Machine Learning & Data Science · head to head
H2O.ai vs Weaviate
H2O.ai
Machine Learning & Data Science
AI Cloud for building and deploying AI applications
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: H2O.ai java is always required to run H2O-3 even when working from R or Python, and only a 64-bit JRE or JDK is supported; Weaviate the free tier caps at 100,000 objects, 1 GB of memory and a single collection
- They diverge on capability: H2O.ai covers AutoML, Weaviate covers Vector and keyword search.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which H2O.ai and Weaviate actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Machine Learning & Data Science).
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 H2O.ai
- AutoML
- Distributed computing
- Feature engineering
- Model explainability
- Time series forecasting
- Spark
- Hadoop
- Python
Only in Weaviate
- Vector and keyword search
- Built-in vectorizers
- GraphQL API
- Multi-tenancy
- Hybrid search
- OpenAI
- Hugging Face
- Cohere
Both cover
- Linux support
- Mac support
- Windows support
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
H2O.ai
- Distributed in-memory machine learning over large datasetsnot Weaviate
- Training and productionising models from R or Python against a shared H2O clusternot Weaviate
Weaviate
- Running a vector database for semantic and hybrid searchnot H2O.ai
- Generating and storing embeddings alongside the objects they describenot H2O.ai
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
H2O.ai
- Java is always required to run H2O-3 even when working from R or Python, and only a 64-bit JRE or JDK is supported
- Supported Java versions stop at Java SE 17; newer versions only run by forcing an unsupported version flag and are guaranteed for experiments rather than production
- H2O-3 only supports numpy below version 2, so a numpy 2 environment must be downgraded
- Supported Python versions are limited to 3.7 through 3.11
- The Flow web UI requires an internet browser and is the only graphical interface
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
H2O.ai
Free- H2O-3 Open SourceFree
- Core algorithms
- AutoML
- Community support
- Driverless AIFree
- Automatic feature engineering
- Model explainability
- Enterprise support
Weaviate
Free- Open SourceFree
- Full features
- Self-hosted
- ServerlessFree
- Managed service
- Auto-scaling
Which should you pick?
Choose H2O.ai if
- You need automl.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Cloud.
- You also want distributed computing.
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.
Questions people ask
- Is H2O.ai or Weaviate better?
- Neither clearly leads. H2O.ai starts at Free and Weaviate at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, H2O.ai or Weaviate?
- H2O.ai starts at Free and Weaviate at Free.
- Does H2O.ai or Weaviate run on more platforms?
- H2O.ai runs on Web, Cloud. Weaviate runs on Linux, Mac, Windows, Web.
- Can I use H2O.ai for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is H2O.ai best used for?
- H2O.ai is most often used for distributed in-memory machine learning over large datasets, training and productionising models from r or python against a shared h2o cluster. Of those, distributed in-memory machine learning over large datasets and training and productionising models from r or python against a shared h2o cluster are not what Weaviate is typically brought in for.
- What can H2O.ai do that Weaviate cannot?
- H2O.ai covers AutoML, Distributed computing, Feature engineering, Model explainability. Weaviate covers Vector and keyword search, Built-in vectorizers, GraphQL API, Multi-tenancy. Both handle Linux support, Mac support, Windows support, Web support.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
H2O.ai: Is H2O open source and free?
Yes. H2O-3 OSS is free and Apache-licensed, designed for self-managed and experimental workflows. H2O.ai also offers enterprise cloud solutions with additional features.
SourceH2O.ai: How many companies use H2O's open source platform?
Over 18,000 companies across Finance, Insurance, Healthcare, Retail, Telco, Sales, and Marketing use H2O's open-source machine learning platform.
Source