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Side-by-side comparison · Databases & Backend

Convex vs Netlify

Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.

Best overall

Convex

4.1

From $25/developer/mo

Netlify

4.0

From From $9/mo

Comparing 2 tools. Add one more if you like.

At a glance

Best overallBest value

Pick it if: People building collaborative or real-time apps with Claude Code who want the backend to just work.

Easiest to use

Pick it if: Marketers, freelancers and AI builders who want a simple, reliable place to put a website live without learning servers.

Overview

AttributeConvexNetlify
In one lineA backend that keeps every screen of your app in sync the moment the data changes.Easy website hosting: drag in a site or connect GitHub and it's live in seconds.
Pricing modelFreemiumFreemium
Starting price$25/developer/moFrom $9/mo
Free plan Yes Yes
Works with Claude Code Yes Yes

Rating breakdown

Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.

AttributeConvexNetlify
Overall rating4.1Winner4.0
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
3.5
4.5
FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together.
4.0
4.0
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.
4.5
4.0
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
4.0
3.5
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.
4.5
4.0

Feature comparison

A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.

AttributeConvexNetlify
Access & platform
Free plan Yes Yes
Mobile app No No
Desktop app No No
Browser extension No No
API access Yes Yes
Teams & business
Team workspace Yes Yes
Enterprise plan or SSO Yes Yes
Connects to other apps Yes Yes
Open source or self-hosted Yes No
AI abilities
Works with your files Yes Yes
Understands images No–
Makes images No No
Makes video No No
Writes code No Yes
Runs agents or automations Yes Yes
Learns your brand or style No–
Works in many languages––
Capabilities score8/ 178/ 17

Pricing

Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.

AttributeConvexNetlify
Plans

Free and Starter

Free, then pay as you go

Side projects and small teams getting started.

Free

Free

Personal sites and trying it out.

ProfessionalOur pick

$25/developer/mo

Products with real users.

PersonalOur pick

From $9/mo

A single business site with real traffic.

Business and Enterprise

From $2,500/mo

Larger companies with compliance and scale needs.

Pro

From $20/mo

Teams and agencies running several sites.

Enterprise

Custom

Large companies with uptime and security needs.

Which plan to pickStart 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.Start free and watch how many credits you use. A business site that publishes often or gets steady traffic should move to Personal. Agencies with several people working on sites should go straight to Pro.

Key features

AttributeConvexNetlify
Standout features
  • Reactive database
  • Everything in TypeScript
  • Scheduled functions and workflows
  • File storage, search and vector search
  • Official MCP server and AI docs
  • Open source and self-hostable
  • Deploy any way
  • Preview links
  • Forms
  • Agent Runners
  • Functions and database
  • MCP server

Pros and cons

AttributeConvexNetlify
Pros
  • Live updates built in rather than bolted on
  • One language for the whole app, so AI coding tools make fewer mistakes
  • Scheduled tasks and crash-safe workflows included
  • Open source with a self-hosting option
  • Fair pricing for small teams
  • Very easy to get a site live
  • Forms and functions built in
  • Deploys directly from popular AI builders
  • Projects stay private until you publish
  • Unlimited members on Pro
Cons
  • Not SQL, and no easy exit to another database
  • Built for developers; there's no friendly data editor for non-technical staff
  • Per-developer pricing penalises bigger teams
  • Smaller community than Supabase or Firebase
  • Credit system makes costs harder to predict
  • Each production deploy uses 15 credits, so the free plan runs out quickly
  • Less suited to heavy apps than Railway or Render
  • Extra concurrent builds cost $40 each

Who each one is for

AttributeConvexNetlify
Best for
  • Collaborative and multiplayer apps
  • Live dashboards
  • Apps built mostly by Claude Code
  • Chat and AI agent backends
  • Putting a marketing site or landing page live
  • Publishing sites from AI builders like Bolt
  • Simple sites with forms and no backend
  • Preview links for client sign-off
You'll find it used by
  • Developers
  • Startups
  • Claude Code users
  • Indie hackers
  • Marketers
  • Freelancers
  • Agencies
  • Developers

Questions people ask

Which is better, Convex or Netlify?

Convex scores highest overall in our ratings (Convex 4.1/5 and Netlify 4.0/5). Convex is best for collaborative and multiplayer apps and live dashboards. Netlify is best for putting a marketing site or landing page live and publishing sites from AI builders like Bolt.

Which is cheaper, Convex or Netlify?

Convex: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $25/developer/mo. Netlify: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at From $9/mo.

Which is easier to use, Convex or Netlify?

Netlify rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Marketers, freelancers and AI builders who want a simple, reliable place to put a website live without learning 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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