Softwr

Software · head to head

Google Vertex AI vs Weaviate

Google Vertex AI logo

Google Vertex AI

Software

Unified ML platform to build, deploy, and scale AI models

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Weaviate logo

Weaviate

Software

Open-source vector database

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Weaviate has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Google Vertex AI vendor lock-in to Google Cloud ecosystem makes migration to other platforms difficult; Weaviate the free tier caps at 100,000 objects, 1 GB of memory and a single collection
  • They diverge on capability: Google Vertex AI covers AutoML, Weaviate covers Vector and keyword search.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Google Vertex AI and Weaviate actually diverge.

Attributes where Google Vertex AI and Weaviate differ
AttributeGoogle Vertex AIWeaviate
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelUnknownfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsCloud, WebLinux, Mac, Windows, Web
Founded20082019

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 Google Vertex AI

  • AutoML
  • Custom training
  • Feature Store
  • Model monitoring
  • Prediction serving
  • BigQuery
  • Cloud Storage
  • TensorFlow

Only in Weaviate

  • Vector and keyword search
  • Built-in vectorizers
  • GraphQL API
  • Multi-tenancy
  • Hybrid search
  • OpenAI
  • Hugging Face
  • Cohere

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Google Vertex AI

  • Machine learningnot Weaviate
  • Data analysisnot Weaviate
  • Model trainingnot Weaviate
  • Predictive analyticsnot Weaviate

Weaviate

  • Running a vector database for semantic and hybrid searchnot Google Vertex AI
  • Generating and storing embeddings alongside the objects they describenot Google Vertex AI

Where each one falls short

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

Google Vertex AI

  • Vendor lock-in to Google Cloud ecosystem makes migration to other platforms difficult
  • Requires familiarity with Google Cloud Platform infrastructure and concepts
  • Cost can escalate quickly with large training and inference workloads

Weaviate

  • The free tier caps at 100,000 objects, 1 GB of memory and a single collection
  • Billing is per million vector dimensions rather than per record, so wider embeddings cost proportionally more for the same object count
  • Premium is a prepaid contract starting at $400 a month rather than pay as you go
  • Storage rates do not fall consistently with tier, and Premium Dedicated is $0.1505 per GiB against $0.12 on the cheaper Flex plan
  • The Query Agent is metered separately, free to 1,000 requests a month and $30 a month plus overage beyond

Pricing, plan by plan

Google Vertex AI

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Google Vertex AI review.

Weaviate

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • Full features
    • Self-hosted
  • ServerlessFree
    • Managed service
    • Auto-scaling

Which should you pick?

Choose Google Vertex AI if

  • You need automl.
  • You work on Cloud, Web.
  • You also want custom training.
Google Vertex AI review

Choose Weaviate if

  • You need vector and keyword search.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Mac, Windows, Web.
  • You also want built-in vectorizers.
Weaviate review

Questions people ask

Is Google Vertex AI or Weaviate better?
Neither clearly leads. Google Vertex AI starts at On request and Weaviate at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Google Vertex AI or Weaviate?
Weaviate has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Google Vertex AI and Free for Weaviate.
Does Google Vertex AI or Weaviate run on more platforms?
Google Vertex AI runs on Cloud, Web. Weaviate runs on Linux, Mac, Windows, Web.
Can I use Weaviate for free?
Yes. Weaviate has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Google Vertex AI starts at On request.
What is Google Vertex AI best used for?
Google Vertex AI is most often used for machine learning, data analysis, model training, predictive analytics. Of those, machine learning and data analysis are not what Weaviate is typically brought in for.
What can Google Vertex AI do that Weaviate cannot?
Google Vertex AI covers AutoML, Custom training, Feature Store, Model monitoring. Weaviate covers Vector and keyword search, Built-in vectorizers, GraphQL API, Multi-tenancy. Both handle Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Google Vertex AI: What is the pricing model for Google Vertex AI?

Vertex AI uses a pay-as-you-go model with no upfront costs or lock-in fees. Costs vary by service: training is billed by compute resources and time (30-second increments), online predictions by machine type per hour, and batch predictions by compute time or per-record for specific AutoML types.

Source
Google Vertex AI: What types of data can Vertex AI handle?

Vertex AI supports image, video, text, and tabular data types with tools for uploading, storing, and managing large datasets.

Source
Google Vertex AI: Does Vertex AI support custom model training?

Yes. Vertex AI supports both AutoML for automated machine learning and custom training code in Python, R, and other languages.

Source
Google Vertex AI: What deployment options are available in Vertex AI?

Vertex AI supports online predictions for real-time use cases and batch predictions for large-scale processing.

Source
ShareXLinkedInRedditWhatsAppEmail

Related pages

More on Google Vertex AI

More on Weaviate

Keep looking

Other head to heads