Milvus

Milvus is an open-source distributed vector database. Rechecked 2026-08-17: github.com/milvus-io/milvus had 45,663 stars, license Apache-2.0, homepage milvus.io. The managed cloud is Zilliz Cloud. zilliz.com/cloud advertises a Free start and marketplace deploy, plus Business Critical. We did not get a clean public dollar matrix from the milvus.io pricing URL (redirect loop). Drop leftover trillion-vector copy as an audited census.

Compare Qdrant if you wanted another OSS engine with a printed Cloud Free/Standard/Premium table, Pinecone if you wanted Free / $20 / $50 min / $500 min, and Supabase if you wanted Postgres instead.

Key Features

• OSS engine, separate cloud: Self-host Apache-2.0 Milvus, or buy managed Zilliz. Do not treat Zilliz list prices as the OSS license.
• No invented Zilliz seat: The Cloud page we opened sells Get Started Free and Book a Demo. Recheck zilliz.com/pricing or the calculator for dollars.
• Not a 2019 origin essay: Keep the product as a vector database for embeddings. Do not freeze a trillion-vector claim we did not re-measure.
• Stars match the Cloud nav: Zilliz Cloud HTML showed 45.6k, consistent with the GitHub check.

Use Cases

• People who will self-host Milvus and pay their own machines.
• People comparing Milvus vs Qdrant after they see 45,663 stars vs 34,018.
• Teams that will talk to Zilliz for managed Cloud.

Limitation: milvus.io/pricing redirected in a loop from this environment. Do not invent a Milvus SaaS dollar.

Pricing

GitHub and Zilliz Cloud on 2026-08-17.

If a leftover blog still says Milvus handles a trillion vectors as a fact, treat this table as the source.

Getting Started

1. Open github.com/milvus-io/milvus or milvus.io.
2. Recheck zilliz.com/cloud only if you want managed.
3. Recheck Qdrant if you wanted a printed Cloud matrix.
4. Do not paste trillion-vector into a deck.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the engine free?

Yes. Apache-2.0. Cloud is a separate Zilliz product.

What is the official cloud?

Zilliz Cloud, built on Milvus.

Same as Pinecone?

No. Pinecone prints $20 / $50 min / $500 min. Milvus OSS is $0; Zilliz dollars need the calculator.

Alternatives

• Qdrant: OSS plus Cloud Free / usage-based Standard.
• Pinecone: Managed vector DB with public dollar rows.
• Supabase: Postgres BaaS, not a dedicated vector engine.

Tips

1. Quote 45,663 stars and Apache-2.0 from the GitHub check.
2. Split Milvus OSS from Zilliz Cloud.
3. Recheck the Zilliz calculator before you invent a seat.

Conclusion

Milvus is an Apache-2.0 vector engine with 45,663 stars; managed Cloud is Zilliz, not a trillion-vector census. Start at github.com/milvus-io/milvus, then decide whether Qdrant already covers the Cloud table you need.