Name: Convex
Price: Freemium

What is Convex?

Convex is a reactive backend platform where your database schema, queries, mutations, scheduling, cron jobs and file storage are all written as TypeScript functions. Queries are reactive by default, so the UI reflects the latest state across frontend, backend and database without state managers, cache invalidation or WebSocket boilerplate. It is open source and self-hostable, supports 80+ auth integrations, is SOC 2 Type II certified, and offers HIPAA coverage under a signed BAA. The thing to understand before adopting it is that Convex is not Postgres. It uses its own document model, so there is no SQL, no ALTER TABLE migrations and no ORM compatibility, and existing Postgres tooling will not connect. The free tier covers 1 million function calls, 0.5 GB of database and 1 GB of files per month, and sustained overages can make your deployment return HTTP errors. Professional is $25 per developer per month, so cost scales with headcount rather than traffic.

Key Features

Real-time QueriesTypeScript BackendAutomatic SyncBuilt-in Authentication80 Plus OAuth IntegrationsModular ComponentsOpen SourceSelf-hostableAI Code GenerationType-safe APIDatabase QueriesFile StorageScheduled FunctionsWebhooksFull-text SearchVector SearchStreamingLocal DevelopmentDashboard UIStartup Program

Integrations

Development

GitHubVercelNetlifyClerk

How to Use Convex

1Install Convex by running npm create convex in your terminal

2Choose your frontend framework (Next.js, React, Vue, etc.) from the setup wizard

3Define your database schema in schema.ts using TypeScript types

4Write query and mutation functions in the convex/ directory as pure TypeScript

5Call your backend functions from the frontend using the Convex React hooks with automatic type safety

6Set up authentication using Convex Auth with your preferred OAuth provider

7Deploy to Convex's cloud platform with a single command

8Monitor your backend in real time from the Convex dashboard

9Use AI coding assistants to generate Convex code with exceptional accuracy due to its TypeScript-first design

✅ Best For

Full-stack TypeScript developers building real-time applications
Teams tired of managing WebSockets, caches, and state synchronization manually
Startups wanting a backend that scales without infrastructure overhead
Developers building collaborative or multiplayer applications
Engineers who want AI coding assistants to generate accurate backend code
Open source projects needing a self-hostable TypeScript backend

❌ Not For

Teams already deeply invested in PostgreSQL or MySQL with complex SQL queries
Projects requiring multi-region active-active database deployments
Applications needing mature enterprise database features like row-level security policies
Teams unfamiliar with TypeScript who prefer SQL or NoSQL paradigms

Reviews

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Pricing

Free$0

✓Up to 1M function calls/month
✓500MB storage
✓1GB bandwidth
✓1 project

Pro$25/mo

✓10M function calls/month
✓50GB storage
✓50GB bandwidth
✓unlimited projects

Startup Program$0

✓Free Pro tier for qualifying early-stage startups

EnterpriseCustom

✓Custom limits
✓SLA
✓dedicated support
✓security review

Prompts to Try

Write a Convex mutation that creates a new user document and sends a welcome email using a scheduled function

Build a real-time chat feature with Convex queries, mutations, and React hooks that shows live message updates

Create a Convex schema for a task management app with users, projects, and tasks, then implement all CRUD operations

Use Cases

A developer builds a real-time collaborative whiteboard app using Convex queries that automatically push updates to all connected clients without any WebSocket code

A startup uses Convex's TypeScript backend to ship an entire SaaS MVP with auth, database, and API in under a week, leveraging AI assistants that generate accurate Convex code from descriptions

A team eliminates their Redis cache layer by switching to Convex's automatic reactivity system, reducing infrastructure complexity significantly

A solo developer uses Convex components to add file storage and full-text search to an app in minutes without configuring separate services

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