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Milvus

Free plan APILinuxSelf-hosted

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Milvus's own site

What Milvus is

Milvus is an open-source vector database developed by Zilliz for search in GenAI applications. It supports approximate nearest neighbor, filtered, range, hybrid and full-text search, along with reranking, fetch and query operations. Deployment choices include Lite, a Python library for local use; Standalone, a single-machine server; and Distributed, for Kubernetes clusters. Documentation recommends Lite for datasets up to a few million vectors, Standalone up to 100 million, and Distributed for 100 million to tens of billions. Lite can run on a device without a cloud service, including for searches over private or sensitive data. Official APIs and SDKs cover REST, Python, Go, Java, Node.js and C++; C# is contributed by Microsoft, while Rust is under development. Security documentation lists authentication, TLS for gRPC and REST traffic, and role-based access control. Milvus is free under the Apache 2.0 license. The documentation notes that an online upgrade from Standalone to a cluster is not currently supported.

Who it suits

Milvus suits developers and teams building vector search for GenAI applications, from local demos to large Kubernetes deployments. Distributed is described as suitable for enterprise production systems, while Lite supports local search.

What it does well

  • Supports hybrid, full-text and approximate nearest-neighbor search.
  • Three deployment options cover different dataset sizes.
  • Lite supports local search without a cloud service.
  • Provides authentication, TLS and role-based access control.

What to know first

  • Online upgrade from Standalone to a cluster is unsupported.
  • Rust SDK is still under development.
  • Default 3.x deployment uses Woodpecker, etcd and MinIO.

Limits

The free Apache 2.0 plan recommends Lite for datasets up to a few million vectors and Standalone for up to 100 million. Distributed is recommended for 100 million to tens of billions of vectors; online upgrade from Standalone to a cluster is not currently supported.

Plans

PlanBilled and limitsPrice
Milvus (open-source software)Apache 2.0 licensed · Milvus Lite: recommended for datasets up to a few million vectors · Standalone: suitable for datasets up to 100 million vectorsFree

As milvus.io lists them, read 4 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.

Getting started

  1. Visit https://milvus.io/.
  2. Choose Milvus Lite, Standalone or Distributed for the intended deployment.
  3. Use Lite as a Python library, run Standalone as a single-machine server, or deploy Distributed on Kubernetes.
  4. Connect through an official REST API or SDK for Python, Go, Java, Node.js or C++.
  5. Review the documented authentication, TLS and role-based access controls for the deployment.

Verdict

Milvus offers a free, open-source path from local vector search to large distributed deployments. Choose a deployment with its documented scale recommendations in mind, especially since Standalone cannot be upgraded online to a cluster.

Questions

Is Milvus free?

Yes. The open-source software is listed as free and is Apache 2.0 licensed.

What deployment options does Milvus offer?

Milvus Lite is a Python library, Standalone is a single-machine server, and Distributed runs on Kubernetes.

Which platforms and SDKs are supported?

The listed platforms are API, Linux and self-hosted. Official interfaces include REST and SDKs for Python, Go, Java, Node.js and C++; C# is contributed by Microsoft, and Rust is under development.

What search capabilities does Milvus include?

It supports approximate nearest neighbor, filtering, range, hybrid and full-text search, plus reranking, fetch and query operations. Metadata filtering and sparse vectors are also supported.

Who develops Milvus?

Milvus was developed by Zilliz and is associated with the LF AI & Data Foundation under the Linux Foundation.

Does Milvus have a managed option?

The Milvus site links to Zilliz Cloud as its fully managed offering and describes a free option on its documentation site.

Facts from Milvus's own pages

Access control
RBAC can control operations at collection, database, and instance levels. · milvus.io, 4 Oct 2026
Dependencies
A default Milvus 3.x deployment uses Woodpecker for messaging, etcd for metadata, and MinIO for object storage. · milvus.io, 4 Oct 2026
Deployment
Milvus offers Lite as a Python library, Standalone as a single-machine server, and Distributed for Kubernetes clusters. · milvus.io, 4 Oct 2026
Deployment caveat
The documentation says an online upgrade from a standalone Milvus instance to a cluster is not currently supported. · milvus.io, 4 Oct 2026
Deployment limits
The docs recommend Lite for up to a few million vectors, Standalone up to 100 million, and Distributed for 100 million to tens of billions. · milvus.io, 4 Oct 2026
Deployment options
Milvus offers Lite as a Python library, Standalone as a single-machine server, and Distributed for Kubernetes clusters. · milvus.io, 4 Oct 2026
Free plan
Yes · milvus.io, 22 Sept 2026
Integrations
The integrations documentation lists tools including LangChain, LlamaIndex, Haystack, DSPy, Dify, Langflow, OpenAI, Cohere, and HuggingFace. · milvus.io, 4 Oct 2026
Intended users
The documentation describes Distributed as suited to enterprise users running large-scale vector search systems in production. · milvus.io, 4 Oct 2026
Local use
Milvus Lite can run on a device without a cloud service for local search of private or sensitive data. · milvus.io, 4 Oct 2026
Maker
The documentation says Milvus was developed by Zilliz and is associated with the LF AI & Data Foundation under the Linux Foundation. · milvus.io, 4 Oct 2026
Managed option
Milvus links to Zilliz Cloud as its fully managed offering and describes a free option on its documentation site. · milvus.io, 4 Oct 2026
Product
Milvus is an open-source vector database built for GenAI applications. · milvus.io, 4 Oct 2026
Scale
Milvus supports deployments from local notebook demos to Kubernetes clusters handling tens of billions of vectors. · milvus.io, 4 Oct 2026
Scale limits by deployment
The documentation recommends Milvus Lite for up to a few million vectors, Standalone for up to 100 million, and Distributed for 100 million to tens of billions. · milvus.io, 4 Oct 2026
SDKs
Milvus provides official REST, Python, Go, Java, Node.js, and C++ APIs or SDKs; C# is contributed by Microsoft and Rust is under development. · milvus.io, 4 Oct 2026
Search
Milvus supports approximate nearest neighbor, filtering, range, hybrid, and full-text search, plus reranking, fetch, and query operations. · milvus.io, 4 Oct 2026
Search features
Milvus supports approximate nearest neighbor, filtered, range, hybrid, and full-text search, as well as reranking and queries. · milvus.io, 4 Oct 2026
Security
Milvus documents user authentication, TLS encryption for gRPC and REST traffic, and role-based access control. · milvus.io, 4 Oct 2026
Support
The Milvus site lists community channels including Slack, Discord, GitHub, and Milvus Office Hours. · milvus.io, 4 Oct 2026
What it does
Milvus is an open-source vector database developed by Zilliz for high-performance, scalable vector search. · milvus.io, 4 Oct 2026

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