head to head · open source
Onlook vs Convex
Onlook has 26,752 GitHub stars, 2,101 forks, 380 open issues and last shipped 24 days ago. Convex has 12,567 stars, 814 forks, 220 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Onlook leads on adoption by 113% (26,752 vs 12,567 stars). Onlook is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; Convex is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence. Onlook has attracted 8% 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.
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
| Onlook | Convex | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 27K | ★ 13K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Custom / other |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-08-25 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.1K | ⑂ 814 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Onlook if
- You weight community size — 27K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 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 Onlook
Onlook is an open source, Apache 2.0 visual editor for Next.js and TailwindCSS projects that lets designers and developers edit a running React app in the browser while the underlying code changes in real time.
read the full Onlook 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 Onlook or Convex more popular?
Onlook has 26,752 GitHub stars and Convex has 12,567. Onlook has the larger community by that measure.
Are Onlook and Convex free?
Both are open source. Onlook is licensed under Apache-2.0, and Convex has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Onlook and Convex?
Onlook 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, Onlook or Convex?
Choose Onlook if you want the larger community (26,752 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose Convex if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.