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Convex vs Railway: Pricing Comparison 2026

Side-by-side pricing comparison of Convex and Railway. See all plans, features, and costs at a glance.

Bottom line: Railway starts at $5/mo, making it $20/mo cheaper than Convex ($25/mo). Convex offers a free plan.

Last updated: March 16, 2026

Data compiled by Arthur Jacquemin
Updated March 16, 2026

Convex vs Railway: Quick Pricing Facts

FeatureConvexRailway
Starting Price$25/mo$5/mo
Number of Plans32
Free TierYesNo
Pricing Modelusage-basedusage-based
Annual DiscountN/AN/A

Railway is the more affordable option, starting at $5/mo compared to Convex's $25/mo. Both are Dev Tools with 5 combined pricing plans and 48 features compared.

Convex stands out with a free plan for getting started.

Review the detailed tier-by-tier comparison above to see exactly which features are included at each price point and find the best fit for your Dev Tools needs.

Pricing Plans
Tier 1
Free
$0/monthCheapest
Includes
  • Chef AI App Generation
  • Indexes
  • File storage
  • Text search
  • Vector search
  • Webhooks
  • Crons
  • Auth
  • Automatic caching
  • Node.js actions
Start with Free
Hobby
$5/month
Includes
  • Includes $5 of monthly usage credits
  • After credits are used, you'll only be charged for extra resource usage
  • Up to 48 vCPU / 48 GB RAM per service
  • Up to 6 replicas, at 8 vCPU / 8 GB RAM per replica
  • Up to 5 GB storage
  • Single developer workspace
  • Community support
  • 7-Day Log History
  • Global regions
Start with Hobby
Tier 2
Starter
$25/month
$25 / year
Includes
  • Health & Insights dashboard
  • Preview deployments
  • Log streaming
  • Exception reporting
  • Team member permissions
  • Custom domains
  • Built-in resources
  • Chef tokens
  • Function calls
  • Database storage
Start with Starter
Pro
$20/monthCheapest
Includes
  • Includes $20 of monthly usage credits
  • After credits are used, you'll only be charged for extra resource usage
  • Up to 1,000 vCPU / 1 TB RAM per service
  • Up to 50 replicas, at 32 vCPU / 32 GB RAM per replica
  • Up to 1 TB storage
  • Unlimited workspace seats included
  • Railway Support
  • 30-Day Log History
  • Concurrent global regions
Start with Pro
Tier 3
ProfessionalPopular
$25/monthCheapest
$25 / year
Includes
  • Health & Insights dashboard
  • Preview deployments
  • Log streaming
  • Exception reporting
  • Team member permissions
  • Custom domains
  • Built-in resources
  • Chef tokens
  • Function calls
  • Database storage
Start with Professional

Swipe to compare plans →

Convex

Reactive backend-as-a-service with real-time sync

View all Convex plans

Railway

Infrastructure platform for deploying apps with usage-based pricing

View all Railway plans

What Reviewers Say

Our Pick

Convex

Convex offers a free plan, offers 3 tiers vs 2.

Based on pricing data only. Review the full comparison below for your specific needs.

Best value: Convex

Try Convex free

Which Should You Choose?

Choose Convex if:

  • You need a free plan with Chef AI App Generation, Indexes—Convex offers no-cost access with no credit card required
  • You need 3 pricing tiers for flexible team sizing—more options mean less overpaying for features you don't need
  • You want more features built-in—Convex offers 12 additional features across its plans

Choose Railway if:

  • You want lower per-user costs—Railway starts at $5/mo, saving $20/mo compared to Convex at $25/mo
  • You want Railway's approach to incremental feature unlocking across its 2 pricing tiers
  • You value Railway's specific feature progression from free to advanced tier levels

Convex offers a free plan [1], eliminating the cost barrier for evaluation, while Railway requires paid subscription from the start. This gives Convex a significant advantage for teams with budget constraints or extended trial periods. Once you outgrow Convex's free tier, upgrading to a paid plan at approximately $25/mo provides substantial additional functionality. Compare this pricing path against Railway's tiering starting at $5/mo to assess total cost of ownership over 12 months. Convex's 3 tiers provide flexibility at different budgets, while Railway's 2 tiers structure may force you into higher-cost plans than necessary for your use case. If evaluation cost matters to your decision, Convex is the obvious starting point with zero financial commitment. Use the free tier to validate core functionality before committing to paid plans from either tool.

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Frequently Asked Questions: Convex vs Railway

Which is cheaper, Convex or Railway?
As of March 2026, Railway starts at a lower price point. Convex starts at $25/mo while Railway starts at $5/mo. However, the best value depends on the features you need at each tier.
How many pricing plans does Convex have vs Railway?
Convex offers 3 pricing plans, while Railway offers 2 plans. More plans typically means more flexibility to match your exact needs and budget.
Does Convex or Railway offer a free plan?
Convex offers a free plan, while Railway does not. If budget is a concern, Convex lets you get started at no cost.
Can I save money by paying annually for Convex or Railway?
Both Convex and Railway offer annual billing options. Check each plan's yearly pricing for potential savings compared to monthly billing.
What is the most popular Convex plan?
The Professional plan is Convex's most popular tier, priced at $25/mo. Key features include Health & Insights dashboard, Preview deployments, Log streaming.
How do Convex and Railway compare for Dev Tools?
Both Convex and Railway are Dev Tools. Convex offers 3 plans starting at $25/mo, while Railway offers 2 plans starting at $5/mo. Review the feature breakdowns above to see which better fits your Dev Tools needs.

Sources

  1. Convex Official PricingVendor pricing page
  2. Railway Official PricingVendor pricing page

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