kitio.aiChroma vs Powabase
A side-by-side look at pricing plans, free tiers, features, pros and cons, updated for 2026. Powabase has the lower starting price: about $25 a month, against $250 for Chroma.
At a glance
Best for
Category
Pricing model
Starting price
Free plan
Made by
Based in
Rating
Key features
- Simple Python and JS API
- Built-in embeddings
- Metadata filtering
- Full-text search
- Chroma Cloud
- Per-project Postgres with pgvector
- Auth, storage and realtime
- RAG pipeline with OCR
- Agents and workflows
- MCP server and agent skill
- Self-hosted edition
| Feature | Chroma | Powabase |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Open-source embedding database for building RAG apps quickly | Postgres backend for AI apps with built-in RAG and agents |
| Category | Models & APIs | Models & APIs |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | $250/mo | $25/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Made by | Chroma | Powabase |
| Based in | United States | – |
| Rating | No ratings yet | No ratings yet |
| Key features |
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Pricing compared
Powabase has the lower starting price: about $25 a month, against $250 for Chroma.
Free plan
Cheapest paid plan
Top plan
Free trial
3 plans
Starter
Free
- Plus usage, $5 free credits
- 10 databases
- 10 team members
Team
$250/mo
- Plus usage, $100 credits
- 100 databases
- 30 team members
- SOC II, Slack support
Enterprise
Contact sales
- Configurable billing
- Volume-based discounts
4 plans
Free
Free
- $10 in sign-up credits
- All platform features
- Pay as you go
Self Serve
$25/mo
- $25 monthly credits
- Any compute tier
- Lower per-call costs
- Email support
Scale
$300/mo
- $300 monthly credits
- Up to 50% cheaper calls
- Lowest overage rates
Enterprise
Contact sales
- Custom terms
- Priority support
Prices in USD, checked Oct 28, 2026 or later. Plans change often, so confirm on each tool's site before you buy.
Pros and cons
Chroma
- Very easy to start
- Default in many tutorials
- Free open-source version
- Fewer enterprise features
- Large-scale tuning is limited
- Cloud product is newer
Powabase
- RAG and agents included with the database
- Works with popular coding agents
- Open-source self-hosted option
- Free projects suspend after 7 days idle
- Usage billing can be hard to predict
- Younger ecosystem than Supabase
Which one should you choose?
Choose Chroma if you want:
- Very easy to start
- Default in many tutorials
- Free open-source version
Watch out: fewer enterprise features.
Choose Powabase if you want:
- RAG and agents included with the database
- Works with popular coding agents
- Open-source self-hosted option
Watch out: free projects suspend after 7 days idle.
Chroma vs Powabase FAQ
What is the difference between Chroma and Powabase?
Chroma: Open-source embedding database for building RAG apps quickly. Powabase: Postgres backend for AI apps with built-in RAG and agents. Both are models & apis tools.
Is Chroma or Powabase cheaper?
Powabase has the lower starting price: about $25 a month, against $250 for Chroma.
Do Chroma and Powabase have free plans?
Chroma: Yes. Powabase: Yes.
Who makes Chroma?
Chroma is made by Chroma, based in United States.
Who makes Powabase?
Powabase is made by Powabase.
Which should I choose, Chroma or Powabase?
Choose Chroma if you value very easy to start and default in many tutorials. Choose Powabase if you value rag and agents included with the database and works with popular coding agents.