# s3nd vs Dexie Cloud

> A Dexie Cloud alternative for apps that have no accounts. What Dexie Cloud is, where the two overlap, where they differ, and when to pick each.

Canonical: https://www.s3nd.sh/alternatives/dexie-cloud · Markdown: https://www.s3nd.sh/alternatives/dexie-cloud.md · Français: https://www.s3nd.sh/fr/alternatives/dexie-cloud

Both start from IndexedDB in a browser and end with the same data on another device. If your app is built on Dexie, both are one dependency away.

## What Dexie Cloud is
A sync service for Dexie.js, the IndexedDB wrapper. Add the addon, point it at a Dexie Cloud database, and the local tables sync continuously, with authentication, per-object access control and realtime updates. Hosted by the Dexie team, with a free tier and paid plans, and an on-premise option.

Website: https://dexie.org/cloud/

## Where they part ways.
| | s3nd | Dexie Cloud |
| --- | --- | --- |
| What it is | A CLI, a library and React hooks over your own S3 bucket | Continuous sync service for Dexie.js |
| Where the data lives | Your bucket: S3, R2, MinIO, Scaleway, Wasabi | Dexie Cloud’s servers |
| Both ends online at once | No. The code is redeemed later, until it expires | No |
| From inside your web app | Yes, through one route on your server | Yes, that is the point |
| Accounts | None. The code is the whole handshake | Required |
| Hosting | Your bucket, plus your server when a browser takes part | Hosted by Dexie; an on-premise option is offered |
| Price | Free. You pay your storage provider for a few objects that expire | Free tier, paid plans |
| License | MIT | Proprietary service; the client addon is open source |

## What actually changes.
- **Continuous sync versus a snapshot** — Dexie Cloud syncs every change, both ways, all the time, and merges. s3nd takes a snapshot of the whole database and carries it across once, or rewrites a per-user backup with a conditional write. It does not merge; your app does, when it wants to.
- **Accounts versus a code** — Dexie Cloud identifies users, which is how it knows whose data to sync and who may see it. s3nd has no notion of a user: a code is the whole handshake, which is exactly what a local-first app without sign-in needs.
- **Their service versus your bucket** — Dexie Cloud is a backend the Dexie team runs for you. s3nd is a few small objects in a bucket you already own, with no service in the middle.
- **Dexie versus anything** — Dexie Cloud needs Dexie. s3nd stores whatever your app exports, from Dexie, raw IndexedDB, SQLite in WASM, or a plain object.

## Pick the one that fits.
### Pick Dexie Cloud when
- You use Dexie and want continuous multi-device sync with sharing and permissions.
- Realtime collaboration between users.
- A hosted backend is fine, and welcome.

### Pick s3nd when
- The app has no accounts and you want to keep it that way.
- A one-shot move to a new device, or a backup, not live sync.
- The data must stay in your own bucket.
- You do not use Dexie.