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AI · head to head

Chatbase vs Milvus

Chatbase logo

Chatbase

AI

Build AI chatbots trained on your data

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Milvus logo

Milvus

Machine Learning

Open-source vector database for scalable similarity search

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Chatbase enterprise plan requires custom pricing with sales contact; Milvus vector dimensions are capped at 32,768
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Chatbase and Milvus actually diverge.

Attributes where Chatbase and Milvus differ
AttributeChatbaseMilvus
PlatformsWebLinux, Mac, Windows, Web
CategoryAIMachine Learning
FoundedUnknown2017

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Chatbase

Nothing recorded that Milvus does not also cover.

Only in Milvus

  • Billion-scale vectors
  • Multiple index types
  • GPU acceleration
  • Hybrid search
  • Data partitioning
  • PyTorch
  • TensorFlow
  • Hugging Face

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Chatbase

  • Automating customer support for returnsnot Milvus
  • Answering product questions 24/7 across channelsnot Milvus
  • Routing conversations to sales teamsnot Milvus
  • Escalating complex issues to human agentsnot Milvus

Milvus

  • Self hosting a vector database for semantic searchnot Chatbase
  • Storing and querying embeddings for retrieval augmented generationnot Chatbase
  • Similarity search over images, audio or text at scalenot Chatbase

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Chatbase

  • Enterprise plan requires custom pricing with sales contact
  • Message credits are consumption-based; exceeding monthly allocation requires additional purchase

Milvus

  • Vector dimensions are capped at 32,768
  • A collection is limited to 64 fields, 1,024 partitions and 16 shards
  • Only 1 index is allowed per field
  • Search returns at most 16,384 vectors as top-k, and nq is capped at 16,384
  • Input and output per RPC is capped at 64 MB for insert, search and query
  • VARCHAR values are limited to 65,535 characters
  • Data loaded into query nodes cannot exceed 90% of available memory
  • An instance supports at most 65,536 collections

Pricing, plan by plan

Chatbase

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 50 message credits monthly
    • 1 member
    • Limited model access
  • Hobby$40/month
    • 700 message credits
    • 2 members
    • Advanced models
  • Standard$150/month
    • 4,000 message credits
    • 3 members
    • Voice
  • Pro$500/month
    • 15,000 message credits
    • 5 members
    • Advanced analytics

Milvus

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • Full features
    • Self-hosted
    • Community support
  • Zilliz CloudFree
    • Managed service
    • Free tier available

Which should you pick?

Choose Chatbase if

  • You want to start without paying.
Chatbase review

Choose Milvus if

  • You need billion-scale vectors.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Mac, Windows, Web.
  • You also want multiple index types.
Milvus review

Questions people ask

Is Chatbase or Milvus better?
Neither clearly leads. Chatbase starts at Free and Milvus at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Chatbase or Milvus?
Chatbase starts at Free and Milvus at Free.
Does Chatbase or Milvus run on more platforms?
Chatbase runs on Web. Milvus runs on Linux, Mac, Windows, Web.
Can I use Chatbase for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Chatbase best used for?
Chatbase is most often used for automating customer support for returns, answering product questions 24/7 across channels, routing conversations to sales teams, escalating complex issues to human agents. Of those, automating customer support for returns and answering product questions 24/7 across channels are not what Milvus is typically brought in for.
What can Chatbase do that Milvus cannot?
Milvus covers Billion-scale vectors, Multiple index types, GPU acceleration, Hybrid search.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Chatbase: Is there a free tier for Chatbase?

Yes, Chatbase offers a free plan with 50 message credits per month, 1 team member, and limited access to AI models. Agents created on the free plan automatically delete after 14 days of inactivity.

Source
Milvus: How much does Milvus cost?

Milvus is open-source and free to use and modify. The self-hosted version has no licensing cost. Zilliz Cloud (the managed SaaS version) does not publish pricing on the website.

Source
Chatbase: What are the differences between Standard and Pro plans?

Standard ($150/month) includes 4,000 message credits and 3 team members with voice, telephony, and API access. Pro ($500/month) includes 15,000 message credits, 5 team members, and advanced analytics with ticket support.

Source
Milvus: Is there a free or open-source version of Milvus?

Yes, Milvus is fully open-source and available for free. Milvus Lite is a lightweight option for learning and prototyping that can be installed via pip.

Source
Chatbase: How much does it cost to add extra team members beyond the plan limit?

Chatbase's pricing page does not specify the cost for adding extra team members beyond the included count in each plan. Contact sales for custom member add-on pricing.

Source
Milvus: Does Milvus offer a managed cloud service?

Yes, Zilliz Cloud is a fully managed Milvus cloud offering with serverless and dedicated cluster options. Pricing must be requested from the company as it is not listed on the public website.

Source
Chatbase: Do annual plans offer a discount?

Yes, yearly plans save 20% compared to monthly billing across all tiers.

Source
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