Milvus vs Chroma
Compare deployment options, cost efficiency, and features to choose the right vector database for your application.
Database Comparison
Chroma takes the lead.
Both Milvus and Chroma are powerful vector databases designed for efficient similarity search and storage. However, their deployment options and features differ in important ways.
Why Chroma:
- Chroma is more cost-effective
- Chroma has 1 more strengths
Milvus
Milvus is a flexible, open-source vector database built for local and hybrid cloud deployment. With support for IVF, HNSW, and DiskANN, it provides the widest indexing variety for tuning performance on large-scale workloads. Milvus is ideal when you want control, configurability, and low infrastructure cost.
Chroma
Chroma is a lightweight, local-first vector database designed for fast prototyping and flexible on-device or self-hosted RAG workflows. It supports efficient in-memory and SPANN search modes, making it ideal for local experimentation and small to medium RAG systems.
Feature Comparison
Infrastructure & Technical Details
| Feature | Milvus | Chroma |
|---|---|---|
| Deployment | Self-Hosted, Managed Cloud | Self-Hosted, Managed Cloud |
| Cost | Free (self-hosted), infra cost only | Free (local), Chroma Cloud starts at $0 with $5 free credits |
| License | Apache 2.0 | Apache 2.0 |
| Index Types | IVF, HNSW, DiskANN | HNSW, SPANN |
| Cloud Providers | Any | Any |
| Regional Flexibility | high | medium |
| Strengths Count | 9 | 10 |
| Weaknesses Count | 6 | 7 |