Convex vs SQLite for Solo Developers

Quick Comparison

Convex Overview

Convex is a full backend platform that includes a document database, server-side functions, file storage, scheduling, and automatic realtime subscriptions. You define your schema in TypeScript, write query and mutation functions, and call them from your React frontend. Data changes propagate to all connected clients automatically.

For solo developers, Convex eliminates the need to build a backend. No API server, no database hosting, no WebSocket infrastructure. You write functions, call them from your UI, and the platform handles everything else. The TypeScript types flow from your schema through your functions into your components, so the entire stack is type-safe.

The free plan provides 1 million function calls per month, 0.5 GB database storage, and 1 GB file storage, all as hard caps. More than enough to build and launch a real product. If you want usage to spill over past those limits instead of stopping, you switch to the Starter plan, which is still $0 base but bills pay-as-you-go for anything above the included amounts.

SQLite Overview

SQLite is the most widely deployed database in the world. It runs as an embedded library inside your application, stores data in a single file, and requires zero configuration. There is no separate server process. You link the library, open a file, and start writing SQL.

For solo developers, SQLite is simplicity itself. No connection strings, no passwords, no hosted infrastructure to manage. Your database is a file on disk. Back it up by copying the file. Deploy it by shipping it with your application. Test it by using a fresh file. SQLite handles up to a terabyte of data and serves reads faster than most client-server databases because there is no network overhead.

SQLite has experienced a renaissance in web development. Projects like Turso, LiteFS, and Litestream have solved the deployment challenges that used to limit SQLite to desktop and mobile apps. You can now use SQLite for web applications with replication, backups, and multi-region distribution.

Head-to-Head Comparison

By the Numbers (2026)

Voice and vibe are one thing. Here are the verified figures as of May 28, 2026, so you can compare the two on hard data rather than reputation.

A few of these comparisons are apples-to-oranges by design, and that tells you something real. SQLite has no star count because it predates GitHub-as-default and ships as a C amalgamation you copy into your project, not a package you star. Convex has a star count and a weekly download number because it lives inside the npm and React ecosystem. The measurement gap is the maturity gap.

Two clarifications on the Convex license. The hosted Convex product you pay $25/developer/month for is a managed SaaS. The open-source convex-backend you can self-host carries the Functional Source License, which is source-available rather than a classic OSI-approved open-source license. If "I can run this on my own box forever with no vendor in the loop" is the bar, SQLite clears it cleanly and Convex clears it with an asterisk.

Real Cost at Solo-Dev Scale

The headline "free tier, then $25/mo" hides the actual question a solo dev cares about, which is what you pay in month one and what you pay once you have real traffic. Here is the math with the current published rates.

Assume a realistic small product. One developer, a side project that grows into a modest SaaS, roughly 3 million function calls per month once it has paying users, 2 GB of database storage, and 5 GB of file storage. These are the assumptions; swap in your own and rerun the numbers.

Convex, early stage (under the free caps). Below 1 million function calls per month, 0.5 GB database, and 1 GB file storage, you pay nothing. A pre-launch or low-traffic project sits here for as long as it stays small. Cost: $0.

Convex, the example workload on the Starter plan. Starter has a $0 base and bills overage. At 3 million function calls you are 2 million over the 1 million included, billed at $2.20 per additional million, so $4.40. At 2 GB database you are 1.5 GB over the 0.5 GB included, billed at $0.22 per GB, so $0.33. At 5 GB file storage you are 4 GB over the 1 GB included, billed at $0.033 per GB, so $0.13. Total is roughly $4.86 per month, plus egress and compute overages depending on your access patterns. Call it under $10 in practice.

Convex, the Professional plan. If you want the higher included allowances and team headroom, Professional is $25 per developer per month and bundles 25 million function calls, 50 GB database, and 100 GB file storage. For a solo dev the example workload fits comfortably inside those included amounts, so the bill is a flat $25 with no overage. The decision between Starter pay-as-you-go and a flat $25 comes down to whether your usage is spiky and small (Starter wins) or steady and growing (Professional buys predictability).

