kitio.aiMilvus vs Chroma
A side-by-side look at pricing plans, free tiers, features, pros and cons, updated for 2026. Milvus starts at See pricing page and Chroma starts at $250/mo. 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
- Distributed architecture
- Many index types
- GPU indexing
- Hybrid search
- Milvus Lite
- Simple Python and JS API
- Built-in embeddings
- Metadata filtering
- Full-text search
- Chroma Cloud
| Feature | Milvus | Chroma |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Open-source vector database built for billion-scale search | Open-source embedding database for building RAG apps quickly |
| Category | Models & APIs | Models & APIs |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | See pricing page | $250/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Made by | Zilliz | Chroma |
| Based in | United States | United States |
| Rating | No ratings yet | No ratings yet |
| Key features |
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Pricing compared
Milvus starts at See pricing page and Chroma starts at $250/mo. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
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
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
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
Which one should you choose?
Choose Milvus if you want:
- Scales to billions of vectors
- Wide index choice
- Managed option via Zilliz
Watch out: complex to run distributed.
Choose Chroma if you want:
- Very easy to start
- Default in many tutorials
- Free open-source version
Watch out: fewer enterprise features.
Milvus vs Chroma FAQ
What is the difference between Milvus and Chroma?
Milvus: Open-source vector database built for billion-scale search. Chroma: Open-source embedding database for building RAG apps quickly. Both are models & apis tools.
Is Milvus or Chroma cheaper?
Milvus starts at See pricing page and Chroma starts at $250/mo. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
Do Milvus and Chroma have free plans?
Milvus: Yes. Chroma: Yes.
Who makes Milvus?
Milvus is made by Zilliz, based in United States.
Who makes Chroma?
Chroma is made by Chroma, based in United States.
Which should I choose, Milvus or Chroma?
Choose Milvus if you value scales to billions of vectors and wide index choice. Choose Chroma if you value very easy to start and default in many tutorials.