Best Search Databases in 2026
Updated
In short: Chroma is ranked #1 of 29 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of Qdrant and Typesense. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Qdrant. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Vespa at $0.05/mo.
Search databases help applications retrieve information from indexed collections. Compare the primary search mode and query interface, then check for faceted search or vector search if those capabilities matter to your queries. Deployment and index limits provide additional points of comparison, while free-plan availability and paid starting prices help frame access. Meilisearch, Elasticsearch, and Algolia lead the ranking, followed by Typesense and Manticore Search. Consider the search experience your application needs, the scale suggested by the listed index limit, and how you want to deploy the system.
29 search databases ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
#1 Chroma Top pick · 7.6 Free plan · $250/mo
#2 Qdrant Runner-up · 7.4 Free plan · Free
#3 Typesense Also great · 7.4 Free plan · $22/mo
- Free plan AndroidapiiOSLinuxmacOSself-hostedWebWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- 250 /mo
- Deployment
- both
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms$250/mofirst paid tier About ChromaVisit site - Free plan apiLinuxmacOSself-hostedWebWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment
- both
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free planFree trial apiLinuxmacOSself-hostedWebWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- 22 /mo
- Primary search mode
- full-text
- Vector search
- Yes
- Faceted search
- Yes
- Deployment
- both
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms$22/mofirst paid tier About TypesenseVisit site - Free trial apiLinuxmacOSself-hostedWebWindows
- Free plan
- No
- Deployment
- both
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms$0.05/mofirst paid tier About VespaVisit site - Free planFree trial apiLinuxmacOSself-hostedWebWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- 20 /mo
- Primary search mode
- full-text
- Vector search
- Yes
- Faceted search
- Yes
- Deployment
- both
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms$20/mofirst paid tier About MeilisearchVisit site - Free plan AndroidapiiOSWeb
- Free plan
- Yes
- Primary search mode
- hybrid
- Vector search
- Yes
- Faceted search
- Yes
- Deployment
- cloud
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms$0.50/mofirst paid tier About AlgoliaVisit site - Free plan apiLinuxmacOSself-hostedWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Primary search mode
- hybrid
- Vector search
- Yes
- Faceted search
- Yes
- Deployment
- self-hosted
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free plan apiLinuxmacOSself-hostedWebWindowsRecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms
- Free plan apiLinuxself-hostedWeb
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- 45 /mo
- Deployment
- both
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms$45/mofirst paid tier About WeaviateVisit site - Free planFree trial apiWeb
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- 20 /mo
- Deployment
- cloud
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free planFree trial apiWeb
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment
- cloud
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free plan apiLinuxself-hosted
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment
- both
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free trial apiLinuxself-hostedWeb
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- 99 /mo
- Primary search mode
- hybrid
- Vector search
- Yes
- Faceted search
- Yes
- Deployment
- both
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - WebiOSAndroid
- Paid from
- 3,000 /mo
- Primary search mode
- full-text
- Vector search
- Yes
- Faceted search
- Yes
- Deployment
- cloud
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - WebWindowsLinux
- Free plan
- Yes
- Primary search mode
- hybrid
- Vector search
- Yes
- Faceted search
- Yes
- Deployment
- both
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - WindowsmacOSLinux
- Free plan
- Yes
- Vector search
- Yes
- Faceted search
- Yes
- Deployment
- self-hosted
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - WebiOSAndroid
- Primary search mode
- hybrid
- Vector search
- Yes
- Faceted search
- Yes
- Deployment
- cloud
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Web
- Primary search mode
- hybrid
- Vector search
- Yes
- Faceted search
- Yes
- Deployment
- cloud
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - WebLinuxmacOS
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment
- both
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms -
- Free plan
- Yes
- Primary search mode
- full-text
- Vector search
- Yes
- Faceted search
- Yes
- Deployment
- both
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Web
- Free plan
- No
- Primary search mode
- full-text
- Vector search
- No
- Faceted search
- Yes
- Deployment
- cloud
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Web
- Free plan
- No
- Primary search mode
- hybrid
- Vector search
- Yes
- Faceted search
- Yes
- Deployment
- cloud
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Web
- Free plan
- No
- Primary search mode
- full-text
- Faceted search
- Yes
- Deployment
- cloud
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - self-hosted
- Primary search mode
- full-text
- Deployment
- self-hosted
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Web
- Free plan
- No
- Paid from
- 16 /mo
- Deployment
- both
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.
Questions about this list
Which search database is ranked first on Everything Xiaomi?
Chroma is ranked #1 of 29 with a score of 7.6. Qdrant is second and Typesense third.
How many of these have a free plan?
11 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, Vespa has the lowest first paid tier we found: $0.05/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes: documentation depth, a free tier and the platforms it runs on. Paid placements never change a rank.