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Machine Learning · head to head

Milvus vs Neptune.ai

Milvus logo

Milvus

Machine Learning

Open-source vector database for scalable similarity search

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Neptune.ai logo

Neptune.ai

Machine Learning

Metadata store for MLOps

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Milvus vector dimensions are capped at 32,768; Neptune.ai free tier limited to 100 hours per month, exhausted quickly with serious ML work
  • They diverge on capability: Milvus covers Billion-scale vectors, Neptune.ai covers Experiment tracking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Milvus and Neptune.ai actually diverge.

Attributes where Milvus and Neptune.ai differ
AttributeMilvusNeptune.ai
Pricing modelfreemiumUnknown
PlatformsLinux, Mac, Windows, WebWeb, Self-hosted

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Machine Learning), founded (2017).

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 Milvus

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

Only in Neptune.ai

  • Experiment tracking
  • Model registry
  • Metadata logging
  • Comparison views
  • Custom dashboards
  • Keras
  • scikit-learn
  • XGBoost

Both cover

  • PyTorch
  • TensorFlow
  • Linux support
  • Mac support
  • Windows support
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Milvus

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

Neptune.ai

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

Where each one falls short

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

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

Neptune.ai

  • Free tier limited to 100 hours per month, exhausted quickly with serious ML work
  • Lacks hyperparameter sweeps compared to Weights and Biases
  • No pipeline orchestration or broader MLOps lifecycle management
  • Dashboard visualization limitations - automatic resizing affects visualization order and size
  • Cloud-based SaaS only (as of last available service) requires internet connectivity

Pricing, plan by plan

Milvus

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

Neptune.ai

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Neptune.ai review.

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Neptune.ai if

  • You need experiment tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Self-hosted.
  • You also want model registry.
Neptune.ai review

Questions people ask

Is Milvus or Neptune.ai better?
Neither clearly leads. Milvus starts at Free and Neptune.ai at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Milvus or Neptune.ai?
Milvus starts at Free and Neptune.ai at Free.
Does Milvus or Neptune.ai run on more platforms?
Milvus runs on Linux, Mac, Windows, Web. Neptune.ai runs on Web, Self-hosted.
Can I use Milvus for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Milvus best used for?
Milvus is most often used for self hosting a vector database for semantic search, storing and querying embeddings for retrieval augmented generation, similarity search over images, audio or text at scale. Of those, self hosting a vector database for semantic search and storing and querying embeddings for retrieval augmented generation are not what Neptune.ai is typically brought in for.
What can Milvus do that Neptune.ai cannot?
Milvus covers Billion-scale vectors, Multiple index types, GPU acceleration, Hybrid search. Neptune.ai covers Experiment tracking, Model registry, Metadata logging, Comparison views. Both handle PyTorch, TensorFlow, Linux support, Mac support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
Neptune.ai: Does Neptune.ai support self-hosting?

Yes. Neptune can be self-hosted on a Kubernetes cluster with ClickHouse, MySQL, and Redis dependencies, allowing organizations to maintain full data control.

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
Neptune.ai: What machine learning frameworks does Neptune integrate with?

Neptune integrates with PyTorch, TensorFlow, Keras, scikit-learn, XGBoost, LightGBM, Hugging Face Transformers, and Optuna for hyperparameter optimization.

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
Neptune.ai: What is the cost for a team of 10 data scientists?

Neptune's Team plan costs $49 per user per month, resulting in $490/month for 10 users, comparable to Weights and Biases at $50/user.

Source
Neptune.ai: When is Neptune.ai shutting down?

Neptune.ai is shutting down its external SaaS service on March 5, 2026, following its acquisition by OpenAI in December 2025. Customers must export and migrate data before that date.

Source
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