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Head-to-head · Ai Databases

Weaviate vs Elasticsearch

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 3 checks side by side
Higher score Weaviate #3 in Ai Databases 8.7/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 3 features Visit Weaviate
Elasticsearch #6 in Ai Databases 8.4/10 Free plan · 14-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 0 of 3 features Visit Elasticsearch

Weaviate 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 scoreWeaviate · 8.7/10
  • Free planboth
  • Free trialonly Elasticsearch
  • Most featuresWeaviate · 2 of 3

Weaviate scores higher on our rubric for ai databases: 8.7 against 8.4 out of 10; our editors rank them #3 and #6.

Weaviate is the better fit for teams needing cloud or self-hosted vector search. Elasticsearch is the better fit for teams combining vector retrieval with established search.

  • Weaviate fits best

    Teams needing cloud or self-hosted 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 Weaviate 8.7/10 Visit ↗ Elasticsearch 8.4/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 8.7 8.4
Ranking #3 in Ai Databases #6 in Ai Databases
Best for Teams needing cloud or self-hosted vector search Teams combining vector retrieval with established search
Pricing model Free plan + paid Free plan + paid
Starting price $45/mo —
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — 14 days
Deployment Cloud, Self-hosted Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms Web Web
Support Email, Phone, Community, Docs · 24/7 Phone, Live chat · 24/7
Built for Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Weaviate 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, Flat, Dynamic, HFresh Not checked yet
Max vector dimensions Not checked yet Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Hybrid vector and BM25 keyword search with metadata filtering
  • Cloud and self-hosted deployment with multiple index types
  • REST, GraphQL, gRPC APIs and five official client-language options
  • Combines lexical, vector, semantic, and hybrid search
  • Supports filtering, aggregations, and geospatial search
  • Offers self-managed and managed cloud deployments
Cons
  • Free plan is limited to 100,000 objects and 1 GB memory
  • Flex starts at $45 per month with a shared cloud cluster
  • Premium requires a $400 monthly prepaid contract
  • 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

Weaviate is an open-source vector database for developers building semantic search, retrieval-augmented generation, recommendations, and other AI applications. It stores objects with vector embeddings and supports vector similarity,…

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. WeaviateAi Databases 8.7Free plan
  2. ElasticsearchAi Databases 8.4Free plan · 14-day trial

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Weaviate — where it wins

    • Hybrid vector and BM25 keyword search with metadata filtering
    • Cloud and self-hosted deployment with multiple index types
    • REST, GraphQL, gRPC APIs and five official client-language options

    Where it doesn't

    • Free plan is limited to 100,000 objects and 1 GB memory
    • Flex starts at $45 per month with a shared cloud cluster
    • Premium requires a $400 monthly prepaid contract

  • 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
  • Weaviate8.7/10 · Free plan

    A flexible vector database with hybrid search, multiple APIs, and cloud or self-hosted deployment.

    Visit WeaviateFull 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