kitio.aiChroma vs Vald
A side-by-side look at pricing plans, free tiers, features, pros and cons, updated for 2026. Vald is completely free, while Chroma is freemium.
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
- Distributed ANN search
- Asynchronous auto-indexing
- Index replication
- Automatic index backup
- Custom gRPC filters
- Multi-language SDKs
| Feature | Chroma | Vald |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Open-source embedding database for building RAG apps quickly | Open-source distributed vector search engine for billions of vectors |
| Category | Models & APIs | Models & APIs |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Free |
| Starting price | $250/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes, fully free |
| Made by | Chroma | vdaas |
| Based in | United States | – |
| Rating | No ratings yet | No ratings yet |
| Key features |
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Pricing compared
Vald is completely free, while Chroma is freemium.
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
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
Vald
- Free and open source
- Scales to billions of vectors
- Keeps serving while indexing
- Needs Kubernetes to run
- No managed cloud offering
- More setup than hosted vector databases
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 Vald if you want:
- Free and open source
- Scales to billions of vectors
- Keeps serving while indexing
Watch out: needs kubernetes to run.
Chroma vs Vald FAQ
What is the difference between Chroma and Vald?
Chroma: Open-source embedding database for building RAG apps quickly. Vald: Open-source distributed vector search engine for billions of vectors. Both are models & apis tools.
Is Chroma or Vald cheaper?
Vald is completely free, while Chroma is freemium.
Do Chroma and Vald have free plans?
Chroma: Yes. Vald: Yes, fully free.
Who makes Chroma?
Chroma is made by Chroma, based in United States.
Who makes Vald?
Vald is made by vdaas.
Which should I choose, Chroma or Vald?
Choose Chroma if you value very easy to start and default in many tutorials. Choose Vald if you value free and open source and scales to billions of vectors.