Databases · head to head
Convex vs SQLite
Convex
Databases
Reactive backend combining a document database, TypeScript server functions and live queries, source-available under the Functional Source Licence.
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: 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.; SQLite supports only serialized write operations; only one process can modify the database at any moment, limiting concurrent users
- They diverge on capability: Convex covers Reactive queries, SQLite covers Serverless Operation.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Convex and SQLite actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Databases).
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 SQLite
- Serverless Operation
- Zero Configuration
- Single File Database
- Cross-platform
- Full SQL Support
- ACID Compliance
- Self-contained
- Browser Storage
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 SQLite
- Agent backends that need durable state, scheduled work and transactional writes without assembling a queue, a database and a cachenot SQLite
- Small product teams who need a complete backend, including auth integration, file storage and subscriptions, without hiring infrastructure engineersnot SQLite
- Prototypes that must become production without a rewrite of the data layer, where end-to-end TypeScript types remove a class of integration bugsnot SQLite
SQLite
- Transaction processingnot Convex
- Data storagenot Convex
- Application backendnot Convex
- Reportingnot Convex
- Data analyticsnot 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.
SQLite
- Supports only serialized write operations; only one process can modify the database at any moment, limiting concurrent users
- No multi-user support or granular access control; relies on file system permissions for security only
- Limited ALTER TABLE functionality cannot edit or modify columns in existing tables
Pricing, plan by plan
Convex
Free- Free & StarterFree
- Supports 1-6 developers
- Reactive database
- File storage
- Professional$25/month per developer
- Supports up to 20 developers
- All Starter features
- Log streaming
- Business & Enterprise$2500/month minimum
- Supports 50+ developers
- SAML/SSO
- Service SLAs
SQLite
Free- Public DomainFree
- Serverless
- Zero-configuration
- Cross-platform
Which should you pick?
Choose Convex if
- You need reactive queries.
- You want to start without paying.
- You also want typescript server functions.
Choose SQLite if
- You need serverless operation.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Linux, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android.
- You also want zero configuration.
Questions people ask
- Is Convex or SQLite better?
- Neither clearly leads. Convex starts at Free and SQLite at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Convex or SQLite?
- Convex starts at Free and SQLite at Free.
- Does Convex or SQLite run on more platforms?
- Convex runs on Web. SQLite runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android.
- 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 SQLite is typically brought in for.
- What can Convex do that SQLite cannot?
- Convex covers Reactive queries, TypeScript server functions, ACID transactions, Document database. SQLite covers Serverless Operation, Zero Configuration, Single File Database, Cross-platform.
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.
SQLite: Is SQLite free and open source?
Yes, SQLite is open source and in the public domain. The complete source code and binaries are free to download and use for any purpose without restrictions.
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.
SQLite: How does SQLite work and what is its design?
SQLite is a self-contained, serverless SQL database engine that reads and writes directly to disk files. It requires no separate server process and runs within your application, making it ideal for embedded systems and local storage.
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.
SQLite: What are SQLite's limitations for scaling?
SQLite does not support true multi-user concurrency. Only one process can write to the database at a time, and it lacks user management and access control features. It is designed for small to medium projects, not enterprise applications with many concurrent users.
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.
SQLite: Can I use SQLite for production web applications?
SQLite can work for single-server web applications with modest concurrency needs. However, it lacks features like user management, granular security, and sophisticated query optimization needed for large-scale applications.
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.
Related pages
Other head to heads
- Convex vs PostgreSQL
- Convex vs Airtable
- Convex vs Cockroach Labs
- Convex vs Amazon Aurora
- Convex vs Readyset
- Convex vs FaunaDB
- Convex vs LanceDB
- Convex vs Xata
- Convex vs Materialize
- Convex vs BigQuery
- Convex vs dbt
- Convex vs Apache Doris
- Convex vs ArangoDB
- Convex vs Canary Labs
- Convex vs Chroma
- Convex vs Cloudinary
- Convex vs DynamoDB
- Convex vs Apache Solr
- Convex vs DuckDB
- Convex vs MariaDB
- Convex vs Oracle Database
- Convex vs DataGrip
- Convex vs Google Cloud SQL
- Convex vs Microsoft SQL Server
- Convex vs IBM Db2
- Convex vs Turso
- Convex vs Immuta
- Convex vs TimescaleDB
- SQLite vs PostgreSQL
- SQLite vs Airtable
- SQLite vs Cockroach Labs
- SQLite vs Amazon Aurora
- SQLite vs Readyset
- SQLite vs FaunaDB
- SQLite vs LanceDB
- SQLite vs Xata
- SQLite vs Materialize
- SQLite vs BigQuery
- SQLite vs dbt
- SQLite vs Apache Doris
- SQLite vs ArangoDB
- SQLite vs Canary Labs
- SQLite vs Chroma
- SQLite vs Cloudinary
- SQLite vs DynamoDB
- SQLite vs Apache Solr
- SQLite vs DuckDB
- SQLite vs MariaDB
- SQLite vs Oracle Database
- SQLite vs DataGrip
- SQLite vs Google Cloud SQL
- SQLite vs Microsoft SQL Server
- SQLite vs IBM Db2
- SQLite vs Turso
- SQLite vs Immuta
- SQLite vs TimescaleDB