Convex
Convex is a full-stack TypeScript development platform that replaces your traditional database, server-side functions, and caching layers with a unified, real-time backend-as-a-service to accelerate application building.
Dgraph
Dgraph is a native GraphQL database built for high-performance applications that require a scalable, distributed backend to handle complex data relationships and real-time queries efficiently.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Convex | Dgraph |
|---|---|---|
| Website | convex.dev | dgraph.io |
| Pricing Model | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting Price | Free | Free |
| FREE Trial | ✘ No free trial | ✘ No free trial |
| Free Plan | ✓ Has free plan | ✓ Has free plan |
| Product Demo | ✓ Request demo here | ✓ Request demo here |
| Deployment | ||
| Integrations | ||
| Target Users | ||
| Target Industries | ||
| Customer Count | 0 | 0 |
| Founded Year | 2021 | 2016 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, USA | Palo Alto, USA |
Overview
Convex
Convex provides you with a complete backend for your web applications, eliminating the need to manage separate databases, middleware, or complex state management. You can write your entire backend in TypeScript, using familiar syntax to define schemas, functions, and data mutations. It automatically handles data persistence, real-time synchronization, and server-side logic execution without you ever touching infrastructure or worrying about scaling.
You can build reactive applications where your UI stays perfectly in sync with your data automatically. It solves the common headache of 'glue code' by providing a unified environment where your frontend and backend share types and logic seamlessly. Whether you are building a collaborative document editor or a complex SaaS dashboard, you get a production-ready environment that scales from your first prototype to millions of users.
Dgraph
Dgraph is a native GraphQL database designed to help you build applications with complex data patterns without the overhead of traditional relational mapping. You can store your data as a graph and query it using standard GraphQL or Dgraph's own query language, DQL. This approach eliminates the need for complex joins and allows you to fetch deeply nested data in a single network request, significantly reducing latency for your end users.
You can deploy Dgraph as a managed cloud service or run it on your own infrastructure using Docker or Kubernetes. It is built to scale horizontally, meaning you can handle growing traffic and data volumes by simply adding more nodes to your cluster. Whether you are building a social network, a recommendation engine, or a real-time fraud detection system, Dgraph provides the ACID-compliant reliability and speed you need to manage interconnected data at scale.
Overview
Convex Features
- Real-time Subscriptions Keep your UI in sync automatically with built-in data subscriptions that push updates to your frontend instantly.
- ACID Transactions Ensure your data remains consistent with fully transactional functions that prevent partial updates or corrupted states.
- TypeScript Integration Share types between your frontend and backend to catch errors early and enjoy full autocomplete across your stack.
- Scheduled Functions Run background jobs and delayed tasks directly within your backend without setting up external cron services.
- File Storage Upload and serve large files like images or videos using integrated storage that links directly to your database.
- Vector Search Build AI-powered features easily with native vector search capabilities for semantic queries and RAG-based applications.
Dgraph Features
- Native GraphQL. Build your backend instantly by providing a GraphQL schema—Dgraph automatically generates the database and API for you.
- Distributed Architecture. Scale your database horizontally across multiple nodes to handle massive datasets and high-traffic applications with ease.
- ACID Transactions. Ensure your data remains consistent and reliable with fully distributed ACID transactions across all your database shards.
- Full-Text Search. Implement powerful search capabilities directly in your queries, including term matching, regular expressions, and multi-language support.
- Geo-Location Queries. Store geographical data and perform complex spatial queries like finding points within a specific radius or polygon.
- Automated Sharding. Let the system handle data distribution automatically, rebalancing your data across the cluster to prevent performance bottlenecks.
Pricing Comparison
Convex Pricing
- 1 GB database storage
- 10 GB file storage
- 1 million monthly function calls
- Community support
- Real-time data sync
- Everything in Free, plus:
- 5 GB database storage included
- 50 GB file storage included
- 5 million monthly function calls
- Team collaboration tools
- Email support
Dgraph Pricing
- Shared cluster deployment
- 1MB/sec data transfer
- 1 million credits per month
- Community support
- Automatic backups
- Everything in Free, plus:
- Dedicated hardware resources
- High availability replication
- VPC Peering capabilities
- Advanced security features
- Priority technical support
Pros & Cons
Convex
Pros
- Eliminates the need for complex state management libraries
- Exceptional developer experience with end-to-end TypeScript safety
- Automatic scaling handles traffic spikes without manual intervention
- Unified backend reduces the amount of boilerplate code required
Cons
- Requires commitment to the Convex ecosystem and architecture
- Limited to JavaScript and TypeScript for backend logic
- No local-only offline mode for mobile-first applications
Dgraph
Pros
- Simplifies backend development with native GraphQL support
- Handles deeply nested data relationships extremely fast
- Scales horizontally to support massive data growth
- Open-source core allows for flexible deployment options
Cons
- Learning curve for DQL advanced query features
- Documentation can be sparse for complex edge cases
- Managed cloud pricing can scale quickly with usage