head to head · open source
PocketBase vs Convex
PocketBase has 61,103 GitHub stars, 3,694 forks, 19 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. Convex has 12,583 stars, 814 forks, 220 open issues and last shipped yesterday. PocketBase leads on adoption by 386% (61,103 vs 12,583 stars). PocketBase is written in Go under MIT; Convex is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence. PocketBase has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, Convex 6%. Convex was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (backend), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| PocketBase | Convex | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 61K | ★ 13K |
| License | MIT | Custom / other |
| Written in | Go | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-19 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.7K | ⑂ 814 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick PocketBase if
- You weight community size — 61K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Convex if
- You want the Convex feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Convex fits your workflow better
About PocketBase
PocketBase is an open source backend framework written in Go that bundles a SQLite database, authentication, file storage, admin dashboard, and REST API into a single executable file. It lives in the Go ecosystem and targets developers who want a lightweight, self contained backend without managing separate services like PostgreSQL, Redis, or a separate auth server.
read the full PocketBase overview →
About Convex
Convex is an open source reactive database for web application developers, with a Rust backend and TypeScript packages, in the backend, database, and TypeScript ecosystem. It combines a database, server functions, and client libraries so developers can fetch data and perform business logic in pure TypeScript while keeping strong consistency and live updating behavior.
read the full Convex overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is PocketBase or Convex more popular?
PocketBase has 61,103 GitHub stars and Convex has 12,583. PocketBase has the larger community by that measure.
Are PocketBase and Convex free?
Both are open source. PocketBase is licensed under MIT, and Convex has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between PocketBase and Convex?
PocketBase is written in Go and Convex in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, PocketBase or Convex?
Choose PocketBase if you want the larger community (61,103 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Convex if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.