Codehooks vs. Convex vs. Lua vs. Toolpad Core Comparison Chart

Convex is an open source, reactive backend platform that enables developers to build full-stack applications entirely in TypeScript. It offers a document-relational database where queries and mutations are written in TypeScript, ensuring end-to-end type safety and seamless integration with frontend code. Convex's libraries maintain real-time synchronization between the frontend, backend, and database state without the need for manual state management, cache invalidation, or WebSockets. It includes built-in support for cloud functions, scheduling, authentication, file storage, and a variety of components that can be added with a simple npm i command. Developers can define their entire backend, including database schemas, queries, and APIs, in code, which is typechecked and autocompleted, and can be generated by AI with high accuracy. Convex's architecture ensures that all transactions are serializable, providing strong consistency guarantees and eliminating race conditions.

Toolpad Core is a self-hosted, low‑code internal tool builder tailored for full-stack and back-end developers, empowering them to craft admin interfaces, dashboards, and CRUD apps using drag‑and‑drop visuals while retaining full code control. Built on MUI's robust React component ecosystem, integrating MUI Core and X libraries, it offers a Postman‑like query builder for REST APIs, the ability to import custom React components, and smooth integration with Node.js backends, eliminating the need for boilerplate API wiring. Toolpad operates entirely locally, storing configuration in version-control–friendly files and giving developers the freedom to extend from low‑code prototypes to production‑grade features using JavaScript and TypeScript. With deep alignment to React, TypeScript, Next.js, and local IDE workflows, Toolpad bridges the gap between rapid UI assembly and maintainable, production-ready development.