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Machine Learning · head to head

Google Vertex AI vs Milvus

Google Vertex AI logo

Google Vertex AI

Machine Learning

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

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Milvus logo

Milvus

Machine Learning

Open-source vector database for scalable similarity search

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Milvus 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; Milvus vector dimensions are capped at 32,768
  • They diverge on capability: Google Vertex AI covers AutoML, Milvus covers Billion-scale vectors.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Google Vertex AI and Milvus differ
AttributeGoogle Vertex AIMilvus
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelUnknownfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsCloud, WebLinux, Mac, Windows, Web
Founded20082017

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

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
  • Dataflow

Only in Milvus

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

Both cover

  • TensorFlow
  • PyTorch
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Google Vertex AI

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

Milvus

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

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

Google Vertex AI

On request

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

Milvus

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

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 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 Google Vertex AI or Milvus better?
Neither clearly leads. Google Vertex AI starts at On request and Milvus at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Google Vertex AI or Milvus?
Milvus has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Google Vertex AI and Free for Milvus.
Does Google Vertex AI or Milvus run on more platforms?
Google Vertex AI runs on Cloud, Web. Milvus runs on Linux, Mac, Windows, Web.
Can I use Milvus for free?
Yes. Milvus 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 Milvus is typically brought in for.
What can Google Vertex AI do that Milvus cannot?
Google Vertex AI covers AutoML, Custom training, Feature Store, Model monitoring. Milvus covers Billion-scale vectors, Multiple index types, GPU acceleration, Hybrid search. Both handle TensorFlow, PyTorch, 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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