Redis Vector Search vs Milvus
Compare deployment options, cost efficiency, and features to choose the right vector database for your application.
Database Comparison
Milvus takes the lead.
Both Redis Vector Search and Milvus are powerful vector databases designed for efficient similarity search and storage. However, their deployment options and features differ in important ways.
Why Milvus:
- Milvus ranks higher overall
- Redis Vector Search offers more deployment options
- Milvus is more cost-effective
- Milvus has more permissive licensing
- Redis Vector Search has 2 more strengths
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.
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.
Feature Comparison
Infrastructure & Technical Details
| Feature | Redis Vector Search | Milvus |
|---|---|---|
| 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 (self-hosted), infra cost only |
| License | RSALv2 / SSPLv1 / AGPLv3 | Apache 2.0 |
| Index Types | FLAT, HNSW | IVF, HNSW, DiskANN |
| Cloud Providers | AWS, Azure, GCP | Any |
| Regional Flexibility | high | high |
| Strengths | 11 | 9 |
| Weaknesses | 12 | 6 |