1Password (parts of)
- Apache 2.0
❦ When to pick each
Two right answers, two different situations.
Pick Convex when
If you're TypeScript-first, this is the fastest DX in backend-as-service.
Pick Supabase when
Free tier covers your first product. $25 covers $0–$10k MRR.