kitio.aiElasticsearch vs Milvus
A side-by-side look at pricing plans, free tiers, features, pros and cons, updated for 2026. Elasticsearch starts at See pricing page and Milvus starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
At a glance
Best for
Category
Pricing model
Starting price
Free plan
Made by
Based in
Rating
Key features
- Vector embedding storage and search
- Elastic Agent Builder
- Kibana dashboards
- Jina AI search models
- Serverless, hosted or self-managed
- Observability and security use cases
- Distributed architecture
- Many index types
- GPU indexing
- Hybrid search
- Milvus Lite
| Feature | Elasticsearch | Milvus |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Search engine and vector database for AI apps and agents | Open-source vector database built for billion-scale search |
| Category | Models & APIs | Models & APIs |
| Pricing model | Free trial | Freemium |
| Starting price | See pricing page | See pricing page |
| Free plan | No, trial available | Yes |
| Made by | Elastic | Zilliz |
| Based in | Netherlands | United States |
| Rating | No ratings yet | No ratings yet |
| Key features |
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Pricing compared
Elasticsearch starts at See pricing page and Milvus starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
Free plan
Cheapest paid plan
Top plan
Free trial
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
Elasticsearch
- Handles keyword and vector search together
- Three deployment options
- Mature ecosystem and tooling
- Pricing details are not clear on the page
- Cluster tuning takes expertise
- Broad product line can be confusing
Milvus
- Scales to billions of vectors
- Wide index choice
- Managed option via Zilliz
- Complex to run distributed
- Many components to operate
- Overkill for small apps
Which one should you choose?
Choose Elasticsearch if you want:
- Handles keyword and vector search together
- Three deployment options
- Mature ecosystem and tooling
Watch out: pricing details are not clear on the page.
Choose Milvus if you want:
- Scales to billions of vectors
- Wide index choice
- Managed option via Zilliz
Watch out: complex to run distributed.
Elasticsearch vs Milvus FAQ
What is the difference between Elasticsearch and Milvus?
Elasticsearch: Search engine and vector database for AI apps and agents. Milvus: Open-source vector database built for billion-scale search. Both are models & apis tools.
Is Elasticsearch or Milvus cheaper?
Elasticsearch starts at See pricing page and Milvus starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
Do Elasticsearch and Milvus have free plans?
Elasticsearch: No, trial available. Milvus: Yes.
Who makes Elasticsearch?
Elasticsearch is made by Elastic, based in Netherlands.
Who makes Milvus?
Milvus is made by Zilliz, based in United States.
Which should I choose, Elasticsearch or Milvus?
Choose Elasticsearch if you value handles keyword and vector search together and three deployment options. Choose Milvus if you value scales to billions of vectors and wide index choice.