Milvus
Milvus is an open-source distributed vector database. 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).
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.
- Confirm 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.
Pricing
GitHub and Zilliz Cloud on 2026-08-17.
| Piece | Price | Notes from first-party pages |
|---|---|---|
| Milvus OSS | $0 | Apache-2.0. 45,663 stars. Self-host. |
| Zilliz Cloud Free | Free start | Get Started Free on zilliz.com/cloud. Confirm caps. |
| Zilliz paid / BYOC | Confirm calculator | Business Critical and marketplace rows. No invented dollar. |
If a leftover blog still says Milvus handles a trillion vectors as a fact, treat this table as the source.
Getting Started
- Open github.com/milvus-io/milvus or milvus.io.
- Confirm zilliz.com/cloud only if you want managed.
- Confirm Qdrant if you wanted a printed Cloud matrix.
- 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
- Quote 45,663 stars and Apache-2.0 from the GitHub check.
- Split Milvus OSS from Zilliz Cloud.
- Confirm 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.
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