Convex
Exa
| Feature | Convex | Exa |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $25/mo | Free / from $100/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.5 / 5 | 4.2 / 5 |
| Best For | full-stack-developers, real-time-apps, startups, rapid-prototyping | ai-developers, researchers, data-scientists, startup-builders |
| Founded | 2021 | 2022 |
| Real Time Database | ✓ | ✗ |
| Serverless Functions | ✓ | ✗ |
| File Storage | ✓ | ✗ |
| Authentication | ✓ | ✗ |
| Scheduling | ✓ | ✗ |
| Vector Search | ✓ | ✗ |
| Neural Search | ✗ | ✓ |
| Content Retrieval | ✗ | ✓ |
| Similarity Search | ✗ | ✓ |
| Filtering | ✗ | ✓ |
| Auto Search | ✗ | ✓ |
| Api Access | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Convex Pros
- Real-time by default
- TypeScript-first
- Built-in auth and file storage
- Automatic caching
✗ Convex Cons
- Vendor lock-in
- Newer platform
- Limited to Convex runtime
✓ Exa Pros
- Semantic search beyond keywords
- Clean API for developers
- Returns full page content
- Excellent for AI agent use cases
✗ Exa Cons
- Developer-focused - no consumer product
- Free tier has limited requests
- Results can be unpredictable
The Verdict
Convex is built for full stack developers and real time apps, with a focus on real-time-database and serverless-functions. Exa targets ai developers and researchers and leads with neural-search and content-retrieval.
On pricing, Convex is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $25/mo compared to $100/mo for Exa. That $75/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
Bottom line: Convex has a slight overall edge — but if semantic search beyond keywords matters most to you, Exa may still be the right call.