Milvus vs Qdrant
Comparing two vector database platforms on pricing, features, free tier, and trade-offs.
Quick summary
Milvus — Open source vector database for GenAI. Milvus is a CNCF-graduated open-source vector database built for massive scale, with managed cloud via Zilliz.
Qdrant — High-performance open source vector search. Qdrant is a Rust-based open-source vector database with strong filtering, payload storage, and managed cloud offering with generous free tier.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Milvus | Qdrant |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | $65/mo (Zilliz) | $25/mo |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Type | Hybrid | Hybrid |
| Free Tier | Zilliz free cluster | 1GB cluster |
| Serverless | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-tenant | Yes | Yes |
| Hybrid Search | Yes | Yes |
| Max Dimensions | 32768 | 65536 |
| Metadata Filtering | Yes | Yes |
Milvus
Open source vector database for GenAI
Pros
- Scales to billions of vectors
- CNCF-graduated, enterprise-ready
- Multiple index types (HNSW, IVF, DiskANN)
- Strong in China / APAC market
Cons
- Heavy for small use cases
- Steep learning curve
- Ops complex if self-hosting
Qdrant
High-performance open source vector search
Pros
- Blazing fast Rust core
- Open source + managed cloud
- Excellent filtering via payload
- Very generous free tier
Cons
- Smaller ecosystem than Pinecone
- Some advanced features cloud-only
- Fewer SDK niceties
Which should you choose?
Choose Milvus if you value open source and want the option to self-host, and a free tier is important for your stage. Choose Qdrant if you value open source and want the option to self-host, and a free tier is important for your stage.