head to head · open source
Directus vs Convex
Directus has 37,947 GitHub stars, 4,944 forks, 402 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Convex has 12,567 stars, 814 forks, 220 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Directus leads on adoption by 202% (37,947 vs 12,567 stars). Directus is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; Convex is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence. Directus has attracted 13% as many forks as stars, Convex 6%. Directus was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (database), 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
| Directus | Convex | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 38K | ★ 13K |
| License | Custom / other | Custom / other |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.9K | ⑂ 814 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Directus if
- You weight community size — 38K stars and counting
- You want the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- 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 Directus
Directus is an open source data platform that wraps any SQL database with a REST and GraphQL API layer and a visual management interface. It lives in the developer tools and frameworks ecosystem, specifically targeting teams needing a flexible backend for content management, admin panels, or custom applications without writing boilerplate code.
read the full Directus 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 Directus or Convex more popular?
Directus has 37,947 GitHub stars and Convex has 12,567. Directus has the larger community by that measure.
Are Directus and Convex free?
Neither Directus nor Convex declares a licence in this registry, so check each project's own repository before relying on either for a commercial use. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Directus and Convex?
Directus is written in TypeScript 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, Directus or Convex?
Choose Directus if you want the larger community (37,947 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose Convex if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.