COMPARISON

The Convex alternative for AI apps on Postgres

Convex is a reactive backend. You write queries, mutations, and actions in TypeScript against its own document-relational database. Powabase gives every project its own Postgres instance with SQL, auth, storage, and realtime, and we manage document ingestion, retrieval, and agents on top. Pick Powabase if your AI app needs SQL and managed RAG. For a TypeScript-first reactive backend, Convex is built for it.

Last reviewed: September 24, 2026

THE SHORT VERSION

Which one fits you.

Choose Powabase if…

  • You want Postgres and SQL, with joins, extensions, and any Postgres client or ORM.
  • You want documents extracted, chunked, embedded, and indexed for you as soon as you upload them.
  • You'd rather configure agents, orchestrations, and workflows through an API than hand-write every loop.
  • You want the whole stack, AI layer included, under the Apache-2.0 license.

Choose Convex if…

  • You want your whole backend written as TypeScript functions, with no SQL.
  • You want queries that rerun and push updates to every subscribed client automatically.
  • You like building agents in code with Convex's Agent and RAG components.

COMPARISON TABLE

Powabase vs. Convex.

  • Database[1][2]

    Powabase: Postgres, its own instance per project

    Convex: Convex's own document-relational database

  • Queries[2][3][4]

    Powabase: SQL from psql, any Postgres driver or ORM, or the generated REST API

    Convex: TypeScript query and mutation functions; no SQL

  • Auth[3][5][6]

    Powabase: GoTrue auth built in, tied to Row Level Security policies

    Convex: Clerk, Auth0, or WorkOS AuthKit, or the Convex Auth library (beta)

  • File storage[7][8]

    Powabase: Storage API with public or private buckets

    Convex: Built-in file storage

  • Document extraction[9][10]

    Powabase: Managed: PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and images via OCR

    Convex: Not included; the RAG guide has you extract text from files yourself

  • Chunking and embeddings[10][11]

    Powabase: Managed on upload, with five indexing strategies

    Convex: RAG component chunks and embeds the text you add

  • Retrieval[11][12][13]

    Powabase: Vector, full-text (BM25), hybrid, and tree search, with an optional reranker

    Convex: Vector search from actions and full-text search indexes; you generate the embeddings

  • Agent runtime[14][15][16]

    Powabase: Managed ReAct agents with built-in, HTTP, and MCP tools, sessions, and approval hooks

    Convex: Agent component: agents you define in TypeScript, with threads, tools, and tool approval

  • Multi-agent orchestration[17][18]

    Powabase: Supervisor, sequential, and parallel strategies, configured by API

    Convex: Workflows you write in code that chain agents

  • Workflows and triggers[19][20][21]

    Powabase: Block graphs started by API, webhook, or cron, with a copilot that drafts the graph

    Convex: Cron jobs and HTTP actions you write as functions

  • MCP server for coding agents[22][23]

    Powabase: Hosted, OAuth: SQL, auth users, storage, knowledge bases, agents, and workflows

    Convex: Local server started with npx convex mcp start

  • Self-hosting[3][24]

    Powabase: Apache-2.0 stack, AI layer included, run with Docker Compose

    Convex: Open-source backend under the FSL Apache 2.0 license

WHAT POWABASE ADDS

On top of the database.

  • Managed RAG

    Upload PDFs, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, or images. Powabase pulls out the text (with OCR for scans), generates the embeddings, and indexes them using one of five strategies. Search by vector, full-text, hybrid, or tree search, with an optional reranker on top.

    Read the docs →

  • An agent runtime

    Agents run a ReAct loop inside your project. Each one gets eight built-in tools plus your own HTTP tools and MCP servers. Runs keep their session history, and a hook can hold a step until a person approves it. You configure them through the API rather than deploying agent code.

    Read the docs →

  • Workflows

    Chain agents and other steps into a block graph, then start it by API, by webhook, or on a cron schedule. You can also describe what you want and let the copilot draft the graph.

    Read the docs →

RIGHT FIT

When Convex fits the job.

  • You want your entire backend in TypeScript. In Convex, queries, mutations, and actions are all TypeScript functions and there's no SQL to write.
  • Your app is built around live data. When the data a query depends on changes, Convex reruns the query and pushes the new result to every subscribed client.
  • You prefer building agents in code, right next to your business logic. Convex's Agent component gives you threads, tools, tool approval, and durable workflows in TypeScript.

COEXISTENCE & MIGRATION

Use both, or move over.

Keep Convex, add Powabase

Keep your app on Convex and create a Powabase project for document search and agents. A Convex action can make network requests, so call our REST API from there. The Powabase service key stays server-side, never in the browser.

Migrate from Convex

Convex stores documents in tables rather than SQL rows, so start by designing your Postgres tables. Export your data with npx convex export (it writes a ZIP file) and load it into your Powabase project over its Postgres connection. Test on a copy first. Users and stored files move as separate steps. Upload your documents to a knowledge base and Powabase indexes them.[25][4]

FAQ

Questions.

