Databases · head to head
Convex vs Docker
Convex
Databases
Reactive backend combining a document database, TypeScript server functions and live queries, source-available under the Functional Source Licence.
- From
- Free
- Free plan
- Yes
Docker
Developer Tools
Accelerate how you build, share, and run applications
- From
- Free
- Free plan
- Yes
The short version
- Free plans on both; paid from $25/mo and $11/mo.
- Only Convex lists reactive queries; only Docker lists container runtime.
- Where Docker falls short: shared kernel creates security vulnerabilities when containers share the same OS kernel that can bypass container isolation.
- Prices and features on this page were last checked on 13 November 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Convex and Docker actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes).
Not yet recorded: pricing model for Docker, founded for Convex.
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Convex
- Reactive queries
- TypeScript server functions
- ACID transactions
- Document database
- Scheduling and workflows
- File storage
- Text and vector search
- End-to-end types
Only in Docker
- Container runtime
- Docker Desktop
- Docker Hub
- Docker Compose
- Container images
- Dockerfile
- Docker Swarm
- BuildKit
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Convex
- Collaborative applications where several users see the same data and every client must reflect a change immediatelynot Docker
- Agent backends that need durable state, scheduled work and transactional writes without assembling a queue, a database and a cachenot Docker
- Small product teams who need a complete backend, including auth integration, file storage and subscriptions, without hiring infrastructure engineersnot Docker
- Prototypes that must become production without a rewrite of the data layer, where end-to-end TypeScript types remove a class of integration bugsnot Docker
Docker
- Application containerizationnot Convex
- Microservicesnot Convex
- CI/CD pipelinesnot Convex
- Development environmentsnot Convex
- Cloud migrationnot Convex
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Convex
- The Functional Source Licence is not an OSI open source licence: competing use is prohibited until each release reaches its second anniversary and converts to Apache 2.0, so you may self-host but you may not build a service on it
- Transactions are bounded at one second of user code, 16 MiB read and written, 32,000 documents scanned and 16,000 written, so every backfill, migration or bulk import has to be chunked into scheduled batches rather than written as a single operation
- There is no SQL and no query planner; you declare up to 32 indexes per table and traverse them, and joins are loops in TypeScript, so an unanticipated access pattern requires a schema and index change rather than a new query
- It is not an analytical database, so reporting means streaming data out to a warehouse and BI tools cannot be pointed at Convex directly, which adds a pipeline the architecture diagram did not originally include
- The application is written against Convex's function and client APIs rather than a standard protocol, so leaving means rewriting the data access layer and replacing the reactivity model, not repointing a connection string
Docker
- Shared kernel creates security vulnerabilities when containers share the same OS kernel that can bypass container isolation
- Daemon socket exposure grants full root access to the host if compromised
- Requires careful secrets management - credentials embedded in images or environment variables are easily harvested by attackers
- Resource management complexity - misbehaving or compromised containers can consume all resources causing denial of service
- Orchestration complexity - Docker Swarm is less capable than Kubernetes, requiring external tools for production deployments
Pricing, plan by plan
Convex
Free- Free & StarterFree
- Supports 1-6 developers
- Reactive database
- File storage
- Professional$25
- Supports up to 20 developers
- All Starter features
- Log streaming
- Business & Enterprise$2,500/month minimum
- Supports 50+ developers
- SAML/SSO
- Service SLAs
Docker
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Docker review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Convex if
- You need reactive queries.
- You want to start without paying.
- You also want typescript server functions.
Choose Docker if
- You need container runtime.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Linux, macOS, Windows.
- You also want docker desktop.
Questions people ask
- Is Convex or Docker better?
- Neither clearly leads. Convex starts at Free and Docker at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Convex or Docker?
- Convex starts at Free and Docker at Free.
- Does Convex or Docker run on more platforms?
- Convex runs on Web. Docker runs on Linux, macOS, Windows.
- Can I use Convex for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Convex best used for?
- Convex is most often used for collaborative applications where several users see the same data and every client must reflect a change immediately, agent backends that need durable state, scheduled work and transactional writes without assembling a queue, a database and a cache, small product teams who need a complete backend, including auth integration, file storage and subscriptions, without hiring infrastructure engineers, prototypes that must become production without a rewrite of the data layer, where end-to-end typescript types remove a class of integration bugs. Of those, collaborative applications where several users see the same data and every client must reflect a change immediately and agent backends that need durable state, scheduled work and transactional writes without assembling a queue, a database and a cache are not what Docker is typically brought in for.
- What can Convex do that Docker cannot?
- Convex covers Reactive queries, TypeScript server functions, ACID transactions, Document database. Docker covers Container runtime, Docker Desktop, Docker Hub, Docker Compose.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Convex: Is Convex open source?
It is source-available under FSL-1.1-Apache-2.0. You may read, modify and self-host it, but competing use is prohibited until each release converts to Apache 2.0 on its second anniversary.
Docker: What is Docker pricing?
Docker offers a freemium model with Docker Personal free, Docker Pro at $11/user/month, Docker Team at $16/user/month, and Docker Business at $24/user/month. Each tier includes Docker Desktop, Docker Hub, and Docker Scout with different usage limits.
SourceConvex: Can I self-host it?
Yes. The backend, dashboard and CLI can run on your own infrastructure, with most of the features of the cloud product. Self-hosted instances include a telemetry beacon that can be disabled.
Docker: Can I use Docker in production?
Yes. Docker is used extensively in production environments. However, for container orchestration at scale, Kubernetes is typically paired with Docker to automate deployment, scaling, and management across clusters.
SourceConvex: Does it support SQL?
No. Data is accessed through a TypeScript query builder over declared indexes. Relationships are traversed in code, which is explicit and type-safe but means no ad hoc querying.
Docker: What are the main security concerns with Docker?
Key security risks include container breakout vulnerabilities through shared kernel exploits, daemon socket exposure that grants root access if compromised, weak isolation between containers, and credential leakage if secrets are embedded in images.
SourceConvex: What happens if a mutation exceeds the limits?
It fails rather than running longer, so bulk work must be split into batches and scheduled. The limits are per transaction: one second of user code, 16 MiB read and written, 32,000 documents scanned and 16,000 written.
Docker: Does Docker integrate with CI/CD systems?
Yes. Docker integrates with Jenkins, GitHub, and other CI/CD systems. The typical workflow involves GitHub repositories triggering automated builds in Jenkins, which prepare Dockerfiles and push images to Docker Hub for deployment.
SourceConvex: How does reactivity actually work?
Queries are deterministic functions and Convex records the data each one read. When a mutation changes that data, affected queries are re-run and subscribed clients receive the new result, so cache invalidation is handled by the platform.
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