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Convex is the closest sibling to Pylon — both pitch “TypeScript backend with reactive queries and managed sync.” If you’re choosing between them, here’s an honest comparison.

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TL;DR

  • Choose Convex if you want a polished pure-TS experience, you’ll stay on their cloud (or accept their FSL-licensed self-host), and you don’t need game shards or facets.
  • Choose Pylon if you want a single-binary self-host, FOSS license, native faceted search, or game shards alongside your app data.

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Same shape

Both ship:
  • Reactive queries that auto-update the UI when data changes
  • TypeScript-first server functions (mutation / query / action)
  • Schema as code
  • Real-time WebSocket sync
  • Built-in auth + file storage
  • Self-host options
  • React, React Native, and Next.js SDKs

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Where they differ

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Process model

PylonConvex
Single binary✅❌
Multi-service docker-composen/a✅
Default backing storeSQLiteCustom Convex DB
Pylon ships as one Rust binary. Convex’s open-source self-host is a docker-compose stack with a custom database. For a hobby project on a $5 VPS, Pylon installs in 30 seconds with no Docker. For a production deployment, both work; the operational story is different.

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License

License
PylonMIT OR Apache-2.0
ConvexFSL (Functional Source License) — converts to Apache 2.0 after 2 years
Convex’s license bars you from offering a competing managed Convex service for the first 2 years after each release. For 99% of users this is irrelevant; it matters if you’re building a BaaS-on-top-of-a-BaaS. Pylon’s MIT/Apache means you can do anything. Convex has full-text search — keyword + prefix matching. It does not have native facets — you’d build them with regular queries on top. Pylon ships SQLite FTS5 + roaring-bitmap facets out of the box. useSearch("Post", { facets: ["tags", "authorId"] }) returns hits + live facetCounts in one call. For an Algolia-style faceted UI without paying Algolia, Pylon is the cleaner story.

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Game shards

Convex has no concept of authoritative tick-based game state. If you’re building a Slack-like app, you don’t need it. If you’re building a multiplayer game or a Figma-style cursor-presence app, Pylon’s Shard<S: SimState> primitive is a real thing Convex doesn’t replicate.

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Pricing

PylonConvex
Self-host$0 (your infra)$0 (your infra, FSL bound)
Free tier1M requests / mo on Pylon CloudFree dev project + limited production
Beyond free$0.50 / 1M requests$25/mo Pro then per-use
Pylon Cloud’s pricing is usage-based with no monthly minimum. Convex’s pricing page shows tiered plans starting at 0(dev)→0 (dev) → 25/mo (Pro) → custom (Enterprise).

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Editor / Studio

PylonConvex
Built-in inspector✅ Pylon Studio at /studio✅ Convex dashboard
Self-hostedStudio ships with the binaryDashboard is hosted; OSS self-host has a separate dashboard
Both have web-based inspectors. Pylon’s runs against your local binary by default; Convex’s is hosted unless you self-host with the OSS bundle.

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CRDTs

Pylon integrates Loro for collaborative text/lists/maps/trees — true CRDTs with conflict-free convergence. Convex has reactive queries that automatically reconcile updates, but does not ship a CRDT library; for collaborative editing you’d integrate Yjs or Loro yourself.

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Where Convex is better

  • Pure-TS dev loop — Convex has invested heavily in DX polish. Type inference flows end-to-end without codegen. Pylon requires pylon codegen (one CLI call); Convex’s TypeScript flow is a bit tighter.
  • Larger team behind it — well-funded YC company, more docs, more examples.
  • Cron + scheduled functions — Convex has clean primitives for scheduled jobs. Pylon has them too (the scheduler module + jobs queue) but Convex’s are more polished.
  • Convex Vector Search — first-class vector search; Pylon has the vector_search plugin but Convex’s is more featureful.

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Where Pylon is better

  • Single binary — scp to a VPS, run systemctl start pylon. Done.
  • Faceted search — first-class with live counts. Convex requires custom queries.
  • Game shards — Shard<S: SimState> for tick-based authority.
  • Open license — MIT/Apache, not FSL.
  • Plugin ecosystem — 32 built-in plugins (TOTP, audit log, Stripe, MCP, etc.) you flip on in the manifest.
  • Self-host on day one — Convex’s self-host is recent and the OSS bundle hasn’t reached the polish of their hosted offering yet.

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Migrating from Convex

ConvexPylon equivalent
defineSchema(...)buildManifest({ entities: [...] })
query, mutation, actionSame names; identical mental model
useQuery(api.tasks.list)useQuery("Task")
ctx.db.insert("tasks", {...})ctx.db.insert("Task", {...})
Convex authMagic codes / password / OAuth
Convex file storage/api/files/upload + Stack0/S3 backends
Convex scheduled functionscrates/runtime scheduler + actions
Convex search indexPer-entity search config
Most of the dev surface is 1:1. The biggest delta is the codegen step (Pylon) vs. inline TS types (Convex) — one extra CLI call.

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Honest weakness

Convex has more developer-mindshare and more polish on edge cases (reactive query batching, type inference depth, IDE integration). If you want the most-polished pure-TS reactive backend and don’t need single-process self-host, faceted search, or game shards, Convex is a great choice.

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Both / and

Convex on web + Pylon for game shards is a legitimate combo if your team prefers Convex’s TS surface for app data and you need authoritative tick-based simulation for a multiplayer feature. The wire formats are different — you’d be running both backends — but it’s a real option.