Should I use AWS Amplify or Convex?

Use AWS Amplify if you want frontend hosting, Cognito authentication and mobile SDKs inside AWS with no per-seat fees; use Convex if you want a reactive real-time database, search and functions in one TypeScript system with a free plan that doesn't expire.

Is AWS Amplify cheaper than Convex?

Not always — AWS Amplify has no per-developer fees, while Convex Professional costs $25 per developer/month, but Amplify bills hosting usage plus Cognito, AppSync, DynamoDB and Lambda separately. Convex's Free plan also has no stated expiry, while Amplify's free tier lasts 12 months.

Is Convex open source?

Yes — Convex's backend engine is open source on GitHub (get-convex/convex-backend, 12,400 stars) and can be self-hosted, though most teams use the managed cloud. AWS Amplify runs on AWS and ties apps to AWS tooling and billing.

Does the AWS Amplify free tier expire?

Yes — AWS Amplify's free tier of 1,000 build minutes, 5 GB of storage and 15 GB of data transfer per month lasts 12 months on a new AWS account. Convex's Free plan has no stated time limit.

AWS Amplify vs Convex (2026)

By Noahlast updated October 23, 2026

Verdict: Choose AWS Amplify if you want Git-based frontend hosting and a backend in one AWS account, need native iOS, Android, Flutter or React Native support, and want no per-developer fees. Choose Convex if you want a reactive database with real-time sync, ACID transactions, full-text and vector search and end-to-end TypeScript types in one system, with a free plan that does not expire. The deciding factor is scope versus simplicity: Amplify covers hosting and extends into any AWS service but bills Cognito, AppSync, DynamoDB and Lambda separately, while Convex bundles its backend into one plan at $25 per developer/month.

AWS Amplify

Amazon's full-stack development platform combining Git-based CI/CD hosting with managed backend services for auth, data, storage, and functions.

Pricing: Free tier · paid from $0.01/mo
License: Freemium

Best for teams already building on AWS who want Git-based hosting plus managed auth, data, and storage without assembling separate services

Visit aws.amazon.com Read our review

Convex

A reactive backend-as-a-service combining a real-time database, serverless functions, file storage, and search in one TypeScript-native platform, free to start with paid plans from $25 per developer/month.

Pricing: Free tier · paid from $25/mo
License: Open core

Best for developers and small teams building AI agents or real-time web apps who want a database, functions, and search layer in one TypeScript-native system instead of assembling separate services

5/5 on Product Hunt (50 reviews)

Visit convex.dev Read our review

Which should you choose?

Choose AWS Amplify if…

wins 3/6 use cases

You want frontend CI/CD hosting, including Next.js and Nuxt server-side rendering, from the same platform as your backend
You build native iOS, Android, Flutter or React Native apps alongside a web app
Your company already runs on AWS and wants to extend into DynamoDB, Lambda, S3 or other AWS services as needs grow
You'd rather pay for usage than per developer: AWS Amplify has no per-seat pricing
You want managed sign-up and sign-in through Amazon Cognito, provisioned from code

Choose Convex if…

wins 3/6 use cases

You want the UI to update in real time from reactive database queries without building a sync layer
You're building an AI agent and want full-text and vector search, scheduled jobs and file storage next to your database
You want a free plan for prototypes that does not expire after 12 months
You want one predictable plan ($25 per developer/month with 50 GB storage and 25M function calls) instead of several AWS bills
You want the option to self-host an open-source backend engine

AWS Amplify vs Convex: feature comparison

Feature	AWS Amplify	Convex
Starting price	Yesfree for 12 months (AWS Free Tier), then pay-as-you-go	Yesfree plan (0.5 GB storage, 1M function calls/mo)
Free tier	Partial1,000 build minutes, 5 GB storage, 15 GB transfer/mo; expires after 12 months	YesFree plan with pay-as-you-go overage, no stated expiry
Paid pricing	Yesfrom $0.01/build minute (Standard), $0.023/GB-month storage, $0.15/GB transfer	Yesfrom $25/developer/mo (Professional)
No per-developer fees	Yesno per-seat pricing	No$25 per developer/month (Professional)
Backend billing	PartialCognito, AppSync, DynamoDB and Lambda billed separately	Yesdatabase, functions, search and storage in one plan
Frontend hosting and CI/CD	YesGit-based builds on CloudFront, including Next.js and Nuxt SSR	Unknownlisting covers backend services only
Authentication	YesAmazon Cognito	Unknown
Database	Yesdata APIs via AppSync and DynamoDB, billed separately	Yesreactive database with ACID transactions
Real-time sync	Unknown	Yesreactive queries update clients automatically
Search and scheduled jobs	Unknown	Yesfull-text and vector search, crons
Serverless functions	YesLambda, billed separately	YesTypeScript functions; 1M calls/mo free, 25M on Professional
Mobile SDKs	Yesnative iOS, Android, Flutter, React Native	Unknown
Self-hosting	Notied to AWS tooling and billing	Yesopen-source backend engine (12,400 GitHub stars)
HIPAA / SOC 2 reports	Unknown	Yesfrom $25/developer/mo (Professional)
SSO and SLAs	Unknown	Yesfrom $2,500/mo minimum (Business)
External rating (Product Hunt)	Yes5.0/5 from 11 reviews	Yes5.0/5 from 50 reviews
External rating (Capterra)	Yes4.8/5 from 8 reviews	Unknown

