Side-by-side comparison · Databases & Backend
Convex vs Firebase vs Railway
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: People building collaborative or real-time apps with Claude Code who want the backend to just work.
Pick it if: Teams building mobile or real-time apps, especially if you already live in Google's world.
Pick it if: Builders and small teams who need to host an app, API, bot or database without managing servers.
Overview
| Attribute | Convex | Firebase | Railway |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | A backend that keeps every screen of your app in sync the moment the data changes. | Google's backend for mobile and web apps, with logins, data and hosting in one. | Hosts your app and its database in a few clicks, and charges only for what it uses. |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | $25/developer/mo | Pay as you go | $0 |
| 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 | Convex | Firebase | Railway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4.0 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 3.5 | 3.5 | 4.0 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 4.0 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 4.5 | 4.0 | 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 | 4.0 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Convex | Firebase | Railway |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Yes | No | No |
| AI abilities | |||
| Works with your files | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Understands images | No | Yes | – |
| Makes images | No | Yes | No |
| Makes video | No | No | No |
| Writes code | No | Yes | No |
| Runs agents or automations | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Learns your brand or style | No | No | – |
| Works in many languages | – | – | – |
| Capabilities score | 8/ 17 | 10/ 17 | 7/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Convex | Firebase | Railway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Free and Starter Free, then pay as you go Side projects and small teams getting started. | SparkOur pick Free Early projects and apps with a small audience. | Free $0, after a 30-day trial with $5 credit Trying it out. |
ProfessionalOur pick $25/developer/mo Products with real users. | Blaze Pay as you go, no monthly fee Anything that might grow past the free quotas. | HobbyOur pick $5/mo, includes $5 of usage Side projects and small business tools. | |
Business and Enterprise From $2,500/mo Larger companies with compliance and scale needs. | Pro $20/mo, includes $20 of usage Production apps and teams. | ||
Enterprise Custom Companies with compliance needs. | |||
| Which plan to pick | 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. | Spark is enough until real users arrive. Move to Blaze when you need Cloud Functions or you're close to a quota, and set a budget alert the moment you do. There's no middle tier, so your bill goes straight from nothing to usage based. | Use the trial to get your app running, then move to Hobby. Many small apps stay within its included $5. Switch to Pro when a team works on it or it needs more power, and set a usage limit either way. |
Key features
| Attribute | Convex | Firebase | Railway |
|---|---|---|---|
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | Convex | Firebase | Railway |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Convex | Firebase | Railway |
|---|---|---|---|
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Convex, Firebase or Railway?
They tie on our overall rating (Convex 4.1/5, Firebase 4.1/5 and Railway 4.0/5). Convex is best for collaborative and multiplayer apps and live dashboards. Firebase is best for mobile app backends and live-updating data and chat. Railway is best for hosting an app with a database in one place and self-hosting tools like n8n from a template.
Which is cheaper, Convex, Firebase or Railway?
Convex: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $25/developer/mo. Firebase: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at Pay as you go. Railway: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $0.
Which is easier to use, Convex, Firebase or Railway?
Railway rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Builders and small teams who need to host an app, API, bot or database without managing servers.
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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