Chroma vs Convex
Open-source vector DB designed for AI apps — embeddings-first, dev-friendly
vs. The reactive database where queries are TypeScript code
Pricing tiers
Chroma
Cloud — Free
$5 free credits. Great for trying it out.
Free
Cloud — Pro
$100 credits included, then usage-based. Dedicated resources, SOC2, priority support.
$0 base (usage-based)
Self-Host (OSS)
MIT-licensed. Embedded or Docker. Free forever.
$0 base (usage-based)
Cloud — Enterprise
Custom. VPC, compliance, dedicated support.
Custom
Convex
Starter (Free)
Free with overage via usage-based billing. Great for prototypes.
Free
Professional
$25/developer/month. Overage: $2/M function calls. Daily backups, email support, custom domains.
$25/mo
Business / Enterprise
From $2,500/month. SAML/SSO, SLA, dedicated deployments, Slack Connect support.
$2500/mo
Free-tier quotas head-to-head
Comparing cloud-free on Chroma vs starter on Convex.
| Metric | Chroma | Convex |
|---|---|---|
| db storage gb | — | 0.5 GB |
| deployments | — | 40 deployments |
| egress gb month | — | 1 GB/month |
| file storage gb | — | 1 GB |
| function calls month | — | 1000000 calls/month |
| team members | — | 6 users |
Features
Chroma · 11 features
- Client-Server Mode — Run Chroma via Docker; clients connect over HTTP.
- Collections — Named groups of embeddings + metadata.
- Distributed (Cloud) — Horizontal scaling on Chroma Cloud.
- Embedded Mode — In-process Python — chromadb.Client() and go. Zero setup.
- Embedding Functions — Plug-in embedders (OpenAI, Cohere, SentenceTransformers, HF).
- Full-Text Search — BM25 + vector hybrid.
- Metadata Filters — Where-clause query language.
- Migration Tools — Import from Pinecone + other stores.
- Multi-Modal — Text + image embeddings (CLIP, etc.).
- Python + JS APIs — Same API shape across both SDKs.
- Serverless Cloud — Pay for storage + queries, auto-scale.
Convex · 18 features
- Actions — Non-deterministic functions for external I/O (fetch, AI APIs, email). Cannot rea…
- Authentication — Convex Auth (built-in) or BYO provider (Clerk, Auth0, Kinde, WorkOS). ID tokens …
- Convex Agents — AI agent framework with durable memory, threads, tool use. Works with OpenAI / A…
- Convex Auth — First-party auth library: passwords, magic links, OAuth, phone — stored in your …
- Convex Components — Reusable backend modules (rate limiter, workflow, aggregate, action-retrier, etc…
- Cron Jobs — Recurring schedules defined in convex/crons.ts. UTC, cron-style patterns.
- Durable Workflows — Long-running multi-step workflows with retries and at-least-once guarantees.
- Exception Reporting — Auto-capture errors to Sentry, Axiom, Datadog.
- File Storage — Upload/download via storage API. Returns storage IDs referenced in documents.
- Full-Text Search — BM25 search index on table fields. withSearchIndex query helper.
- HTTP Actions — Expose public HTTP endpoints for webhooks, OAuth callbacks, third-party integrat…
- Log Streams — Stream function logs to Axiom, Datadog, Sentry. Pro+.
- Mutations — Transactional write functions. All reads + writes in one mutation are ACID; conf…
- Preview Deployments — Every Git branch gets its own isolated deployment. Integrates with Vercel/Netlif…
- Queries — Deterministic read-only TS functions. Automatically cached and re-run when under…
- Real-Time Subscriptions — useQuery auto-subscribes; server invalidates when data a query read changes. No …
- Scheduler — schedule.after / schedule.at — enqueue functions to run later. Durable, survives…
- Vector Search — Native vector index on tables. withIndex + filter fields. Up to 4096 dims.
Developer interfaces
| Kind | Chroma | Convex |
|---|---|---|
| CLI | — | Convex CLI |
| SDK | chromadb (JS/TS), chromadb (Python) | Android / Kotlin Client, iOS / Swift Client, JavaScript/TypeScript Client, Next.js Integration, Python Client, React Client (useQuery), Rust Client, Svelte Client, Vue Client |
| REST | Chroma HTTP API | Deploy / Dashboard API, HTTP Actions |
| MCP | Chroma MCP | — |
| OTHER | Docker Server, Embedded Mode (in-process Python) | WebSocket Subscriptions |
Staxly is an independent catalog of developer platforms. Outbound links to Chroma and Convex are plain references to their official websites. Pricing is verified against vendor pages at publication time — reconfirm before buying.
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