❦ Review · Last updated Apr 25, 2026
Convex
Different bet than Supabase: not Postgres, but a custom reactive backend with end-to-end TypeScript. Brilliant DX for typesafe full-stack apps. The lock-in is real — you're not exporting to Postgres later — so commit deliberately.
❦ Score breakdown
8.8 / 10
`npx convex dev` to running schema in 3 minutes.
9.0 / 10
Best DX in the category if you're a TypeScript dev.
8.0 / 10
Tiers are clear; usage-based above adds variance.
7.5 / 10
Auth integrates with Clerk / Auth0 cleanly; ecosystem still growing.
8.5 / 10
Free tier carries side projects; Pro covers early MRR.
Strengths and tradeoffs
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
What it does
- ●End-to-end typesafe queries and mutations — no API layer to maintain
- ●Reactive by default — UI updates without manually wiring subscriptions
- ●Functions, scheduled jobs, file storage, vector search all in-platform
Features at a glance
| Feature | Convex |
|---|---|
| PostgreSQL (real) | no (custom) |
| Auth (built-in) | via Clerk / Auth0 |
| Realtime subscriptions | yes (default) |
| File storage | ● Included |
| Edge functions | ● Included |
| Auto-generated REST API | ● Included |
| End-to-end typesafe | ● Included |
| Scheduled functions / cron | ● Included |
| Vector / embeddings | ● Included |
| Connection pooling | n/a |
| Self-hostable | — Not available |
| TypeScript-first | ● Included |
Pricing
| Tier | Price | What's included |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Who it's for
| Founder type | Verdict | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Solo Founder | Strong fit | If you're TypeScript-first, this is the fastest DX in backend-as-service. |
| Small Team | Strong fit | Designed for this size — reactive apps without backend engineering team. |
| Agency | Not the right fit | Per-project lock-in makes agency multi-tenant work painful. |
Known limitations
- — Custom backend — not SQL-compatible at the data layer
- — Migrating off the platform is expensive (intentional lock-in)
What founders say
“Building Linear-style reactive apps is genuinely 3x faster than rolling it on Supabase.”
“Lock-in is real. I'm not migrating away easily — that's a decision I made knowingly.”
“TypeSafety from DB to UI is the killer feature. I refuse to build without it now.”