AWS Amplify vs Convex: pricing

Every tier both tools publish, as we last checked them — not just the entry price.

AWS Amplify

AWS Free Tier (first 12 months)Up to 1,000 build minutes, 5 GB CDN storage, and 15 GB data transfer per month at no cost for 12 months on a new AWS account.Free
Build & deploy (pay-as-you-go)$0.01/minute (Standard instance), $0.025/minute (Large), or $0.10/minute (XLarge) for build compute beyond the free tier.$0.01/mo
Hosting & storage (pay-as-you-go)$0.023/GB-month for CDN storage and $0.15/GB for data transfer out; SSR requests $0.30 per million plus $0.20/GB-hour for SSR compute duration.Custom

Verified November 1, 2026Latest pricing

Convex

Free0.5 GB database storage, 1M function calls/month, with pay-as-you-go overage; for personal projects and prototypes.Free
Professional$25 per developer/month; 50 GB storage and 25M function calls included, plus log streaming, daily backups, HIPAA/SOC 2 reports, custom domains, and email support.$25/mo
Business$2,500/month minimum with custom volume pricing; adds SAML/SSO, dedicated deployments, and negotiated SLAs, for teams scaling rapidly.$2500/mo

Verified October 1, 2026Latest pricing

AWS Amplify vs Convex pricing: which costs less?

Neither AWS Amplify nor Convex is cheaper across the board: Amplify has no per-seat fees but bills hosting usage and backend services separately, while Convex charges a flat $25 per developer/month on Professional with usage included.

AWS Amplify's free tier covers 1,000 build minutes, 5 GB of CDN storage and 15 GB of data transfer per month, but only for 12 months on a new AWS account. After that, builds cost $0.01 to $0.10 per minute by instance size, storage $0.023/GB-month and data transfer $0.15/GB, while Cognito, AppSync, DynamoDB and Lambda follow their own AWS pricing. Convex's Free plan includes 0.5 GB of storage and 1 million function calls a month with no stated expiry. A three-developer team on Convex Professional pays $75/month, and the Business plan jumps to a $2,500/month minimum.

Which is easier to use, AWS Amplify or Convex?

AWS Amplify and Convex both carry a moderate learning curve, but Amplify assumes comfort with the AWS console and IAM permissions, while Convex asks developers to learn its own TypeScript API instead of SQL.

Amplify provisions Cognito, data APIs, storage and functions from a single TypeScript codebase using AWS CDK, and its listing notes fewer opinionated defaults than Vercel or Netlify, so common framework deployments take more configuration. Teams unfamiliar with AWS service naming and IAM face a steeper climb. Convex keeps database, functions, search and storage in one system with end-to-end type safety between schema and application code, which catches errors before deployment.

Does AWS Amplify or Convex create more lock-in?

Both AWS Amplify and Convex create lock-in: Amplify ties an app to AWS-specific tooling and billing, while Convex functions are written against Convex's own TypeScript API rather than standard SQL.

Convex softens this with an open-source backend engine, get-convex/convex-backend with 12,400 GitHub stars, which teams that don't want to depend on the managed cloud can self-host. Amplify has no self-hosted option in its listing, but it can extend into any other AWS service, such as DynamoDB, AppSync, Lambda and S3, as requirements grow. Convex lists VPC deployment for Enterprise customers as coming soon rather than available today.

Can Convex replace AWS Amplify?

Convex can replace AWS Amplify's backend for web apps that need a database, functions, search and file storage, but Convex's listing does not cover Amplify's Git-based frontend hosting, Cognito authentication or native mobile SDKs.

