C

Convex

Reactive backend-as-a-service platform for real-time web applications review

Developer Tools Free tier / $25/mo Pro plan Updated July 2026
✅ Reviewed & Verified

Quick Verdict

Convex is a serverless relational database backend platform built for modern reactive web apps. By replacing complex ORMs and database syncing libraries with native reactive functions, Convex syncs state from the database directly to React components in real-time.

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What is Convex?

Convex simplifies the application backend stack. It handles database storage, backend functions, caching, and state sync using a unified TypeScript engine. Instead of querying a database, building APIs, and writing client state syncs, you define Convex query/mutation functions that execute on their serverless cloud and sync updates instantly via WebSockets.

Key Features

Reactive State Sync

Sync database mutations directly to React hooks without writing custom polling or REST/WebSocket configurations.

Type-Safe TypeScript ORM

Write database schemas and queries in native TypeScript with full autocompletion and compile checking.

Serverless Cron Functions

Set up background tasks, schedules, and webhooks easily inside your project folder.

Built-in File Storage

Store and retrieve files, images, and user avatars directly via the Convex storage API.

Pricing & Plans

Pricing is indicative and may vary based on team size, contract length, and regional taxation.

Plan Tier Price Core Features Included
Free Tier Free 1 million read/write ops per day, 1 GB database storage, 10 GB file storage, 1 user seat.
Pro Plan $25/mo (~₹2,100/mo) 10 million read/write ops, 5 GB database storage, 50 GB file storage, team seats, custom domain hooks.
Enterprise Plan Custom Quote Custom limits, dedicated server deployment, uptime SLAs, enterprise support.

Convex is free for basic developer sandboxes. The Pro plan at $25/mo (~₹2,100) handles production usage. Subscriptions are billed in USD; standard 18% business GST applies via RCM.

Who Should Use Convex

  • Recommended for: Frontend developers building real-time collaborative applications, dashboards, or chat applications with React/Next.js.
  • Recommended for: Startup teams looking to build fully functional backends without managing database clusters or APIs.
  • Limitations: Requires database queries and backend logic to be written in TypeScript, which may not fit non-JS stacks.
  • Limitations: Limited support for massive offline data processing compared to traditional relational databases.

Detailed Technical Capabilities & Operational Architecture

Convex uses an ACID-compliant transactional database engine built specifically for TypeScript application backends. Its architecture centers around deterministic query and mutation functions executing in V8 isolates, maintaining reactive WebSocket connections to subscribe client UI components to live query result sets. Data mutation logs automatically stream updates across connected clients with sub-100ms latency without requiring external pub/sub infrastructure like Redis.

Product Growth Playbook & Integration Use Case

### Integration Playbook: Real-Time Active Users Hook Implement a Convex query function to retrieve a real-time list of active users, and link it directly to your React components without writing web sockets manually: ```typescript // convex/users.ts import { query } from "./_generated/server"; export const getActiveUsers = query({ args: {}, handler: async (ctx) => { return await ctx.db .query("users") .filter((q) => q.eq(q.field("isActive"), true)) .collect(); }, }); ``` Inside your React component, use `useQuery(api.users.getActiveUsers)` to receive real-time database updates automatically on any change.

First 5 Things to Set Up

  1. 1

    Install the Convex client library in your React project folder using npm.

  2. 2

    Run `npx convex dev` to initialize your local development environment.

  3. 3

    Define your database schemas inside the `convex/schema.ts` file.

  4. 4

    Write your query and mutation functions inside the `convex/` directory.

  5. 5

    Deploy to production using the Convex dashboard and connect your domain.

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