pgvector vs Zilliz: Vector Databases Pricing (2026)
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pgvector vs Zilliz

Vector Databases pricing comparison · 2026

pgvector uses custom pricing, while Zilliz ranges from $0–$155/month.

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See pricing on each vendor's site
Above-the-fold path — each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit pgvector pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
Visit Zilliz pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
Compare
2 products · Vector Databases
Side-by-side · live
P
pgvector
pgvector is a free, open-source PostgreSQL extension that adds vector similarity search to
verified 11w ago
View pricing →
Zilliz
Zilliz Cloud is the fully managed vector database built on open-source Milvus, operated by
verified 11w ago
View pricing →
Estimated license cost
at 25 seats
List price × seats. Click a tier below to lock it.
Pricing model unknown
Pricing model unknown
no public list price found
Enterprise
$47K/yr
year 1 license · $155/seat
REF · 01

Sources & confidence

Every dollar amount and contract clause below traces back to a sourced fact. We don't manufacture composite scores.

Where this data comes from
Vendr · TrustRadius · Reddit · BBB · official docs
Sources 10 sourced facts
8 hidden-cost · 1 contract · 1 review platform
Last verified 2mo ago
Confidence Limited confidence
Sources 25 sourced facts
23 hidden-cost · 1 contract · 1 review platform
Last verified 2mo ago
Confidence Medium confidence
REF · 02

Plans at a glance

Every tier per product. Lock one to drive the cost row above and reveal a tier-specific outbound CTA.

Tier ladder
Click a tier to lock the cost row to it. Locking surfaces a tier-specific Visit CTA.
REF · 03

Hidden costs

Each cost is severity-ranked, with the dollar range quoted from its source (Vendr, Reddit, TrustRadius, BBB, official docs) — never our estimate.

Beyond the sticker
Severity-ranked, sourced
5 documented
  • pgvector Resource Utilization
    $560/month
    1 source
  • Self-Hosting Setup & Maintenance
    $4,000–$8,000 one-time
    1 source
  • Embedding & Inference Fees
    $0.08 per million tokens
    1 source
  • Reindexing Costs
    $8,000–$15,000 one-time
    1 source
  • Query Cost Scaling
    1 source
5 documented
  • Storage Minimums & Suspended Charges
    1 source
  • Idle Compute Charges
    ~$7,000/month
    1 source
  • Data Transfer Fees
    1 source
  • Audit Log Resource Consumption
    1 source
  • Embedding & Inference Fees
    1 source
REF · 04

Contract terms

The fine print, surfaced. Green = buyer-friendly. Each clause backed by a quoted source.

pgvector
Zilliz
Auto-renewal
Yes
—
Cancellation
30, 60, or 90 days before the renewal date
any time for pay-as-you-go via AWS Marketplace
Commitment
—
Free tier offers 5 GB storage, 2.5 million vCUs per month, and up to 5 collections; Serverless and Dedicated models are pay-as-you-go.
Price escalation
—
—
Can downgrade
—
—
Based on 2 verified sources (Vendr · TrustRadius · BBB)
REF · 05

What users say

Aggregated, with sample sizes. We use whichever review platform has data.

User reviews
TrustRadius · Trustpilot · G2
G2
3.8out of 5 (12)
Best for
Teams already running Postgres who want vector search without a separate database
Watch out
Steep learning curve for configuration
G2
4.7out of 5 (65)
Best for
Learning and personal projects
Watch out
Pricing: Some users find the pricing to be high, especially for extensive storage needs or for smaller projects and individual developers.
Decide
Get a quote from each vendor
Each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit pgvector pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
Visit Zilliz pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
License cost is computed from publicly listed plans (real math, list price × seats). Median annual cost is from Vendr's deal flow when available — see source badges. Hidden costs and contract terms each cite their own sources. We do not invent composite scores.
Vector Databases

pgvector

Custom pricing
/month
1 plan · Free tier
Full pricing breakdown →
VS
Vector Databases

Zilliz

$0–$155
/month
4 plans · Free tier
Full pricing breakdown →

pgvector and Zilliz are both vector databases competitors. This page compares their list pricing tier by tier so you can see which is cheaper for your workload shape.

Plan-by-Plan Pricing

Plan pgvector Zilliz
Open Source (Free) Free /month Free /month
Standard — Free /month
Enterprise — $155 /month
Business Critical — Custom

What Users Say

pgvector

G2
3.8out of 5 (12)
Top complaints
  • Steep learning curve for configuration
  • Resource-intensive setup and management

Zilliz

G2
4.7out of 5 (65)
Top complaints
  • Pricing: Some users find the pricing to be high, especially for extensive storage needs or for smaller projects and individual developers.
  • Deployment Dependencies: The standalone deployment of Zilliz is noted to have a few too many dependencies.
  • Schema Migration Complexity: Modifying collection schemas can involve a complex and time-consuming migration process.

Hidden Costs

Beyond the sticker price — what catches buyers off guard.

pgvector 8 hidden costs

medium
pgvector Resource Utilization $560/month
high
Self-Hosting Setup & Maintenance $4,000–$8,000 one-time
high
Embedding & Inference Fees $0.08 per million tokens
high
Reindexing Costs $8,000–$15,000 one-time
high
Query Cost Scaling
See all pgvector hidden costs →

Zilliz 23 hidden costs

medium
Storage Minimums & Suspended Charges
high
Idle Compute Charges ~$7,000/month
medium
Data Transfer Fees
low
Audit Log Resource Consumption
critical
Embedding & Inference Fees
See all Zilliz hidden costs →

Contract Terms

Term pgvector Zilliz
Auto-renewal Yes —
Cancellation 30, 60, or 90 days before the renewal date any time for pay-as-you-go via AWS Marketplace
Minimum commitment — Free tier offers 5 GB storage, 2.5 million vCUs per month, and up to 5 collections; Serverless and Dedicated models are pay-as-you-go.

Continue researching

pgvector

Zilliz

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