Vector databases Pricing Comparison
19 providers compared by pricing model, free tiers, hosting options, and headquarters. Last updated April 2026.
15 with free tiers ยท 14 open source ยท 6 self-hostable ยท 3 European
| Provider | Pricing Model | Starting Price | Free Tier | Hosting | Open Source | HQ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay-per-use | $250/mo (Team) | — | Cloud + Self-hosted | ✓ | ๐บ๐ธ United States | |
| — | — | ✓ | — | ✓ | ๐บ๐ธ United States | |
| — | — | ✓ | — | — | ๐บ๐ธ United States | |
| — | — | ✓ | — | ✓ | ๐บ๐ธ United States | |
| Freemium | ~$16/mo | ✓ | Cloud + Self-hosted | ✓ | ๐บ๐ธ United States | |
| — | — | ✓ | — | ✓ | ๐บ๐ธ United States | |
| Freemium | Free tier, ~$65/mo paid | ✓ | Cloud + Self-hosted | ✓ | ๐บ๐ธ United States | |
| — | — | ✓ | — | — | ๐บ๐ธ United States | |
| — | — | — | — | ✓ | ๐บ๐ธ United States | |
| — | — | — | — | ✓ | ๐จ๐ณ China | |
| Pay-per-use | $50/mo | ✓ | Cloud | — | ๐บ๐ธ United States | |
| Freemium | ~$25/mo | ✓ | Cloud + Self-hosted | ✓ | ๐ฉ๐ช Germany | |
| Freemium | Free | ✓ | — | ✓ | ๐บ๐ธ United States | |
| Freemium | Free | ✓ | — | ✓ | ๐ธ๐ฌ Singapore | |
| Pay-per-use | Contact sales | — | Cloud | ✓ | ๐บ๐ธ United States | |
| — | — | ✓ | — | — | ๐บ๐ธ United States | |
| Freemium | — | ✓ | Cloud + Self-hosted | ✓ | ๐ณ๐ด Norway | |
| Pay-per-use | $45/mo | ✓ | Cloud + Self-hosted | ✓ | ๐ณ๐ฑ Netherlands | |
| — | — | ✓ | — | — | ๐บ๐ธ United States |
Providers with free tiers
These vector databases providers offer free credits, free tiers, or open-source self-hosting options to get started without upfront costs.
Vector search and kNN queries built into the established Elasticsearch platform
A one-stop platform for building production ready LLM applications connected ...
Meta's open-source library for efficient similarity search and dense vector c...
Use your data to increase relevance with vector search.
Show all 15 providers with free tiers
The SQL Vector Database for Scalable AI.
Build remarkable GenAI applications fast, with lower cost, better performance...
From: $50/mo
Powering the next generation of AI applications with advanced and high-perfor...
From: ~$25/mo
Serverless vector and full-text search engine built on object storage for cos...
Open-source search and serving engine combining vector search, keyword search...
Weaviate is an open source, AI-native vector database that helps developers c...
From: $45/mo
A Widely-Adopted Vector Database.
Frequently asked questions
Which vector databases offer a free tier?
15 of the 19 vector databases listed offer a free tier or free credits. Examples: Elasticsearch, Epsilla, FAISS, LanceDB, Marqo. Use the "Free tier" filter above to see the full list.
Which vector databases are open source?
14 open-source options are listed. Examples: chroma, Elasticsearch, FAISS, LanceDB, Marqo. Most can be self-hosted alongside or instead of any managed offering.
Are there European vector databases?
Yes. 3 providers in this category are headquartered in Europe, including Qdrant, Vespa, Weaviate. The European providers page has the full cross-category list with hosting regions.
Which vector databases can be self-hosted?
6 of the 19 listed support self-hosting, either as the primary deployment model or alongside a managed cloud offering. Examples: chroma, LanceDB, Milvus, Qdrant, Vespa.
How to choose an inference API provider
The right provider depends on workload type, latency requirements, and budget. Most providers use pay-per-token pricing for LLMs and per-second GPU billing for custom models. Token-based pricing varies by model, so the cheapest provider for one model may not be cheapest for another.
Free tiers are useful for prototyping but often come with rate limits. For production, compare per-token costs for your specific model, cold start latency, rate limits, and whether the provider supports the models you need.
Teams with data residency requirements should check hosting options and provider headquarters. European providers like Qdrant, Vespa, Weaviate keep data within EU jurisdiction. See the full European AI Infrastructure directory. Self-hostable options like chroma and LanceDB give full control over data location.
For a deeper analysis, read AI Inference API Providers Compared on the blog. Pricing changes frequently, so verify current rates on each provider's website. Submit a correction.
Browse all Vector databases tools or explore the full AI Infrastructure Landscape.
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