Building real-time applications has traditionally meant juggling WebSockets, managing cache invalidation, and wiring together separate services for databases, authentication, and serverless functions. For development teams, this complexity translates directly into longer timelines and higher costs.
Convex, a reactive backend platform founded by former Dropbox infrastructure engineers, takes a different approach. The platform raised €22 million to pursue its vision: make real-time sync automatic rather than assembled. Everything from database schemas to authentication to scheduled jobs lives in pure TypeScript, with changes propagating instantly to all connected clients.
For businesses evaluating custom software solutions, understanding platforms like Convex matters. The backend architecture chosen during development shapes not only initial build costs but also long-term maintenance, feature velocity, and scaling economics. This analysis examines what makes Convex distinctive, where it fits best, and how it compares to alternatives like Firebase and Supabase.
The Challenge: Real-Time Complexity
Modern users expect applications to update instantly. Collaborative documents, live dashboards, multiplayer features, and chat interfaces all require data synchronisation across multiple clients in milliseconds.
Traditional backend architectures struggle with these requirements:
- Manual WebSocket management adds significant development overhead
- Cache invalidation becomes increasingly complex as data relationships grow
- State management libraries require careful coordination between frontend and backend
- Separate services for databases, functions, and real-time updates create integration friction
- Eventual consistency leads to confusing user experiences when data appears stale
These challenges explain why many teams either avoid real-time features entirely or budget significant engineering time for their implementation.
The shift toward real-time expectations mirrors broader trends in how AI and automation are transforming business operations. Users increasingly expect software to feel alive and responsive.
How Convex Solves Real-Time Sync
Convex approaches backend development with a fundamentally different architecture. Rather than treating real-time updates as an add-on, reactivity is built into the query execution engine itself.
Everything Is TypeScript
Database schemas, queries, mutations, authentication logic, and API endpoints are all expressed in pure TypeScript. This eliminates the cognitive overhead of switching between SQL, configuration files, and application code.
When you define a schema in Convex, TypeScript types flow automatically to your frontend. Change a field name in your schema, and your IDE immediately flags every place in your React or Next.js code that references the old name. This end-to-end type safety catches errors at compile time rather than in production.
Automatic Subscription Management
When a client subscribes to a Convex query, the database tracks every dependency that query touches. If any underlying data changes, Convex automatically reruns the query and pushes updates to all subscribed clients.
This happens without developers writing WebSocket handlers, managing subscription lists, or implementing cache invalidation logic. The platform handles complexity that traditionally requires dedicated engineering effort.
Server-Side Execution
Convex functions run within the database execution environment itself. This colocation eliminates network round-trips between application servers and databases, achieving sub-50 millisecond read/write latency even at 5,000 concurrent connections.
Mutations execute transactionally with ACID guarantees, ensuring data consistency even under concurrent modifications from multiple users.
Pricing and Plans
Convex offers tiered pricing designed to scale from prototypes to production applications.
Free and Starter Tier
The free tier supports personal projects and prototypes with 1-6 developers. Included resources: 1 million function calls monthly, 20 GB-hours of action compute, 0.5 GB database storage, and 1 GB file storage. The Starter tier adds pay-as-you-go pricing beyond these limits at approximately €2 per million function calls.
Professional Tier
At approximately €23 per developer monthly, Professional unlocks significantly higher limits: 25 million function calls, 250 GB-hours compute, 50 GB database storage, and 100 GB file storage. This tier also enables preview deployments, log streaming, exception reporting, team permissions, and custom domains.
Enterprise and Compliance
Convex is SOC 2 Type II compliant, HIPAA compliant, and GDPR verified. Enterprise features including advanced compliance, single sign-on, and SLAs are available through custom arrangements. EU hosting adds a 30% surcharge.
Startup Programme
Early-stage companies can apply for up to one year free on Professional, with no seat fees and 30% off usage-based charges up to €28,000.
Open Source Option
Convex open-sourced their backend, allowing self-hosting for organisations with strict data sovereignty requirements. This addresses vendor lock-in concerns while maintaining the option for managed cloud hosting.
Convex vs Firebase vs Supabase
When evaluating backend platforms, Firebase and Supabase represent the primary alternatives. Each makes different trade-offs that suit different project requirements.