Yes, if you want Postgres and managed AI. Every Powabase project gets its own Postgres instance with SQL, auth, storage, and realtime. We extract, embed, and index your documents and run your agents. If you want a TypeScript-only backend with reactive queries, Convex is built for that.

Not as the database you query. Convex has its own document-relational database, queried with TypeScript functions rather than SQL. Its docs say the cloud service persists to MySQL on PlanetScale, and the open-source version can use SQLite, Postgres, or MySQL. On Powabase, every project has its own Postgres instance and you query it with SQL.

Yes. Convex's RAG component chunks and embeds the text you add and serves vector search, and its Agent component can use it. Getting that text out of PDFs and other files is your job. Powabase extracts PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and images (with OCR), then chunks, embeds, and indexes them for you.

Yes. Your app and data stay on Convex, and a Powabase project holds the AI layer. Call our REST API from a Convex action for document search and agent runs, and keep the Powabase service key server-side.

No. You create agents, tools, and knowledge bases through the Powabase REST API or in Studio, and runs stream back over SSE. Every agent gets eight built-in tools, your own HTTP tools, MCP servers, sessions, and a human approval step, and you never deploy agent code.

Yes. Point it at our hosted MCP server, https://mcp.powabase.ai/mcp. It signs in with OAuth, and from there the agent can run SQL, manage auth users and storage, and create and run knowledge bases, agents, and workflows. You can also install the Powabase Agent Skill with npx skills add powabase-ai/agent-skills.

Sources

  1. https://docs.powabase.ai/concepts/architecture: Each Powabase project gets its own Postgres database and service pods.
  2. https://docs.convex.dev/understanding/: Convex is a document-relational database; queries are TypeScript functions with no SQL to write; queries rerun and update subscribed clients when their data changes; actions can make network requests; the cloud runs on PlanetScale MySQL and the open-source version uses SQLite, Postgres, or MySQL.
  3. https://github.com/powabase-ai/powabase: Powabase runs GoTrue, PostgREST, Storage, and Realtime on Postgres with pgvector, and is Apache-2.0 as a single-project Docker Compose stack that includes the AI service.
  4. https://docs.powabase.ai/guides/direct-postgres: Connect to your Powabase project's Postgres directly with psql, drivers, and ORMs.
  5. https://docs.powabase.ai/concepts/rls-model: Powabase uses Postgres Row Level Security with the project's GoTrue JWTs.
  6. https://docs.convex.dev/auth: Convex auth: Clerk, Auth0, WorkOS AuthKit, or the Convex Auth library, which is in beta.
  7. https://docs.powabase.ai/concepts/storage-model: Powabase Storage organizes files into public or private buckets.
  8. https://docs.convex.dev/file-storage: Convex has built-in file storage for files of any type.
  9. https://docs.powabase.ai/concepts/sources-extraction: Powabase extracts PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and images (via OCR).
  10. https://docs.convex.dev/agents/rag: Convex RAG component: add text content, which it chunks and embeds for vector search; the guide parses PDFs outside the component.
  11. https://docs.powabase.ai/concepts/knowledge-bases-indexing: Indexing runs automatically when a source is added; five indexing strategies; embeddings in pgvector with a BM25 index; vector, full-text, hybrid, and tree search; optional cross-encoder reranking.
  12. https://docs.convex.dev/search/vector-search: Convex vector search runs only in actions, and you generate the embeddings (the example calls OpenAI).
  13. https://docs.convex.dev/search/text-search: Convex full-text search indexes over documents.
  14. https://docs.powabase.ai/concepts/agents-tools: Powabase agents: ReAct loop, eight built-in tools, custom HTTP tools, MCP servers, sessions, hooks, and human approval.
  15. https://docs.convex.dev/agents: Convex Agent component: agents defined in code inside Convex actions, with threads, messages, tools, and workflows.
  16. https://docs.convex.dev/agents/tool-approval: Convex Agent component tools can require human approval before running.
  17. https://docs.powabase.ai/concepts/orchestrations-concept: Powabase orchestrations: supervisor, sequential, and parallel strategies.
  18. https://docs.convex.dev/agents/workflows: Convex agent workflows are code that chains agents across multiple steps.
  19. https://docs.powabase.ai/concepts/workflows-concept: Powabase workflows: block graphs with API, webhook, and schedule (interval or cron) triggers, plus a copilot.
  20. https://docs.convex.dev/scheduling/cron-jobs: Convex cron jobs schedule recurring functions.
  21. https://docs.convex.dev/functions/http-actions: Convex HTTP actions let you build HTTP endpoints, such as webhook receivers, as functions.
  22. https://powabase.ai/integrations/: The hosted Powabase MCP server at mcp.powabase.ai/mcp signs in with OAuth; the agent can run SQL, manage auth users and storage, and create and run knowledge bases, agents, orchestrations, and workflows.
  23. https://docs.convex.dev/ai/convex-mcp-server: The Convex MCP server is started locally with npx convex mcp start.
  24. https://docs.convex.dev/self-hosting: Convex's backend can be self-hosted and is licensed under FSL Apache 2.0.
  25. https://docs.convex.dev/database/import-export/export: Export Convex data with npx convex export, which writes a ZIP file.