Moving from Amplify to Convex means finding a separate frontend host and an authentication provider, since neither appears in Convex's listing. In return, Convex adds reactive real-time queries, ACID transactions, full-text and vector search and scheduled jobs in one system. Teams that depend on Amplify's iOS, Android, Flutter or React Native support should confirm Convex fits their mobile stack before switching.

Strengths and weaknesses

AWS Amplify

Pros

Combines Git-based CI/CD hosting with a full backend toolkit (auth, data, storage, functions) provisioned from code.
12-month AWS Free Tier covers 1,000 build minutes, 5 GB storage, and 15 GB data transfer per month at no cost.
No pay-per-seat pricing for team collaboration.
Extends into any other AWS service as an application's needs grow.

Cons

Backend services (Cognito, AppSync, DynamoDB, Lambda) are billed separately under their own AWS pricing, making total cost harder to estimate than flat-rate competitors.
Learning curve is steeper for teams unfamiliar with AWS's console, IAM permissions, and service naming.
Free tier build minutes and transfer allowances expire after 12 months.
Fewer opinionated defaults than Vercel or Netlify, requiring more configuration for common frontend framework deployments.

Convex

Pros

Combines database, serverless functions, file storage, and full-text/vector search in one system with a single deployment model.
End-to-end TypeScript type safety between database schema and application code catches errors before deployment.
The free tier is usable for real prototypes (0.5 GB storage, 1M function calls/month), not just a trial.
The backend engine is open source and self-hostable for teams that don't want to depend on the managed cloud.

Cons

The jump from the $25/developer Professional plan to a $2,500/month Business minimum is steep for scaling teams.
Functions are written against Convex's own TypeScript API rather than SQL, adding lock-in and migration cost if a team later needs to leave.
VPC deployment for Enterprise customers is listed as coming soon rather than available today.

Which fits your use case?

Use case	Pick	Why
Team already running production workloads on AWS	AWS Amplify	AWS Amplify extends into DynamoDB, AppSync, Lambda, S3 and any other AWS service, keeping the app inside one set of AWS tooling and billing.
Developer building an AI agent that needs vector search	Convex	Convex includes full-text and vector search alongside its database and functions; AWS Amplify's listing does not mention search.
Mobile team shipping iOS and Android apps	AWS Amplify	AWS Amplify supports native iOS, Android, Flutter and React Native development; Convex's listing does not mention mobile SDKs.
Solo developer keeping a side project free long term	Convex	Convex's Free plan (0.5 GB storage, 1M function calls/month) has no stated expiry, while AWS Amplify's free tier ends after 12 months.
Real-time app such as chat or a live dashboard	Convex	Convex's reactive queries keep clients in sync automatically, backed by ACID transactions.
Large engineering team with modest traffic	AWS Amplify	AWS Amplify has no per-seat pricing, while Convex Professional charges $25 per developer/month.

Neither a match?

Both lists carry verified pricing and honest weaknesses for every option.

6 alternatives to AWS Amplify 5 alternatives to Convex

Popular comparisons

AWS Amplify vs Convex: migration FAQ

Should I use AWS Amplify or Convex?: Use AWS Amplify if you want frontend hosting, Cognito authentication and mobile SDKs inside AWS with no per-seat fees; use Convex if you want a reactive real-time database, search and functions in one TypeScript system with a free plan that doesn't expire.
Is AWS Amplify cheaper than Convex?: Not always — AWS Amplify has no per-developer fees, while Convex Professional costs $25 per developer/month, but Amplify bills hosting usage plus Cognito, AppSync, DynamoDB and Lambda separately. Convex's Free plan also has no stated expiry, while Amplify's free tier lasts 12 months.
Can Convex replace AWS Amplify?: Yes for the backend of a web app, since Convex covers the database, serverless functions, search and file storage. Convex's listing does not mention frontend hosting, authentication or native mobile SDKs, which AWS Amplify includes.
Is Convex open source?: Yes — Convex's backend engine is open source on GitHub (get-convex/convex-backend, 12,400 stars) and can be self-hosted, though most teams use the managed cloud. AWS Amplify runs on AWS and ties apps to AWS tooling and billing.
Does the AWS Amplify free tier expire?: Yes — AWS Amplify's free tier of 1,000 build minutes, 5 GB of storage and 15 GB of data transfer per month lasts 12 months on a new AWS account. Convex's Free plan has no stated time limit.