Firebase
Firebase, backed by Google, remains the established market leader with comprehensive mobile utilities and extensive documentation. Its Firestore and Realtime Database handle updates adequately, but implementation requires careful management to avoid performance bottlenecks. Firebase’s NoSQL structure can lead to complex data models requiring multiple queries for related data.
Best for: Mobile-first MVPs with lightweight sync needs. Teams already invested in Google Cloud.
Supabase
Supabase positions itself as the open-source Firebase alternative built on PostgreSQL. It appeals to developers comfortable with SQL who want relational database capabilities without abandoning serverless conveniences. Real-time support works through PostgreSQL’s logical replication, effective for event notifications but requiring more configuration for complex filtered queries.
Best for: Applications requiring SQL capabilities, complex analytics queries, or teams prioritising open-source flexibility.
Convex
Convex differentiates on developer experience for TypeScript-centric teams. End-to-end type safety without code generation steps, automatic caching without manual setup, and real-time sync that works out of the box.
Best for: Highly interactive, real-time applications. Collaboration tools, multiplayer features, live dashboards. TypeScript-first development teams.
Understanding these trade-offs connects directly to broader decisions about choosing the right software development partner for your project requirements.
AI Integration Capabilities
Convex has positioned aggressively for AI-assisted development workflows. Because everything is TypeScript, AI coding tools like GitHub Copilot and Cursor generate high-quality Convex code with exceptional accuracy.
The platform includes built-in components for AI applications:
- Vector search for semantic similarity queries
- RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) components for LLM integrations
- Hybrid ranking functions combining keyword and semantic search
- Serverless actions for calling external AI APIs like OpenAI or Anthropic
Convex Chef, the platform’s AI app generation tool, allows developers to describe applications in natural language and receive working code. While AI-generated code requires review, it dramatically accelerates prototyping.
These capabilities align with broader trends in how AI tools are evolving software development workflows.
Practical Implementation Considerations
Adopting Convex requires some adjustments from traditional backend development patterns.
Mindset Shifts
The reactive programming model means thinking in subscriptions rather than request-response cycles. Queries automatically update when underlying data changes. This simplifies frontend code but requires understanding how subscription management affects resource usage.
The document-based data model differs from relational schemas. While Convex supports indexes and relationships, developers accustomed to SQL joins need to adapt their data modelling approach.
Migration Paths
Convex provides migration guides for teams moving from Firebase. The platform’s HTTP API enables gradual adoption alongside existing systems, allowing teams to migrate incrementally rather than all at once.
Framework Support
Convex integrates with major frameworks including React, Next.js, React Native, Vue, Svelte, and Remix. Client libraries exist for Python and Rust, with an HTTP API for other languages.
When to Consider Alternatives
Convex fits less naturally when applications require complex SQL analytics, when teams have existing investment in PostgreSQL ecosystems, or when workloads involve primarily batch processing without real-time requirements.
Actionable Takeaways
Convex excels when your application needs:
- Real-time collaboration features (document editors, design tools, multiplayer)
- Live dashboards with instant data updates
- TypeScript-first development with end-to-end type safety
- AI integrations requiring vector search or RAG patterns
- Rapid prototyping with minimal backend configuration
Consider alternatives when:
- Complex SQL analytics are core requirements
- Your team has deep PostgreSQL expertise and tooling investment
- Real-time features are minimal or unnecessary
- You need maximum control over database internals
Evaluation checklist:
- Start with the free tier to test real-time sync performance
- Build a prototype matching your core use case
- Measure latency under realistic concurrent user loads
- Assess TypeScript integration with your existing frontend stack
- Review pricing calculator for projected production usage
How Novemind Approaches Backend Decisions
At Novemind, we evaluate platforms like Convex within the broader context of each client’s requirements, team capabilities, and long-term objectives. Technology selection is not about chasing trends but rather choosing infrastructure that supports business goals efficiently.
Our approach to custom software development encompasses backend platform selection, architecture design, and implementation. We help clients understand trade-offs between different approaches, whether that means leveraging platforms like Convex for rapid real-time feature development or building custom infrastructure for specific requirements.
Every project begins with understanding what success looks like. From there, we design technology stacks that deliver required capabilities while remaining maintainable and cost-effective over time.
Ready to explore the right backend architecture for your next project? Start the conversation with our team to discuss your specific requirements and goals.
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