Prisma vs Convex

At a Glance

Prisma

Convex

Prisma

Pros

The schema definition language generates migrations, types, and a query client — it's the closest thing to a full ORM DX that TypeScript has+191
Auto-completion in VS Code for Prisma queries is genuinely the best ORM IDE experience I've used in any language+167
Type-safe queries eliminate an entire category of runtime errors that would otherwise only surface in production+154
The Prisma Studio GUI lets non-technical teammates browse and edit data without learning SQL or touching the database directly+138
Migration history tracked as SQL files in version control means your database evolution is always reviewable and auditable+119

Database

Prisma vs Drizzle

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Cons

Prisma Client performance under heavy load is noticeably slower than raw SQL or lighter ORMs like Drizzle due to the query engine overhead+162
The query engine is a binary that has to be downloaded per platform — this causes deployment issues with exotic architectures and Lambda layers+141
Complex queries that Prisma can't express force you to drop into raw SQL, which breaks the type-safety you were relying on+127
Migration conflicts in teams with multiple developers working on the schema simultaneously are painful to resolve manually+89

Convex

Pros

The reactive query system means your UI automatically updates when data changes without writing any WebSocket or polling code+154
TypeScript end-to-end from database schema to frontend hooks — no API layer to define, no types to duplicate+142
The local development experience with hot reload is the fastest iteration loop I've found for full-stack TypeScript+127
Mutations run as transactions by default, which means you get ACID guarantees without thinking about it+118
Built-in scheduling for background jobs means you don't need a separate queue service for async work+98

Cons

Heavy vendor lock-in — the data model and query language are proprietary and migrating away would require a full rewrite+167
Free tier limits are easy to hit in production with a modest user base and the paid jump is steep for early-stage apps+139
The reactivity model is powerful but adds mental complexity — reasoning about what triggers a re-render requires learning new patterns+103
Not a good fit if you need complex SQL-style analytics or reporting — the document model makes aggregations verbose+88