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Machine Learning · head to head

Milvus vs Tabnine

Milvus logo

Milvus

Machine Learning

Open-source vector database for scalable similarity search

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Tabnine logo

Tabnine

AI

AI coding agents built for enterprise privacy and control

From
$39/month
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Milvus has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Milvus vector dimensions are capped at 32,768; Tabnine no published free tier as of the current pricing page, unlike several competitors that offer free individual plans
  • They diverge on capability: Milvus covers Billion-scale vectors, Tabnine covers Code Completions.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Milvus and Tabnine actually diverge.

Attributes where Milvus and Tabnine differ
AttributeMilvusTabnine
Starting priceFree$39/month
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsLinux, Mac, Windows, Webwindows, mac, linux, web
CategoryMachine LearningAI

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), 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
  • PyTorch
  • TensorFlow
  • Hugging Face

Only in Tabnine

  • Code Completions
  • AI Chat
  • Agentic Workflows
  • Context Engine
  • Zero Code Retention
  • Flexible Deployment
  • Codebase Integrations

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 Tabnine
  • Storing and querying embeddings for retrieval augmented generationnot Tabnine
  • Similarity search over images, audio or text at scalenot Tabnine

Tabnine

  • Enterprise teams requiring on-premises or air-gapped AI coding toolsnot Milvus
  • Organizations with strict IP and data privacy requirementsnot Milvus
  • Teams wanting codebase-aware code completionsnot Milvus
  • Regulated industries needing compliance-certified AI toolingnot 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

Tabnine

  • No published free tier as of the current pricing page, unlike several competitors that offer free individual plans
  • Pricing is higher than many consumer-focused AI coding assistants, targeting enterprise budgets
  • Now owned by Tricentis, a testing-focused company, introducing uncertainty about long-term product direction outside quality engineering use cases
  • LLM usage costs apply separately when using Tabnine-provided model access, on top of the per-seat license fee

Pricing, plan by plan

Milvus

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

Tabnine

$39/month
  • Code Assistant Platform$39/month
    • AI code completions
    • AI chat across the SDLC
    • Works with all major IDEs
  • Agentic Platform$59/month
    • Everything in Code Assistant Platform
    • Autonomous coding agents
    • Customizable coaching guidelines

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 Tabnine if

  • You need code completions.
  • You work on windows, mac, linux, web.
  • You also want ai chat.
Tabnine review

Questions people ask

Is Milvus or Tabnine better?
Neither clearly leads. Milvus starts at Free and Tabnine at $39/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Milvus or Tabnine?
Milvus has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Milvus and $39/month for Tabnine.
Does Milvus or Tabnine run on more platforms?
Milvus runs on Linux, Mac, Windows, Web. Tabnine runs on windows, mac, linux, web.
Can I use Milvus for free?
Yes. Milvus has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Tabnine starts at $39/month.
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 Tabnine is typically brought in for.
What can Milvus do that Tabnine cannot?
Milvus covers Billion-scale vectors, Multiple index types, GPU acceleration, Hybrid search. Tabnine covers Code Completions, AI Chat, Agentic Workflows, Context Engine.

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
Tabnine: What does Tabnine cost?

The Code Assistant Platform is $39/user/month and the Agentic Platform, which adds autonomous agents and the CLI, is $59/user/month, both billed as annual subscriptions.

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
Tabnine: Is there a free plan?

Tabnine's pricing page does not list a permanent free tier; both published plans are paid per-seat subscriptions aimed at professional and enterprise teams.

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
Tabnine: Does Tabnine charge extra for LLM usage?

Usage is unlimited when connecting your own on-prem or cloud LLM endpoint, but additional fees apply when using Tabnine-provided model access on top of the seat license.

Source
Tabnine: What deployment options does Tabnine support?

Tabnine can be deployed as SaaS, in a private VPC, fully on-premises, or in a completely air-gapped environment to meet enterprise data-control requirements.

Source
Tabnine: What is included in the Agentic Platform tier?

It adds autonomous coding agents with optional human oversight, the Tabnine CLI, the Context Engine, MCP integration, and unlimited codebase connections beyond the base Code Assistant plan.

Source
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