SQLite, the same workload. SQLite is public domain, so the database itself costs $0 at any scale. Your only cost is the box it runs on, and SQLite runs in-process on the same server as your app. A single $5 to $6 per month VPS handles all of the above, since 2 GB of data and 5 GB of files is trivial for a single-file embedded database. If you add Turso or Litestream for replication and backups, that introduces its own pricing, but plain self-hosted SQLite on the server you already pay for adds nothing to the bill. Cost: effectively $0 on top of hosting you already have.

The pattern is clear. SQLite's marginal cost is zero and stays zero because you own the whole stack. Convex's cost is also near-zero while you are small, then becomes a predictable line item once you cross into real usage, and in exchange it removes the entire category of work that the SQLite path leaves on your plate, namely the API server, the realtime layer, and the hosting glue. You are not really paying for storage. You are paying to not build a backend.

When to Pick Convex

Pick Convex when you are building a web application that needs realtime features and you want to skip all backend infrastructure. If your app involves collaboration, live updates, or any scenario where multiple users see the same data change in real time, Convex handles this automatically without any additional code.

It is the right choice when you are a React or Next.js developer and you want the fastest path from idea to deployed product. The Convex React hooks integrate so cleanly that calling your backend feels like accessing local state. No fetch calls, no loading state management for subscriptions, no manual refetching.

Choose Convex when your project justifies a managed platform. If you are building something you plan to grow into a real product with real users, having your backend managed by Convex means you can focus on features instead of infrastructure.

When to Pick SQLite

Pick SQLite when simplicity is the priority. If your project is a personal tool, a content site, a small SaaS with single-region deployment, or anything where you want to minimize moving parts, SQLite is the most reliable database on the planet. Literally. It runs on Mars rovers.

It is the right choice when budget is a concern. SQLite is free. Not "free tier" free. Public domain, will-never-cost-you-anything free. You can run your database on the same $5 server that runs your application. No separate database hosting bill.

Choose SQLite when your application is read-heavy. SQLite reads are incredibly fast because there is no network hop between your application and the database. The data is right there in the process. For content sites, analytics dashboards, and read-heavy APIs, this performance advantage is significant.

SQLite also makes sense for local-first applications. Desktop apps, mobile apps, and CLI tools that need to store structured data locally. SQLite was designed for this use case and it excels at it.

The Verdict

Convex and SQLite sit at opposite ends of the backend complexity spectrum. Convex gives you a fully managed reactive backend. SQLite gives you a single file.

For solo developers building reactive web applications with React, Convex is hard to beat for speed of development. You trade control and flexibility for a dramatically faster development experience. The managed nature means less to maintain, and the automatic realtime features would take days or weeks to build yourself.

For solo developers who value simplicity, cost savings, and full control over their stack, SQLite is the foundation you can build anything on. Pair it with an ORM like Drizzle, deploy it with Turso or Litestream for replication, and you have a production database that costs nothing and runs anywhere.

My suggestion: if your application needs realtime collaboration features, start with Convex. If it does not, start with SQLite. You will ship either way, and you can always reassess as your product evolves.

Sources

All figures verified on May 28, 2026.

• Convex pricing tiers and per-unit overage rates: convex.dev/pricing
• Convex free plan hard caps vs Starter usage-based limits, execution-time and document-size limits: docs.convex.dev/production/state/limits
• Convex backend repo (stars, forks, language, license): github.com/get-convex/convex-backend
• Convex client latest version (1.39.1) and release date: registry.npmjs.org/convex
• Convex client weekly download count: api.npmjs.org/downloads/point/last-week/convex
• SQLite latest version (3.53.1) and release history: sqlite.org/chronology.html
• SQLite download page (version cross-check): sqlite.org/download.html
• SQLite public-domain license: sqlite.org/copyright.html
• SQLite deployment estimate (over 1 trillion in active use): sqlite.org/mostdeployed.html