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Milvus vs Apache Spark MLlib

Milvus logo

Milvus

Software

Open-source vector database for scalable similarity search

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Apache Spark MLlib logo

Apache Spark MLlib

Software

Scalable machine learning on Apache Spark

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Milvus vector dimensions are capped at 32,768; Apache Spark MLlib apache Spark MLlib is Apache 2.0 licensed and free with no paid tier from the Apache project itself; SLA-backed support has to be sourced from a third party such as a managed Spark vendor rather than from Apache.
  • They diverge on capability: Milvus covers Billion-scale vectors, Apache Spark MLlib covers Classification.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Milvus and Apache Spark MLlib actually diverge.

Attributes where Milvus and Apache Spark MLlib differ
AttributeMilvusApache Spark MLlib
Pricing modelfreemiumopen-source
PlatformsLinux, Mac, Windows, WebLinux, macOS, Windows
Founded20171999

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Milvus

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

Only in Apache Spark MLlib

  • Classification
  • Regression
  • Clustering
  • Collaborative filtering
  • Feature engineering
  • Apache Spark
  • Hadoop
  • Kafka

Both cover

  • Linux support
  • Mac support
  • Windows 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 Apache Spark MLlib
  • Storing and querying embeddings for retrieval augmented generationnot Apache Spark MLlib
  • Similarity search over images, audio or text at scalenot Apache Spark MLlib

Apache Spark MLlib

  • Large-scale distributed machine learning on Spark clustersnot Milvus
  • Classification and regression with decision trees, random forests, gradient-boosted treesnot Milvus
  • Clustering with K-means and Gaussian Mixture Modelsnot 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

Apache Spark MLlib

  • Apache Spark MLlib is Apache 2.0 licensed and free with no paid tier from the Apache project itself; SLA-backed support has to be sourced from a third party such as a managed Spark vendor rather than from Apache.

Pricing, plan by plan

Milvus

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

Apache Spark MLlib

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Apache Spark MLlib 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 Apache Spark MLlib if

  • You need classification.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, macOS, Windows.
  • You also want regression.
Apache Spark MLlib review

Questions people ask

Is Milvus or Apache Spark MLlib better?
Neither clearly leads. Milvus starts at Free and Apache Spark MLlib at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Milvus or Apache Spark MLlib?
Milvus starts at Free and Apache Spark MLlib at Free.
Does Milvus or Apache Spark MLlib run on more platforms?
Milvus runs on Linux, Mac, Windows, Web. Apache Spark MLlib runs on Linux, macOS, Windows.
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 Apache Spark MLlib is typically brought in for.
What can Milvus do that Apache Spark MLlib cannot?
Milvus covers Billion-scale vectors, Multiple index types, GPU acceleration, Hybrid search. Apache Spark MLlib covers Classification, Regression, Clustering, Collaborative filtering. Both handle Linux support, Mac support, Windows support.
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