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RavenDB vs Convex

RavenDB logo

RavenDB

Software

The fully transactional NoSQL document database

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
C

Convex

Software

The reactive backend platform that keeps up with you and your agents

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only RavenDB has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: RavenDB the free Developer licence bars commercial use and expires every 6 months, requiring renewal; Convex the Free and Starter tier includes only 1 million function calls and 0.5 GB of database storage per month before per-unit overage charges of $2.20 per million calls apply, as of August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which RavenDB and Convex actually diverge.

Attributes where RavenDB and Convex differ
AttributeRavenDBConvex
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreemiumusage-based
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsLinux, Windows, Mac, Docker, WebWeb
Founded2010Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 RavenDB

  • ACID Transactions
  • Auto-indexing
  • Full-text Search
  • Graph Queries
  • Distributed Counters
  • Time Series
  • Document Compression
  • .NET

Only in Convex

Nothing recorded that RavenDB does not also cover.

What people use each for

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

RavenDB

  • Running a distributed document database with ACID transactionsnot Convex
  • Self hosting a multi node database cluster on your own hardwarenot Convex
  • Replicating operational data out to analytics systems through ETLnot Convex

Convex

No use cases recorded yet. See the Convex review.

Where each one falls short

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

RavenDB

  • The free Developer licence bars commercial use and expires every 6 months, requiring renewal
  • The free Community licence caps a customer at 60 cores and forces you to stay on the latest major version
  • The Professional licence is limited to a single database, a 5 node cluster, 40 cores and 240 GB RAM
  • Sharding across nodes, ETL to OLAP, Elasticsearch and Kafka, and data archival are Enterprise only
  • Enterprise and AI licence pricing is contact us only with no published rate

Convex

  • The Free and Starter tier includes only 1 million function calls and 0.5 GB of database storage per month before per-unit overage charges of $2.20 per million calls apply, as of August 2026.

Pricing, plan by plan

RavenDB

Free
  • CommunityFree
    • 3 cores
    • 6GB RAM
    • Community support
  • Professional$499/year
    • Production use
    • Professional support
    • Advanced features

Convex

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Convex review.

Which should you pick?

Choose RavenDB if

  • You need acid transactions.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Windows, Mac, Docker, Web.
  • You also want auto-indexing.
RavenDB review

Choose Convex if

Nothing in the data separates Convex from RavenDB on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Convex review

Questions people ask

Is RavenDB or Convex better?
Neither clearly leads. RavenDB starts at Free and Convex at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, RavenDB or Convex?
RavenDB has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for RavenDB and On request for Convex.
Does RavenDB or Convex run on more platforms?
RavenDB runs on Linux, Windows, Mac, Docker, Web. Convex runs on Web.
Can I use RavenDB for free?
Yes. RavenDB has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Convex starts at On request.
What is RavenDB best used for?
RavenDB is most often used for running a distributed document database with acid transactions, self hosting a multi node database cluster on your own hardware, replicating operational data out to analytics systems through etl. Of those, running a distributed document database with acid transactions and self hosting a multi node database cluster on your own hardware are not what Convex is typically brought in for.
What can RavenDB do that Convex cannot?
RavenDB covers ACID Transactions, Auto-indexing, Full-text Search, Graph Queries.
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