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Head-to-head · Ai Databases

Milvus vs Elasticsearch

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 3 checks side by side
Higher score Milvus #4 in Ai Databases 8.6/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 3 features Visit Milvus
Elasticsearch #6 in Ai Databases 8.4/10 Free plan · 14-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 0 of 3 features Visit Elasticsearch

Milvus leads on 0 checks, Elasticsearch on 0, and 3 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 3 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreMilvus · 8.6/10
  • Free planboth
  • Free trialonly Elasticsearch
  • Most featuresMilvus · 2 of 3

Milvus scores higher on our rubric for ai databases: 8.6 against 8.4 out of 10; our editors rank them #4 and #6.

Milvus is the better fit for developers wanting open-source vector search. Elasticsearch is the better fit for teams combining vector retrieval with established search.

  • Milvus fits best

    Developers wanting open-source vector search

  • Elasticsearch fits best

    Teams combining vector retrieval with established search

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature Milvus 8.6/10 Visit ↗ Elasticsearch 8.4/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 8.6 8.4
Ranking #4 in Ai Databases #6 in Ai Databases
Best for Developers wanting open-source vector search Teams combining vector retrieval with established search
Pricing model Free Free plan + paid
Starting price Free plan —
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — 14 days
Deployment Cloud, Self-hosted Cloud, Self-hosted
Support Community, Docs Phone, Live chat · 24/7
Integrations 8 integrations 3 integrations
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Milvus 2/3 · Elasticsearch 0/3
Metadata filtering ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Hybrid search ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Managed backups Not checked yet Not checked yet
Specs
Deployment Not checked yet Not checked yet
Index types HNSW, IVF, FLAT, DiskANN, SCANN Not checked yet
Max vector dimensions Not checked yet Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Supports hybrid dense-sparse search, BM25, and metadata filtering
  • Offers HNSW, IVF, FLAT, DiskANN, and SCANN index types
  • Runs locally, as a standalone server, or on distributed Kubernetes
  • Combines lexical, vector, semantic, and hybrid search
  • Supports filtering, aggregations, and geospatial search
  • Offers self-managed and managed cloud deployments
Cons
  • Self-hosted deployment requires operating the database infrastructure
  • Support channels listed are community and documentation
  • Managed cloud is a separate Zilliz Cloud service
  • Paid Elastic Cloud Hosted starts at $99 per month
  • Paid tiers add features in steps across multiple plans
  • Self-managed Basic differs from the managed cloud offering
Our verdict

Milvus is an open-source vector database for developers and organizations building semantic search, retrieval-augmented generation, recommendations, image search, and other AI applications. It stores, indexes, and searches dense, sparse,…

Read the review →

Elasticsearch is a distributed search and analytics engine for structured, unstructured, and vector data. It suits teams that need vector or semantic retrieval alongside established full-text search, filtering, aggregations, and real-time…

Read the review →
  1. MilvusAi Databases 8.6Free plan
  2. ElasticsearchAi Databases 8.4Free plan · 14-day trial

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Milvus — where it wins

    • Supports hybrid dense-sparse search, BM25, and metadata filtering
    • Offers HNSW, IVF, FLAT, DiskANN, and SCANN index types
    • Runs locally, as a standalone server, or on distributed Kubernetes

    Where it doesn't

    • Self-hosted deployment requires operating the database infrastructure
    • Support channels listed are community and documentation
    • Managed cloud is a separate Zilliz Cloud service

  • Elasticsearch — where it wins

    • Combines lexical, vector, semantic, and hybrid search
    • Supports filtering, aggregations, and geospatial search
    • Offers self-managed and managed cloud deployments

    Where it doesn't

    • Paid Elastic Cloud Hosted starts at $99 per month
    • Paid tiers add features in steps across multiple plans
    • Self-managed Basic differs from the managed cloud offering
  • Milvus8.6/10 · Free plan

    A flexible vector search foundation for teams that want open-source or self-hosted deployment.

    Visit MilvusFull verdict →
  • Elasticsearch8.4/10 · Free plan · 14-day trial

    A flexible search engine for teams adding vector and hybrid retrieval to established search.

    Visit ElasticsearchFull verdict →

More comparisons

All ai databases comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update