Milvus stores and searches vectors at scale. Open-source vector database for AI applications-similarity search infrastructure. The performance handles scale. The open-source model provides flexibility. The integration is straightforward. AI applications needing vector search choose Milvus for scalable similarity search.

Louis Corneloup Updated May 26, 2026 · how we evaluate Source milvus.io ↗

Ratings Across the Web

4.8 (310 reviews)

Milvus holds an aggregate rating of 4.8 out of 5 from 310 reviews across G2 and Capterra, last checked September 17, 2026.

Ratings aggregated from independent review platforms. Learn more

Key Features

Vector database
Similarity search
Scalable
Hybrid search
GPU support
Open source

Pricing Plans

30-day Free Trial

Pricing checked Oct 4, 2026

Milvus plans and prices, checked October 2026
Plan	Price	Details
Open Source	$0	Self-hosted Apache 2.0 license Full control +1 more Show less Community support
Zilliz Cloud Free	$0	5GB storage 2.5M vCUs/month Managed service +1 more Show less Prototyping
Zilliz Serverless	Pay-as-you-go	$4 per million vCUs Auto-scaling Up to 20M vectors +1 more Show less No minimum
Zilliz Dedicated	$99/month	Enterprise-grade 99.95% SLA SOC 2 & ISO 27001 +1 more Show less Custom deployment

Calculate your cost View full pricing

Is Milvus worth the price?

Great value

Milvus offers a very generous pricing model, especially with its robust open-source option and the Zilliz Cloud Free tier providing 5GB storage and 2.5M vCUs/month at no cost.

This pricing is best for developers and startups looking for powerful vector database solutions with low entry barriers.

Hidden Costs & Gotchas

Overage fees for vCUs on Serverless tier

Full Milvus pricing: every plan, hidden costs and alternatives

Reviews

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4.8/5

Across 310 verified user reviews on Capterra, G2

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Best Milvus Alternatives

Top alternatives based on features, pricing, and user needs.

Pinecone Freemium

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Weaviate Freemium

Open-source vector database with ML

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Qdrant Freemium

Vector database for similarity search

4.5

Chroma Freemium

Open-source vector database for AI applications

4.2

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Still deciding?

Most buyers shortlist 2 or 3 tools before committing. Pull a side-by-side comparison or browse the full alternatives shortlist below.

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Milvus FAQ

How does Milvus support AI applications?

Milvus functions as an open-source vector database specifically designed for AI applications, enabling efficient storage and searching of vectors at scale. It provides the necessary similarity search infrastructure for various AI use cases.

Which teams would benefit most from using Milvus?

Teams developing AI applications that require scalable similarity search and need to manage large volumes of vector data will find Milvus particularly useful. Its high performance and scalability are well-suited for such demands.

How is Milvus priced?

Milvus is free to use, as it is an open-source vector database. There are no paid plans required to utilize its features and capabilities.

What kind of trade-offs should users consider when adopting Milvus?

Users should be aware that Milvus can involve complex operations and has a learning curve. It also requires heavy resource usage and recommends Kubernetes for optimal deployment, and its documentation can be dense.

Can Milvus handle large-scale vector search requirements?

Yes, Milvus is built to handle large-scale vector search requirements with high performance and scalability. It is specifically chosen by AI applications needing to manage and search vectors at scale.

How does Milvus compare to Pinecone for vector search?

Milvus is an open-source vector database offering flexibility and active development, suitable for large-scale similarity search, whereas Pinecone is another solution in the vector database space. Milvus's open-source nature provides a different deployment and usage model compared to proprietary alternatives.

Source: milvus.io

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