Convex vs MySQL for Solo Developers

Quick Comparison

Convex Overview

Convex is a full backend platform built for modern web applications. It includes a document database, server-side functions, file storage, scheduled tasks, and automatic realtime data synchronization. You write your backend as TypeScript functions, and the platform handles hosting, scaling, and pushing data updates to connected clients.

For solo developers, Convex is a shortcut. Instead of setting up a database, building an API server, configuring WebSockets, and managing deployment, you write functions and call them from your frontend. The React hooks handle subscriptions. The TypeScript types flow end-to-end. You ship features instead of infrastructure.

The free Starter tier covers 1 million function calls, 0.5 GB database storage, 1 GB file storage, 1 GB database bandwidth, and 1 GB egress per month. Past those limits you pay as you go, for example $2.20 per additional million function calls and $0.22 per extra GB of storage.

MySQL Overview

MySQL is one of the oldest and most popular relational databases. It powers everything from WordPress blogs to enterprise applications. You write SQL to create tables, insert data, and query it. The syntax is standardized, well-documented, and taught in every database course.

For solo developers, MySQL is a proven choice. It works with every major programming language and framework. You can run it locally for development, host it on a $5 VPS for production, or use managed services like PlanetScale, Railway, or AWS RDS. The tooling ecosystem is mature, with GUI clients, migration tools, and ORMs available for every stack.

MySQL is free and open source. You can self-host it indefinitely without paying for a license. For solo developers on a tight budget, this is a significant advantage.

Head-to-Head Comparison

By the Numbers (2026)

Specs and prices change, so here is where both projects actually stand as of late May 2026.

Convex

• Latest published client: the npm convex package is at version 1.39.1, licensed Apache-2.0.
• Adoption: roughly 731,000 downloads in the last week on npm, which signals real production usage rather than a side project.
• Open source: the self-hostable convex-backend repository carries about 11,700 GitHub stars and is written in TypeScript and Rust under the Functional Source License, which is source-available rather than fully open.
• Free Starter tier: 1M function calls, 0.5 GB database storage, 1 GB file storage, 1 GB database bandwidth, 1 GB egress per month.
• Professional tier: $25 per developer per month for 25M function calls, 50 GB database storage, and 100 GB file storage, with overage at $2.00 per million calls and $0.20 per GB of database storage.

MySQL

• Latest version: 9.7.0 LTS, released April 7, 2026. This is the first Long Term Support line since 8.4, which means five years of premier support plus three years of extended support and no behavior changes within the series.
• Open source: the mysql/mysql-server source mirror carries about 12,300 GitHub stars and is written primarily in C++.
• License and cost: Community Edition is free under GPLv2. Self-hosting carries no license fee. If you want managed MySQL instead, PlanetScale's entry Vitess plan (PS-10) starts at $39 per month, and a basic VPS to run it yourself can be a few dollars a month.

Real Cost at Solo-Dev Scale

Pricing comparisons are noise until you attach numbers to a real workload. Picture a solo-built app with steady early traction. Say 2,000 daily active users, each triggering around 40 backend operations per day, with a small 2 GB database. That is roughly 2.4 million backend operations per month.

On Convex, those 2.4 million operations sit just above the 1 million free function calls. The extra 1.4 million calls cost about 1.4 times $2.20, which is roughly $3.10 in overage, and the 2 GB database is 1.5 GB over the free 0.5 GB allowance at $0.22 per GB, about $0.33. So you stay on the free Starter tier and pay only a few dollars in usage, well under $5 for the month. Cross into heavier usage and the natural next step is Professional at $25 per developer per month, which then covers 25 million calls and 50 GB before you think about overages again.

On MySQL, the database itself is free. Your bill is whatever you pay to run it. A small VPS in the few-dollars-a-month range handles this workload comfortably, so call it roughly $5 to $10 per month and it is fixed regardless of how many operations your users trigger. If you would rather not manage a server, managed MySQL through PlanetScale's entry plan starts at $39 per month.

The pattern that matters for a solo dev: Convex bills by activity, so a quiet app is nearly free and a busy one climbs with usage, while self-hosted MySQL bills by the box, so cost is flat and predictable no matter how the traffic moves. Assumptions here are illustrative; plug your own operation counts and storage into the per-unit rates in the Sources before you commit.

When to Pick Convex

Pick Convex when you are building a React application and you want to avoid building a separate backend. If your project is a dashboard, a collaborative tool, a project management app, or anything where the frontend is the primary interface, Convex lets you write your entire backend as TypeScript functions and skip the API server entirely.

It is the right choice when realtime matters. If users need to see data changes instantly without refreshing, Convex's reactive queries handle this with zero additional code. Building the same feature with MySQL requires WebSockets, a pub/sub system, and manual cache invalidation.

Choose Convex when you prioritize development speed over long-term flexibility. The trade-off is vendor lock-in. Your Convex functions and data model do not transfer to another platform. But if your goal is to validate an idea fast and iterate quickly, that trade-off can be worth it.

When to Pick MySQL

Pick MySQL when you need a relational database that works with any tech stack. MySQL does not care if your frontend is React, Vue, Svelte, or a mobile app. It does not care if your backend is Node.js, Python, Go, Java, or PHP. It just stores and queries data.

It is the right choice when your data model is relational and you need complex queries. Joining multiple tables, running aggregations, using subqueries, and enforcing foreign key constraints are all things SQL was designed for. Convex's document model cannot replicate this.

Choose MySQL when cost control matters. You can run MySQL on a $5 VPS indefinitely. There is no metered pricing, no function call limits, and no risk of a surprise bill. For solo developers who want predictable costs, self-hosted MySQL is hard to beat.

MySQL also makes sense when you want to keep your options open. Your data lives in a standard SQL database that any tool can connect to. If you want to switch ORMs, frameworks, or hosting providers, MySQL goes with you.

The Verdict

Convex and MySQL serve different developer profiles. Convex is for React developers who want a complete backend platform with realtime features and minimal setup. MySQL is for developers who want a reliable, flexible relational database that works with anything.

For solo developers building React web applications where realtime data sync matters, Convex saves significant development time. You trade flexibility and vendor independence for speed and simplicity.

For solo developers building applications that need complex relational queries, work with multiple frontends, or require long-term portability, MySQL is the more practical choice. It has been reliable for over 25 years and it will be reliable for 25 more.

If you are unsure, consider what your application needs most. If it needs live collaboration and you want to ship fast, try Convex. If it needs complex data queries and you want maximum flexibility, go with MySQL and an ORM like Drizzle or Prisma. Both paths lead to a working product, but they optimize for different things.

Sources

All figures checked on May 28, 2026.

• Convex pricing tiers and per-unit overage rates: convex.dev/pricing
• Convex plan and project limits: docs.convex.dev/production/state/limits
• Convex npm client version and license: registry.npmjs.org/convex/latest
• Convex npm weekly downloads: api.npmjs.org/downloads/point/last-week/convex
• Convex self-host backend repository and stars: github.com/get-convex/convex-backend
• MySQL release model (Innovation and LTS): dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/9.1/en/mysql-releases.html
• MySQL Community Edition license and free download: mysql.com/products/community
• MySQL server source mirror and stars: github.com/mysql/mysql-server
• Managed MySQL entry pricing (PlanetScale): planetscale.com/pricing