LanceDB vs Redis Vector Search
Compare deployment options, cost efficiency, and features to choose the right vector database for your application.
Database Comparison
LanceDB takes the lead.
Both LanceDB and Redis Vector Search are powerful vector databases designed for efficient similarity search and storage. However, their deployment options and features differ in important ways.
Why LanceDB:
- LanceDB ranks higher overall
- LanceDB is more cost-effective
- LanceDB has more permissive licensing
- LanceDB has 2 more strengths
LanceDB
LanceDB is an open-source, AI-native multimodal lakehouse designed for billion-scale vector search. Built on the Lance columnar format, it combines embedded simplicity with cloud-scale performance. LanceDB's disk-based architecture with compute-storage separation enables up to 100x cost savings compared to memory-based solutions while supporting multimodal data (text, images, video, audio).
Redis Vector Search
Redis provides vector similarity search through Redis Stack (RediSearch module), enabling low-latency semantic search and RAG applications. As an in-memory database, Redis excels at small-to-medium scale vector workloads requiring ultra-low latency. It integrates vector search with Redis's core data structures, making it ideal for real-time AI applications, semantic caching, and RAG systems.
Feature Comparison
Infrastructure & Technical Details
| Feature | LanceDB | Redis Vector Search |
|---|---|---|
| Deployment | Embedded/Local, Self-Hosted, Managed Cloud (LanceDB Cloud) | Self-Hosted (Redis Stack), Redis Enterprise, Redis Cloud |
| Cost | OSS: Free; Cloud: usage-based with $100 free credits; Enterprise: custom pricing | Redis Stack: Free (self-host); Cloud: starts $5/mo; Enterprise: shard-based pricing; Redis Flex: hybrid RAM+SSD |
| License | Apache 2.0 | RSALv2 / SSPLv1 / AGPLv3 |
| Index Types | IVF-PQ, IVF-HNSW-PQ, BTree | FLAT, HNSW |
| Cloud Providers | AWS, Azure, GCP, Any (self-hosted) | AWS, Azure, GCP |
| Regional Flexibility | high | high |
| Strengths | 13 | 11 |
| Weaknesses | 9 | 12 |