Supabase
Supabase is the obvious Convex alternative when “real Postgres” and SQL portability are the priority. Instead of adopting a more opinionated backend model, it keeps your schema, migrations, and queries grounded in standard Postgres tooling, which can reduce long-term lock-in and make hiring and troubleshooting easier.
A major differentiator is security that lives next to the data: row-level security policies let teams encode access rules directly in the database, rather than scattering logic across middleware. That approach can be especially attractive for multi-tenant apps where permission mistakes are costly.
Supabase also wins on composability and approachability. Teams can adopt only what they need (composable database, auth, storage, realtime, edge functions) while still benefiting from a strong dashboard that helps non-specialists inspect tables, tweak settings, and understand what’s happening.
For builders who care about local development parity, the local stack provides a practical “starter kit” feel: Postgres, auth, storage, realtime, and the console running together. The trade-off versus Convex is that you’ll typically do more traditional SQL and database modeling work, but you gain flexibility and ecosystem breadth in return.
Best for
Best for teams that want Postgres power and SQL tooling with modern BaaS convenience.
Standout features
- ✓Postgres-first with SQL migrations
- ✓Row-level security policies
- ✓Composable auth, storage, realtime
- ✓Developer-friendly dashboard and tooling
- ✓Local development stack with console
