Milvus vs Qdrant
Short answer
Milvus: Scalable open-source vector database for semantic search and RAG at large data volumes. Qdrant: Fast vector database for semantic search and RAG back-ends. They sit in different categories (Data labeling & vector databases and Data labeling & vector databases) but overlap: Both store embeddings and run similarity search with filtering, as the vector store behind RAG and semantic-search features.
Choose Qdrant if you want: simpler deploy (one container vs a multi-container stack).
Qdrant publishes no official RAM figure, so we cannot compare hosting cost directly.
Last updated · computed from each project's official docs and live GitHub data · sources
Milvus vs Qdrant side by side
| Milvus | Qdrant | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Data labeling & vector databases | Data labeling & vector databases |
| What it is | Scalable open-source vector database for semantic search and RAG at large data volumes. | Fast vector database for semantic search and RAG back-ends. |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| License type | Permissive | Permissive |
| License conditions | Permissive. Internal and commercial use allowed; keep license and notices. | Permissive. Internal and commercial use allowed; keep license and notices. |
| Status | Active | Active |
| GitHub stars | 46.5k | 35.2k |
| Last commit | Oct 22, 2026 | Oct 21, 2026 |
| Latest release | v3.0.3 | v1.19.2 |
| Minimum hardware | 8 GB RAM | Not published |
| Recommended hardware | 4 vCPU · 16 GB RAM | Not published |
| RAM measured by us | Not tested yet | 42 MiB idle, 566 MiB working (our test, v1.20.0, Oct 22, 2026) |
| GPU | Not required / not stated | Not required / not stated |
| Est. server cost | from €35.99/mo (recommended spec: €69.99/mo) | from €11.99/mo (based on our test, not official) |
| Deploy method | Docker Compose (standalone) | Docker |
| Known gotchas | 4 listed | 1 listed |
| Telemetry | Not documented | On by default |
| Calls home by default | Not documented | Not documented |
| SSO (OIDC / SAML / LDAP) | Not documented | Not applicable |
| Audit log | Not documented | Yes, free |
| RBAC | Yes, free | Yes, free |
| Details | Full Milvus guide → | Full Qdrant guide → |
Key differences
- Official hardware: Milvus: minimum 8 GB RAM (recommended 4 vCPU · 16 GB RAM). Qdrant: not published.
- Est. server cost: Milvus: from €35.99/mo. Qdrant: not estimated (no official RAM figure).
- Deploy: Milvus: Docker Compose (standalone) · multi-container stack. Qdrant: Docker · single container.
- GitHub stars: Milvus: 46.5k. Qdrant: 35.2k.
- Last commit: Milvus: Oct 22, 2026. Qdrant: Oct 21, 2026.
- Latest release: Milvus: v3.0.3 (Oct 14, 2026). Qdrant: v1.19.2 (Oct 5, 2026).
Same for both: Category: Data labeling & vector databases; License: Apache-2.0 (Permissive); GPU: not required or not stated; Status: Active.
Milvus vs Qdrant: FAQ
Milvus or Qdrant: which should a small business choose?
Choose Qdrant if you want: simpler deploy (one container vs a multi-container stack). Qdrant publishes no official RAM figure, so we cannot compare hosting cost directly.
Which is cheaper to self-host, Milvus or Qdrant?
Milvus: from €35.99/mo. Qdrant: not estimated (no official RAM figure). Our estimate is the cheapest Hetzner Cloud plan that meets each project's official RAM and vCPU figure; it covers the server only.
How much hardware do Milvus and Qdrant need?
Milvus: minimum 8 GB RAM (recommended 4 vCPU · 16 GB RAM). Qdrant: not published.
What is the license difference between Milvus and Qdrant?
Milvus: Apache-2.0 (Permissive). Permissive. Internal and commercial use allowed; keep license and notices. Qdrant: Apache-2.0 (Permissive). Permissive. Internal and commercial use allowed; keep license and notices. This is a summary, not legal advice.
Is Milvus or Qdrant more actively maintained?
Milvus: Active, last commit Oct 22, 2026. Qdrant: Active, last commit Oct 21, 2026. GitHub data refreshed Oct 22, 2026.
Which is easier to deploy, Milvus or Qdrant?
Milvus installs via Docker Compose (standalone) (multi-container stack); Qdrant via Docker (single container). Milvus lists 4 known gotchas and Qdrant lists 1; see each app page.
Related
Sources
- Milvus GitHub repository: github.com/milvus-io/milvus
- Milvus documentation: milvus.io/docs/install_standalone-docker-compose.md
- Milvus license: github.com/milvus-io/milvus/blob/master/LICENSE
- Milvus hardware requirements: github.com/milvus-io/milvus-docs/blob/v3.0.x/site/en/getstarted/run-milvus-docker/prerequisite-docker.md
- Milvus deploy instructions: github.com/milvus-io/milvus-docs/blob/v3.0.x/site/en/getstarted/run-milvus-docker/install_standalone-docker-compose.md
- Qdrant GitHub repository: github.com/qdrant/qdrant
- Qdrant documentation: qdrant.tech/documentation/
- Qdrant license: github.com/qdrant/qdrant/blob/master/LICENSE
- Qdrant hardware requirements, Qdrant deploy instructions: github.com/qdrant/qdrant#readme
- Hetzner Cloud pricing used for cost estimates (read 2026-10-22): www.hetzner.com/cloud/regular-performance
- GitHub REST API (stars, commits, releases): docs.github.com/en/rest
Every value is generated from the same verified data as the app pages. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.