Databases · head to head
Convex vs GitLab CI/CD
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
GitLab CI/CD
Developer Tools
Automatically build, test, deploy, and monitor your applications with GitLab CI/CD
- From
- Free
- Free plan
- Yes
The short version
- GitLab CI/CD is free; Convex starts at $25/mo.
- Where GitLab CI/CD falls short: compute minute quotas for Premium and Ultimate tiers not disclosed in documentation.
- Prices and features on this page were last checked on 13 November 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Convex and GitLab CI/CD actually diverge.
| Attribute | Convex | GitLab CI/CD |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Subscription | Freemium |
| Category | Databases | Developer Tools |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web).
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 GitLab CI/CD
Nothing recorded that Convex does not also cover.
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 GitLab CI/CD
- Agent backends that need durable state, scheduled work and transactional writes without assembling a queue, a database and a cachenot GitLab CI/CD
- Small product teams who need a complete backend, including auth integration, file storage and subscriptions, without hiring infrastructure engineersnot GitLab CI/CD
- Prototypes that must become production without a rewrite of the data layer, where end-to-end TypeScript types remove a class of integration bugsnot GitLab CI/CD
GitLab CI/CD
- Reducing open source project infrastructure costs with public project discountsnot Convex
- Enforcing monthly CI/CD spending limits and quota notificationsnot Convex
- Allocating compute minutes to open source contributors affordablynot Convex
- Forecasting CI/CD spending patterns across multiple projectsnot Convex
- Providing private runners for cost control without owning infrastructurenot 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
GitLab CI/CD
- Compute minute quotas for Premium and Ultimate tiers not disclosed in documentation
- Additional compute minutes beyond quota incur charges; exact pricing not specified
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
GitLab CI/CD
Free- FreeFree
- 400 compute minutes per month for free tier namespaces
- Linux x86-64 runners at 1x cost factor
- PremiumOn request
- Higher monthly compute minute quotas than free tier
- Additional compute minutes available for purchase
- UltimateOn request
- Highest monthly compute minute allocations
- Additional compute minutes available for purchase
Which should you pick?
Choose Convex if
- You need reactive queries.
- You want to start without paying.
- You also want typescript server functions.
Questions people ask
- Is Convex or GitLab CI/CD better?
- Neither clearly leads. Convex starts at Free and GitLab CI/CD at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Convex or GitLab CI/CD?
- Convex starts at Free and GitLab CI/CD at Free.
- Does Convex or GitLab CI/CD run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- 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 GitLab CI/CD is typically brought in for.
- What can Convex do that GitLab CI/CD cannot?
- Convex covers Reactive queries, TypeScript server functions, ACID transactions, Document database.
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.
GitLab CI/CD: How many GitLab CI compute minutes does the free tier include?
The free tier of GitLab CI includes 400 compute minutes per month for free tier namespaces on GitLab.com.
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.
GitLab CI/CD: What is the cost factor for different GitLab CI runner types?
Linux x86-64 small runners cost 1x; medium runners cost 2x; large runners cost 3x. macOS and Windows runners have cost factors of 6-12x and are in beta status.
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.
GitLab CI/CD: Do public open-source projects get discounts on GitLab CI compute minutes?
Public open-source projects receive a 0.5x discount on compute minutes. Public forks of GitLab open-source projects receive a 0.008x discount.
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.
Convex: 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.
Related pages
More on GitLab CI/CD
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