Side-by-side comparison · Databases & Backend
Clerk vs Convex vs Render
Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.
Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.
At a glance
Pick it if: Anyone building a web or mobile app who needs user accounts and logins without writing them from scratch.
Pick it if: People building collaborative or real-time apps with Claude Code who want the backend to just work.
Pick it if: Builders and small teams who want predictable monthly prices for hosting an app and its database.
Overview
| Attribute | Clerk | Convex | Render |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | Ready-made sign-up, login and user accounts you can add to an app in minutes. | A backend that keeps every screen of your app in sync the moment the data changes. | Simple hosting for websites, apps and databases, with free static sites. |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | $20/mo | $25/developer/mo | $0/mo plus computing |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Works with Claude Code | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | Clerk | Convex | Render |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.4Winner | 4.1 | 3.9 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 4.5 | 3.5 | 4.0 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 4.5 | 4.5 | 3.5 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Clerk | Convex | Render |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | No | No | No |
| Desktop app | No | No | No |
| Browser extension | No | No | No |
| API access | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Teams & business | |||
| Team workspace | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Enterprise plan or SSO | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Connects to other apps | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Open source or self-hosted | No | Yes | No |
| AI abilities | |||
| Works with your files | No | Yes | Yes |
| Understands images | – | No | – |
| Makes images | No | No | No |
| Makes video | No | No | No |
| Writes code | No | No | No |
| Runs agents or automations | – | Yes | Yes |
| Learns your brand or style | – | No | – |
| Works in many languages | Yes | – | – |
| Capabilities score | 6/ 17 | 8/ 17 | 7/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Clerk | Convex | Render |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Hobby Free New apps and side projects. | Free and Starter Free, then pay as you go Side projects and small teams getting started. | HobbyOur pick $0/mo plus computing Personal projects and testing. |
ProOur pick $20/mo billed yearly, or $25 monthly Apps with paying customers. | ProfessionalOur pick $25/developer/mo Products with real users. | Pro $25/mo plus computing Teams running production apps. | |
Business $250/mo billed yearly, or $300 monthly Growing companies that need compliance paperwork. | Business and Enterprise From $2,500/mo Larger companies with compliance and scale needs. | Scale $499/mo plus computing Teams with governance and compliance needs. | |
Enterprise Custom Large companies with strict security needs. | Enterprise Custom Companies that need uptime guarantees. | ||
| Which plan to pick | Build on Hobby. It's enough until you have customers who care about the Clerk branding or need multi-factor login, then move to Pro. Business only matters when a customer asks for a SOC 2 report. | Start on Free. Move to Professional when you launch, mainly for daily backups and the bigger limits. Business is a big jump aimed at teams of 50 or more, so most readers will never need it. | Stay on Hobby and pay only for the services you run. A $7 web service and a $6 database cover most small apps. Move to Pro when a team needs to share the workspace or you want autoscaling and previews. |
Key features
| Attribute | Clerk | Convex | Render |
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | Clerk | Convex | Render |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Clerk | Convex | Render |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Clerk, Convex or Render?
Clerk scores highest overall in our ratings (Clerk 4.4/5, Convex 4.1/5 and Render 3.9/5). Clerk is best for adding sign-up and login to an app and Google, Apple and passwordless sign-in. Convex is best for collaborative and multiplayer apps and live dashboards. Render is best for hosting a backend or API with fixed monthly pricing and free static websites.
Which is cheaper, Clerk, Convex or Render?
Clerk: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $20/mo. Convex: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $25/developer/mo. Render: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $0/mo plus computing.
Which is easier to use, Clerk, Convex or Render?
Clerk rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Anyone building a web or mobile app who needs user accounts and logins without writing them from scratch.
How we compare
Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.
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