Comparison

gqlgen vs Relay

On the evidence we track, Relay leads this comparison with a composite score of 70/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.

Machine formatsMarkdownJSONGraphQLMarkdown is open. JSON and GraphQL need a free key.
gqlgen58
★Relay70
Score
vioscaleAI score
gqlgen58 / 100low · 36%
Relay70 / 100medium · 58%
Pricing
Free tier
gqlgen–
Relay✓
Model
Price level
gqlgenfree
Relayfree
Adoption
Dependent repos
gqlgen3,167
Relay76,213
Github stars
gqlgen10,768
Relay18,962
Package downloads weekly
gqlgen–
Activity
Commits last 30d
gqlgen28
Relay100
Release
Cadence days
gqlgen17
Relay47
History
gqlgen20 items
License
Spdx
gqlgenMIT
RelayMIT
Language
Primary
gqlgenGo
RelayRust
Market
Availability
gqlgen–
Content
Faq
gqlgen4 items
Relay5 items

Capabilities

Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for graphql tools. “-” means undocumented, not absent.

Core
Role
gqlgenServer
RelayClient
Primary language
gqlgenGo
RelayJavaScript / TypeScript
Modelling
Schema approach
gqlgenSchema-first
RelayCode-first
Scale
Federation / subgraph composition
gqlgen✓
Relay✗
Realtime
Real-time subscriptions
gqlgen✓
Relay✓
Performance
Response / edge caching
gqlgen✗
Relay✓
DX
Typed code generation
gqlgen✓
Relay✓
Automation
Generates API from a database
gqlgen✗
Relay✗
Security
Built-in authz / permissions
gqlgen✗
Relay✗
Deployment
Official hosted offering
gqlgen✗
Relay✗
Self-hostable
gqlgen✓
Relay✓

What each one is

The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.

gqlgen

An open-source Go framework that generates GraphQL server code from schema definitions. It emphasizes type safety, automatic code generation to reduce boilerplate, and a schema-first development approach.

Independently observed

Relay

Leader

A GraphQL client for React that automates data fetching and manages normalized client-side state across components. It provides type-safe queries, mutations with optimistic updates, streaming support, and maintains data consistency across the application.

Independently observed

Pricing

List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.

gqlgen

Open source
as of verify ↗

Relay

Leader
Open sourceFree tier

Free and open-source

as of verify ↗

Platform & deployment

Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.

Platforms
Web
gqlgen✗
Relay✓
iOS
gqlgen✗
Relay✓
CLI
gqlgen✓
Relay✓
Deployment
Self-hosted
gqlgen✓
Relay✓
Still deciding?

gqlgen or Relay: which one depends on you

A composite score cannot know your constraints. Describe them and both get re-weighted against what you actually need, with the evidence behind every position.

Free to run, no account needed to start. How the evaluation works

Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.