Side by side
Chroma vs Elasticsearch
Both stand on ai databases. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Choose Chroma if you need an open-source embedding database with multiple search methods and flexible deployment options. Starter offers a free way to begin, while Team adds capacity, credits, and Slack support for $250 a month plus usage. Consider another plan if you need more than 10 databases or 10 team members on Starter, or if you need Enterprise pricing before choosing a provider.
Visit Chroma
Choose Elasticsearch for real-time search and analytics across varied data types, with deployment choices ranging from self-managed to serverless. Teams should compare the plan models carefully: self-managed costs depend on nodes and RAM, while hosted and serverless costs depend on resources or usage.
Visit ElasticsearchThe facts
| Chroma | Elasticsearch | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | Not published |
| Runs on | Android, API, iPhone, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Web, Windows | API, Linux, Self-hosted, Web |
| Lowest paid plan | Team: $250 a month | See the plans |
| Plans published | 3 | 8 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | trychroma.com | elastic.co |
| On ai databases | #1 of 40 | #4 of 40 |
Chroma: what it does well
- Apache 2.0 license for the open-source database.
- Supports dense, sparse, and hybrid search.
- Filters records by metadata.
- Offers local, cloud, VPC, and on-premises deployment options.
- Documents integrations with embedding services and AI frameworks.
What to know first
- Starter is limited to 10 databases and 10 team members.
- Team costs $250 a month plus usage.
- Usage limits can pause service when exceeded.
Elasticsearch: what it does well
- Searches full-text, semantic, and hybrid queries.
- Stores structured, unstructured, and vector data in real time.
- Supports geospatial analysis with distances, polygons, and hexagons.
- Offers on-premises, cloud, multicloud, and serverless deployment.
- Lists more than 350 integrations.
What to know first
- Self-managed pricing depends on node count and RAM.
- Hosted and serverless plans use usage- or resource-based pricing.
- The 99.95% monthly uptime SLA is limited to Platinum and Enterprise tiers.
Alternatives to Chroma Alternatives to Elasticsearch The whole list