convexvssupabase

what you're actually comparing

Convex is a reactive document database where the entire backend — schema, queries, business logic — is written in TypeScript. The defining property is that reactivity is built into the execution model rather than bolted on: any query function you write is automatically reactive, so when the underlying data changes, Convex re-runs it and pushes the new result to every subscribed client. No subscription wiring, no change streams to configure, no cache invalidation to get wrong.

Supabase wraps a genuine PostgreSQL database with managed auth, storage, edge functions and realtime layered on top. You get full SQL, relational modelling, the whole Postgres extension ecosystem, and a database that any tool in the world already knows how to talk to.

The choice is less about features than about what you're betting on: a novel execution model that makes one hard thing easy, or the most boring, most portable database in existence.

pricing, honestly

Both have genuinely usable free tiers and both start around $25/month on their first paid plan. The structures differ in a way that matters more than the entry price.

Convex charges per developer seat plus usage — function calls, storage, egress. Your bill scales with how many engineers touch the project and how busy the app is.

Supabase charges per organization based on compute size and storage. Pro is $25/month per organization — not per project, which is frequently misreported — and includes a $10 compute credit that covers one micro instance, so most early-stage apps sit at exactly $25. Team is $599/org. There's no annual discount, and the spend cap is on by default, which is the most founder-friendly default in this category.

The practical read: a small team with light usage often finds Convex cheaper, because per-org pricing has a floor and few seats is cheap. A larger team with heavy database needs but not many developers finds Supabase both cheaper and far more predictable, because the bill doesn't move when you hire.

edge: supabase for predictability, convex for small teams with light load.

where supabase wins

It's just Postgres. Every ORM, every BI tool, every migration guide, every Stack Overflow answer from the last fifteen years already applies. That is an enormous, boring, undervalued advantage.

SQL and extensions. Window functions, CTEs, full-text search, pgvector for embeddings, PostGIS if you need geography. Convex has none of this.

The exit exists and people use it. The Docker self-hosting path is well-worn. If Supabase's pricing or direction ever stops working for you, leaving is a migration rather than a rewrite.

Predictable per-org billing. Adding engineers doesn't change your bill. For a growing team that's one fewer variable.

Breadth beyond the database. Auth, storage, edge functions and realtime in one place, all of them replaceable individually because they're built on open components.

where convex wins

Reactivity is free. This is the whole reason Convex exists. Write a query, and it stays correct on every client forever. In Supabase you subscribe to table-level changes and reconcile state yourself, and the bugs that come from getting that slightly wrong are the miserable kind.

One language, one mental model. Schema, queries and business logic are all TypeScript, type-checked end to end. No SQL/TypeScript boundary, no generated types drifting from your schema.

Transactions that include your logic. Convex functions run transactionally against the database, so "read, decide, write" is atomic without you reaching for advisory locks.

Less backend to build. For a genuinely collaborative product, the amount of plumbing Convex removes is the difference between a feature taking a week and taking an afternoon.

No longer a lock-in bet. Going open source in February 2025 removed the objection that used to end this discussion for risk-conscious teams.

things to know before you pick

Leaving Convex means rewriting your backend, not migrating a database. Your business logic lives in Convex functions. That's the trade for the reactivity — worth it for the right app, expensive to reverse for the wrong one.

"Real-time" is often a feature, not an architecture. Plenty of apps that describe themselves as real-time need a live counter and a notification badge. Supabase handles that fine. Convex earns its keep when concurrent collaboration is the product.

Supabase Pro is per organization. Widely reported as per project. Budget accordingly — it's cheaper than most people assume.

Check who else needs your data. If analysts, finance, or a downstream service will ever want to point a SQL client at your database, Convex makes that a project rather than a connection string.