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APIs · head to head

Convoy vs RudderStack

Convoy logo

Convoy

APIs

Open source webhooks gateway you self-host, handling both sending and receiving

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
RudderStack logo

RudderStack

Automation Integration

The open-source customer data platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Convoy the default deployment is self-hosted, so you operate Convoy plus Postgres and Redis and carry the on-call burden for the system that delivers your customers' events.; RudderStack on the free plan data processing stops after a second consecutive overage rather than being billed, so exceeding 250,000 events twice breaks the pipeline
  • They diverge on capability: Convoy covers Inbound and outbound, RudderStack covers Data collection.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Convoy and RudderStack actually diverge.

Attributes where Convoy and RudderStack differ
AttributeConvoyRudderStack
Pricing modelPer month, flat rate regardless of volumefreemium
PlatformsLinux, Docker, Kubernetes, CloudWeb, Self-hosted
CategoryAPIsAutomation Integration
FoundedUnknown2018

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Convoy

  • Inbound and outbound
  • Broker-driven ingestion
  • Payload transformation
  • Portal links
  • Circuit breaking
  • Retry policies
  • OpenTelemetry export
  • Role-based access control

Only in RudderStack

  • Data collection
  • Event tracking
  • Audience segmentation
  • Warehouse ingestion
  • Real-time sync
  • Data transformation
  • Privacy controls
  • 200+ destinations

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Convoy

  • A fintech that cannot route customer webhook traffic through a third-party SaaS for compliance reasonsnot RudderStack
  • A high-volume platform for which per-message webhook pricing costs more than the flat premium licencenot RudderStack
  • A team that also receives webhooks from many providers and wants ingestion, verification and deduplication in the same gatewaynot RudderStack
  • An engineering group that wants webhook delivery driven directly from an existing Kafka or SQS topicnot RudderStack

RudderStack

  • Collecting event data from apps and websites and routing it to warehouses and toolsnot Convoy
  • Building a warehouse first customer data pipelinenot Convoy

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Convoy

  • The default deployment is self-hosted, so you operate Convoy plus Postgres and Redis and carry the on-call burden for the system that delivers your customers' events.
  • Frain Technologies is a small startup, and putting customer-facing delivery infrastructure on it means accepting real vendor continuity risk on a component that is hard to swap out quickly.
  • The premium tier at a flat 999 US dollars a month is poor value below substantial volume, while the community edition omits the portal, transformations and RBAC that most production deployments end up wanting.
  • The hosted cloud trial is capped at one project and 100 events a day, which is too small to properly evaluate the service before committing.
  • Documentation and the third-party ecosystem are thinner than the established webhook services, so unusual configurations often mean reading the Go source.

RudderStack

  • On the free plan data processing stops after a second consecutive overage rather than being billed, so exceeding 250,000 events twice breaks the pipeline
  • The free plan allows 250,000 events a month
  • Growth starts at $265 a month for 1 million events, with volume sold in tiers up to 25 million
  • Overage is charged as the gap to the next tier's price rather than per event, so a small excess costs a full tier step

Pricing, plan by plan

Convoy

Free
  • CommunityFree
    • Self-hosted open source gateway
    • Inbound and outbound webhooks
    • Automatic retries and message broker support
  • Premium$999/month
    • Flat rate irrespective of message volume
    • Portal links and payload transformation
    • RBAC, circuit breaking and white labelling
  • Enterprise$undefined/year
    • SAML SSO
    • Dedicated support with SLA
    • On-premises deployment assistance
  • Cloud$undefined/month
    • Hosted by Convoy
    • 14 day trial limited to one project and 100 events a day
    • Usage-based tiers above the trial

RudderStack

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 250K events per month
    • 16 SDK sources
    • 200+ cloud destinations
  • Growth$265/month
    • 1 million events per month (up to 25 million available)
    • Unlimited team members
    • Tracking plans
  • Enterprise$null/mo
    • 5-minute warehouse sync
    • Unlimited transformations
    • Access to Profiles & Data Apps

Which should you pick?

Choose Convoy if

  • You need inbound and outbound.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Cloud.
  • You also want broker-driven ingestion.
Convoy review

Choose RudderStack if

  • You need data collection.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Self-hosted.
  • You also want event tracking.
RudderStack review

Questions people ask

Is Convoy or RudderStack better?
Neither clearly leads. Convoy starts at Free and RudderStack at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Convoy or RudderStack?
Convoy starts at Free and RudderStack at Free.
Does Convoy or RudderStack run on more platforms?
Convoy runs on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Cloud. RudderStack runs on Web, Self-hosted.
Can I use Convoy for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Convoy best used for?
Convoy is most often used for a fintech that cannot route customer webhook traffic through a third-party saas for compliance reasons, a high-volume platform for which per-message webhook pricing costs more than the flat premium licence, a team that also receives webhooks from many providers and wants ingestion, verification and deduplication in the same gateway, an engineering group that wants webhook delivery driven directly from an existing kafka or sqs topic. Of those, a fintech that cannot route customer webhook traffic through a third-party saas for compliance reasons and a high-volume platform for which per-message webhook pricing costs more than the flat premium licence are not what RudderStack is typically brought in for.
What can Convoy do that RudderStack cannot?
Convoy covers Inbound and outbound, Broker-driven ingestion, Payload transformation, Portal links. RudderStack covers Data collection, Event tracking, Audience segmentation, Warehouse ingestion.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Convoy: Is Convoy really open source?

Yes, the community edition is open source and self-hostable, covering both inbound and outbound webhooks with retries.

RudderStack: What is RudderStack's free plan limit?

RudderStack's free plan includes 250K events per month with 16 SDK sources, 200+ cloud destinations, warehouse destinations, and Reverse ETL at no cost.

Source
Convoy: What does premium cost?

A flat 999 US dollars a month, self-hosted, regardless of message volume.

RudderStack: How much does RudderStack Growth plan cost?

RudderStack Growth plan costs $265 per month with annual billing discount available, providing 1 million events per month (up to 25 million available), unlimited team members, and 2 workspaces.

Source
Convoy: Does it receive webhooks as well as send them?

Yes, inbound ingestion with verification and deduplication is a first-class feature, unlike most webhook services.

RudderStack: What happens if I exceed my RudderStack event limit?

On the free plan, data processing stops after your second consecutive overage. Paid plan customers face overage fees calculated as the difference between the next tier's pricing and their current plan.

Source
Convoy: Do I have to self-host?

No, there is a hosted cloud, but the trial is capped at 100 events a day and self-hosting is the primary model.

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