Zilliz Cloud

Free plan APIWeb

What Zilliz Cloud is

Zilliz Cloud is a managed Milvus service for deploying and scaling vector search applications. It supports approximate nearest neighbor, filtered, hybrid, and full-text search. Teams can choose Free, Serverless, or Dedicated cluster deployments; Serverless clusters scale automatically to zero. During ingestion, the service can create vector embeddings from raw text using a configured embedding function. It supports sparse vectors, metadata filtering, and vectors up to 32768 dimensions, with index options including FLAT, HNSW, DISKANN, and AUTOINDEX. SDK languages include Python, Java, Go, Node.js, and C++.

Documented integrations include Prometheus, Datadog, AWS S3, Azure Blob Storage, Google Cloud Storage, and external model providers. Migration sources include Pinecone, Qdrant, Elasticsearch, and PostgreSQL. Zilliz Cloud documents TLS 1.2 or higher for data in transit, AES-256 encryption at rest, and role-based access control across organization, project, and cluster levels. Its Free cluster costs nothing and includes 5 GB of storage, 2.5M vCUs/month, and up to 5 collections. Dedicated and Serverless clusters use pay-as-you-go pricing; their charges depend on compute, storage, usage, and configuration.

Who it suits

The Standard plan is described as suited to prototypes and testing. Enterprise is intended for production applications, while Business Critical is described for healthcare, finance, and mission-critical systems.

What it does well

Supports approximate nearest neighbor, filtered, hybrid, and full-text search.
Serverless clusters scale automatically to zero.
Creates embeddings from raw text during ingestion.
Supports up to 32768 dimensions and sparse vectors.
Documents migration sources including Pinecone and PostgreSQL.
Provides role-based access control across three levels.

What to know first

Free cluster is limited to 5 GB of storage and 5 collections.
Storage charges apply to data and backups even when a cluster is stopped.
Mutual TLS is currently unavailable.
Customer-managed encryption keys are limited to select deployments and AWS regions.

Limits

The Free cluster includes 5 GB of storage, 2.5M vCUs/month, and up to 5 collections. Storage charges apply to stored data and backup files even when a cluster is not running.

Plans

Plan	Billed and limits	Price
Free cluster	5 GB storage · 2.5M vCUs/month · Up to 5 collections	Free
Dedicated	Pay as you go; compute and storage charges · Rates vary by cloud region, cluster type, and project plan	On request
Serverless	Pay as you go; usage-based · Charges are based mainly on read and write operations measured through vCU usage	On request
Business Critical	Contact sales · SaaS plan; 99.99% uptime SLA when multi-replica is enabled	On request

As zilliz.com lists them, read 2 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.

Getting started

Visit the Zilliz Cloud website.
Use the web interface or API.
Choose a Free, Serverless, or Dedicated cluster deployment.
For a Free cluster, start with its 5 GB storage, 2.5M vCUs/month, and limit of 5 collections.
Connect using an SDK in Python, Java, Go, Node.js, or C++.
Use a documented migration source or integration if it matches your setup.

Verdict

Choose Zilliz Cloud if you need managed Milvus with several vector search modes, deployment options, and documented migration sources. The Free cluster offers bounded capacity for prototypes and testing; production and specialized plans are aimed at different workloads. Review the applicable pay-as-you-go charges and security limits when selecting a deployment.

Questions

Is there a free plan?

Yes. The Free cluster costs nothing and includes 5 GB storage, 2.5M vCUs/month, and up to 5 collections.

Is a free trial available?

Yes. Zilliz Cloud lists a 30-day trial.

What platforms does it support?

The listed platforms are API and web.

What does Dedicated or Serverless cost?

Both are pay as you go. Dedicated charges for compute and storage, with rates varying by cloud region, cluster type, and project plan; Serverless charges are based mainly on read and write operations measured through vCU usage.

Which integrations and migration sources are documented?

Integrations include Prometheus, Datadog, AWS S3, Azure Blob Storage, Google Cloud Storage, and external model providers. Migration sources include Pinecone, Qdrant, Elasticsearch, and PostgreSQL.

What security controls does it document?

It documents TLS 1.2 or higher in transit, AES-256 encryption at rest, and role-based access control. Mutual TLS is currently unavailable.

Facts from Zilliz Cloud's own pages

Access control: The service uses role-based access control at organization, project, and cluster levels. · docs.zilliz.com, 2 Oct 2026
CMEK availability: Customer-managed encryption keys are available only on Business Critical SaaS and BYOC deployments, and only in AWS regions. · docs.zilliz.com, 2 Oct 2026
Deployment options: The service offers Free, Serverless, and Dedicated cluster deployment options. · docs.zilliz.com, 2 Oct 2026
Embeddings: Zilliz Cloud can generate vector embeddings during ingestion from raw text using a configured embedding function. · docs.zilliz.com, 2 Oct 2026
Founded: 2017 · zilliz.com, 28 Sept 2026
Headquarters: Redwood Shores, California, United States · zilliz.com, 28 Sept 2026
Integrations: Documented integrations include Prometheus, Datadog, AWS S3, Azure Blob Storage, Google Cloud Storage, and external model providers. · docs.zilliz.com, 2 Oct 2026
Migration: Documented migration sources include Pinecone, Qdrant, Elasticsearch, and PostgreSQL. · docs.zilliz.com, 2 Oct 2026
Product: Zilliz Cloud is a fully managed Milvus service for deploying and scaling vector search applications. · docs.zilliz.com, 2 Oct 2026
Scaling: Serverless clusters scale automatically to zero. · docs.zilliz.com, 2 Oct 2026
Search: The service supports approximate nearest neighbor vector search, filtered search, hybrid search, and full-text search. · docs.zilliz.com, 2 Oct 2026
Security: Zilliz Cloud documents TLS 1.2 or higher in transit and AES-256 encryption at rest. · docs.zilliz.com, 2 Oct 2026
Security limit: Mutual TLS (mTLS) is currently unavailable. · docs.zilliz.com, 2 Oct 2026
Storage charges: Storage charges apply to stored data and backup files even when a cluster is not running. · docs.zilliz.com, 2 Oct 2026
Support: Users can contact Zilliz Support to request access to features in private preview. · docs.zilliz.com, 2 Oct 2026
Who it is for: The Standard plan is described as suited to prototypes and testing, while Enterprise is suited to production applications and Business Critical to healthcare, finance, and mission-critical systems. · docs.zilliz.com, 2 Oct 2026