Convex vs Gel
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted developer tools & git options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Convex | Gel |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 94 · Excellent | 64 · Good |
| Category | Developer Tools & Git | Developer Tools & Git |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 12,604 | ★ 14,169 |
| First released | 2024 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Firebase | Firebase, Supabase |
What are Convex and Gel?
Convex
Convex is an open-source reactive application backend that combines a database, server functions and realtime sync addressed entirely through TypeScript. The backend can be self-hosted with Docker.
- Reactive database
- TypeScript functions
- Realtime sync
- Self-hostable
Gel
Gel, formerly EdgeDB, is an open-source database built on PostgreSQL that combines a strongly typed schema with a powerful query language. It can be self-hosted as the data layer for application development.
- Graph-relational model
- Typed schema and migrations
- Built on PostgreSQL
- Modern query language
Convex vs Gel: key differences
Convex is written in TypeScript, while Gel is built with Python. Gel is the more established project (first released 2019), while Convex arrived in 2024.
Why pick each one
Choose Convex if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 12.6k GitHub stars
- Written in TypeScript
Choose Gel if…
- Strongly typed schema
- Built on PostgreSQL
- Built-in migrations
Watch out for
- New query language to learn
- Smaller ecosystem than SQL
Frequently asked questions
Is Convex or Gel better?
Neither is universally better. Gel has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Convex and Gel free and open-source?
Yes. Convex is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Gel under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Convex and Gel with Docker?
Convex: yes. Gel: yes.