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Databases · head to head

Cloudinary vs Zilliz

Cloudinary logo

Cloudinary

Databases

Image and video API for developers

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Zilliz logo

Zilliz

Databases

Managed vector database and vector lakebase for AI applications

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Cloudinary free plan includes only 25 monthly credits and is limited to 3 users and 1 account; Zilliz pricing structure not publicly disclosed, requires sales contact
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Cloudinary and Zilliz actually diverge.

Attributes where Cloudinary and Zilliz differ
AttributeCloudinaryZilliz
Pricing modelfreemiumcontact-sales
PlatformsWebCloud, Self-hosted
FoundedUnknown2017

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Databases).

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 Cloudinary

Nothing recorded that Zilliz does not also cover.

Only in Zilliz

  • Vector indexing
  • Distributed architecture
  • SQL interface
  • Tensor support
  • Real-time search
  • Cloud-native
  • Open-source compatible

What people use each for

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

Cloudinary

  • Automating image transformations and delivery across multiple devicesnot Zilliz
  • Generating AI-powered image captions and alternative text at scalenot Zilliz
  • Transcoding and optimizing video with automatic subtitle generationnot Zilliz
  • Building workflow automation for content teams without codingnot Zilliz

Zilliz

  • Build retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) systemsnot Cloudinary
  • Implement semantic search over documentsnot Cloudinary
  • Create multimodal search with text and imagesnot Cloudinary
  • Power recommendation engines with vector similaritynot Cloudinary
  • Enable similarity search on user embeddingsnot Cloudinary

Where each one falls short

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

Cloudinary

  • Free plan includes only 25 monthly credits and is limited to 3 users and 1 account
  • Enterprise plan pricing is custom; rates not published
  • Monthly billing is more expensive than annual; yearly plan is $89/month for Plus ($224/month for Advanced)

Zilliz

  • Pricing structure not publicly disclosed, requires sales contact
  • Operational complexity for self-hosted Milvus deployments
  • Learning curve for those unfamiliar with vector databases
  • Limited built-in analytics compared to some alternatives

Pricing, plan by plan

Cloudinary

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Upload widget
    • API
    • Search
  • Plus$99/month
    • All Free features
    • S3 bucket backup
    • Auto-tagging search
  • Advanced$249/month
    • All Plus features
    • Custom domain (CNAME)
    • Optional HTTPS SSL
  • Enterprise$null/custom
    • Multi-CDN infrastructure
    • Enterprise SLAs
    • Designated success manager

Zilliz

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Zilliz review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Cloudinary if

  • You want to start without paying.
Cloudinary review

Choose Zilliz if

  • You need vector indexing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Cloud, Self-hosted.
  • You also want distributed architecture.
Zilliz review

Questions people ask

Is Cloudinary or Zilliz better?
Neither clearly leads. Cloudinary starts at Free and Zilliz at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Cloudinary or Zilliz?
Cloudinary starts at Free and Zilliz at Free.
Does Cloudinary or Zilliz run on more platforms?
Cloudinary runs on Web. Zilliz runs on Cloud, Self-hosted.
Can I use Cloudinary for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Cloudinary best used for?
Cloudinary is most often used for automating image transformations and delivery across multiple devices, generating ai-powered image captions and alternative text at scale, transcoding and optimizing video with automatic subtitle generation, building workflow automation for content teams without coding. Of those, automating image transformations and delivery across multiple devices and generating ai-powered image captions and alternative text at scale are not what Zilliz is typically brought in for.
What can Cloudinary do that Zilliz cannot?
Zilliz covers Vector indexing, Distributed architecture, SQL interface, Tensor support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Cloudinary: What are included in Cloudinary's free plan?

Cloudinary's free plan includes upload widget, API access, search, remote fetch, auto-backup, revision tracking, image and video transformations, video transcoding, and CDN delivery. The free plan includes 25 monthly credits, 3 users, and 1 account with community support.

Source
Zilliz: What is the difference between Milvus and Zilliz Cloud?

Milvus is the open-source vector database that you can self-host. Zilliz Cloud is the fully managed service built on Milvus that removes operational overhead and handles scaling automatically.

Source
Cloudinary: How does Cloudinary's credit system work?

Cloudinary credits measure usage: one credit equals 1,000 transformations, or 1 GB managed storage, or 1 GB image bandwidth, or 2 GB video bandwidth. The free plan grants 25 credits per month, Plus plan 225 monthly credits, and Advanced plan 600 monthly credits.

Source
Zilliz: How many vectors can Zilliz handle?

Milvus and Zilliz Cloud can store and search billions of vectors through their distributed architecture that separates storage and compute layers.

Source
Cloudinary: What is the difference between Cloudinary Plus and Advanced plans?

Plus plan costs $99/month (or $89/month annually) and includes S3 backup, auto-tagging, and expedited support for up to 3 users across 2 accounts with 225 credits. Advanced is $249/month ($224/month annually), adds custom domain (CNAME) and SSL options for 5 users across 3 accounts with 600 credits.

Source
Zilliz: Is Milvus open-source?

Yes, Milvus is open-source under the Apache License 2.0 and is part of the LF AI & Data Foundation.

Source
Cloudinary: Does Cloudinary offer annual billing discounts?

Yes. Cloudinary's annual billing provides discounts: Plus plan is $89/month when billed yearly (versus $99/month monthly), and Advanced plan is $224/month when billed yearly (versus $249/month monthly).

Source
Zilliz: What pricing does Zilliz Cloud offer?

Zilliz Cloud pricing is not publicly listed and requires contacting their team to discuss your specific scale and use case requirements.

Source
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