Redis Vector Search vs Chroma
Compare deployment options, cost efficiency, and features to choose the right vector database for your application. If you want to compare these models on your data, try Agentset.
Database Comparison
Chroma takes the lead.
Both Redis Vector Search 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 ranks higher overall
- Redis Vector Search offers more deployment options
- Chroma is more cost-effective
- Chroma has more permissive licensing
- Redis Vector Search has 1 more strengths
Vector Databases Are Just One Piece of RAG
Agentset gives you a managed RAG pipeline with the top-ranked models and best practices baked in. No infrastructure to maintain, no vector database to operate.
Trusted by teams building production RAG applications
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.
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.
Build RAG in Minutes, Not Months
Agentset gives you a complete RAG API with fully managed vector storage and retrieval. Upload your data, call the API, and get accurate results from day one.
import { Agentset } from "agentset";
const agentset = new Agentset();
const ns = agentset.namespace("ns_1234");
const results = await ns.search(
"What is multi-head attention?"
);
for (const result of results) {
console.log(result.text);
}Feature Comparison
Infrastructure & Technical Details
| Feature | Redis Vector Search | Chroma |
|---|---|---|
| Deployment | Self-Hosted (Redis Stack), Redis Enterprise, Redis Cloud | Self-Hosted, Managed Cloud |
| Cost | Redis Stack: Free (self-host); Cloud: starts $5/mo; Enterprise: shard-based pricing; Redis Flex: hybrid RAM+SSD | Free (local), Chroma Cloud starts at $0 with $5 free credits |
| License | RSALv2 / SSPLv1 / AGPLv3 | Apache 2.0 |
| Index Types | FLAT, HNSW | HNSW, SPANN |
| Cloud Providers | AWS, Azure, GCP | Any |
| Regional Flexibility | high | medium |
| Strengths | 11 | 10 |
| Weaknesses | 12 | 7 |