Staxly

Strapi vs Convex

Leading open-source Node.js headless CMS — self-host or Cloud
vs. The reactive database where queries are TypeScript code

Strapi websiteConvex website

Pricing tiers

Strapi

Self-Hosted (OSS)
MIT-licensed Node.js CMS. Run free on any infra. Full admin + plugin ecosystem.
$0 base (usage-based)
Cloud Free (trial)
14-day free trial of Strapi Cloud.
Free
Cloud Essential
$18/month ($15 annual). 500k API requests, 50 GB asset bandwidth, 50 GB storage. Transparent overages.
$18/mo
Cloud Pro
$90/month. Higher quotas, faster support.
$90/mo
Cloud Scale
$450/month. Enterprise-grade infra, priority support.
$450/mo
Enterprise Edition (self-host)
Self-host + Enterprise license. SSO/SAML, audit logs, review workflows, content releases.
Custom
Strapi website

Convex

Starter (Free)
Free with overage via usage-based billing. Great for prototypes.
Free
Professional
$25/developer/month. Overage: $2/M function calls. Daily backups, email support, custom domains.
$25/mo
Business / Enterprise
From $2,500/month. SAML/SSO, SLA, dedicated deployments, Slack Connect support.
$2500/mo
Convex website

Free-tier quotas head-to-head

Comparing self-hosted on Strapi vs starter on Convex.

MetricStrapiConvex
db storage gb0.5 GB
deployments40 deployments
egress gb month1 GB/month
file storage gb1 GB
function calls month1000000 calls/month
team members6 users

Features

Strapi · 16 features

  • Audit Logs (EE)Track every admin action.
  • ComponentsReusable field groups shared across content types.
  • Content Types BuilderVisual schema builder — fields, relations, components, dynamic zones.
  • Custom FieldsPlugin-based custom field types (color picker, markdown, etc.).
  • Draft & PublishTwo-phase publishing workflow.
  • Dynamic ZonesFlexible page builder — authors pick components to add.
  • GraphQL API (plugin)Optional GraphQL layer via official plugin.
  • InternationalizationMulti-locale content out of the box.
  • Media LibraryUpload + organize media. Providers: local, S3, Cloudinary, DO Spaces.
  • Releases (EE)Bundle content changes and publish atomically.
  • REST API (auto-gen)Auto-generated REST endpoints per content type. Full CRUD + filters.
  • Review Workflows (EE)Approval-based content workflows.
  • Role-Based Access ControlPer-role permissions at content type + field level.
  • SSO / SAML (EE)Enterprise identity for admin users.
  • Strapi CloudFully-managed hosting of Strapi instances.
  • WebhooksBuilt-in webhooks on content lifecycle events.

Convex · 18 features

  • ActionsNon-deterministic functions for external I/O (fetch, AI APIs, email). Cannot rea
  • AuthenticationConvex Auth (built-in) or BYO provider (Clerk, Auth0, Kinde, WorkOS). ID tokens
  • Convex AgentsAI agent framework with durable memory, threads, tool use. Works with OpenAI / A
  • Convex AuthFirst-party auth library: passwords, magic links, OAuth, phone — stored in your
  • Convex ComponentsReusable backend modules (rate limiter, workflow, aggregate, action-retrier, etc
  • Cron JobsRecurring schedules defined in convex/crons.ts. UTC, cron-style patterns.
  • Durable WorkflowsLong-running multi-step workflows with retries and at-least-once guarantees.
  • Exception ReportingAuto-capture errors to Sentry, Axiom, Datadog.
  • File StorageUpload/download via storage API. Returns storage IDs referenced in documents.
  • Full-Text SearchBM25 search index on table fields. withSearchIndex query helper.
  • HTTP ActionsExpose public HTTP endpoints for webhooks, OAuth callbacks, third-party integrat
  • Log StreamsStream function logs to Axiom, Datadog, Sentry. Pro+.
  • MutationsTransactional write functions. All reads + writes in one mutation are ACID; conf
  • Preview DeploymentsEvery Git branch gets its own isolated deployment. Integrates with Vercel/Netlif
  • QueriesDeterministic read-only TS functions. Automatically cached and re-run when under
  • Real-Time SubscriptionsuseQuery auto-subscribes; server invalidates when data a query read changes. No
  • Schedulerschedule.after / schedule.at — enqueue functions to run later. Durable, survives
  • Vector SearchNative vector index on tables. withIndex + filter fields. Up to 4096 dims.

Developer interfaces

KindStrapiConvex
CLIStrapi CLIConvex CLI
SDK@strapi/client (JS)Android / Kotlin Client, iOS / Swift Client, JavaScript/TypeScript Client, Next.js Integration, Python Client, React Client (useQuery), Rust Client, Svelte Client, Vue Client
RESTAdmin REST API, Strapi Content REST APIDeploy / Dashboard API, HTTP Actions
GRAPHQLGraphQL API (plugin)
OTHERWebhooksWebSocket Subscriptions
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