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Machine Learning · head to head

Snowflake vs Zilliz

Snowflake logo

Snowflake

Machine Learning

The AI Data Cloud for enterprise data warehousing

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Zilliz logo

Zilliz

Databases

Managed vector database and vector lakebase for AI applications

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Snowflake no flat subscription price is published - cost varies by edition, cloud provider, and region and requires a separate calculator or credit-consumption table; Zilliz pricing structure not publicly disclosed, requires sales contact
  • They diverge on capability: Snowflake covers Separated Compute/Storage, Zilliz covers Vector indexing.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Snowflake and Zilliz actually diverge.

Attributes where Snowflake and Zilliz differ
AttributeSnowflakeZilliz
Pricing modelUnknowncontact-sales
PlatformsWeb, APICloud, Self-hosted
CategoryMachine LearningDatabases
Founded20122017

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Snowflake

  • Separated Compute/Storage
  • Near-zero Maintenance
  • Data Sharing
  • Time Travel
  • Cloning
  • Multi-cluster Warehouse
  • Semi-structured Data
  • dbt

Only in Zilliz

  • Vector indexing
  • Distributed architecture
  • SQL interface
  • Tensor support
  • Real-time search
  • Cloud-native
  • Open-source compatible

What people use each for

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

Snowflake

  • Cloud data warehousing and SQL analyticsnot Zilliz
  • Data engineering and ELT pipelinesnot Zilliz
  • Data sharing and marketplacenot Zilliz
  • AI/ML workloads via Snowpark and Cortexnot Zilliz
  • BI backend for tools such as Tableau and Power BInot Zilliz

Zilliz

  • Build retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) systemsnot Snowflake
  • Implement semantic search over documentsnot Snowflake
  • Create multimodal search with text and imagesnot Snowflake
  • Power recommendation engines with vector similaritynot Snowflake
  • Enable similarity search on user embeddingsnot Snowflake

Where each one falls short

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

Snowflake

  • No flat subscription price is published - cost varies by edition, cloud provider, and region and requires a separate calculator or credit-consumption table
  • Free trial is capped at $400 in credits or 30 days, whichever comes first, not a perpetual free tier
  • During the trial, certain features (external network access, hybrid tables, Openflow) are capped at 10 credits/day until a payment method is added
  • Total cost combines compute credits, storage, and data transfer billed separately

Zilliz

  • Pricing structure not publicly disclosed, requires sales contact
  • Operational complexity for self-hosted Milvus deployments
  • Learning curve for those unfamiliar with vector databases
  • Limited built-in analytics compared to some alternatives

Pricing, plan by plan

Snowflake

Free
  • Standard$undefined/mo
    • Consumption-based, per-credit pricing
  • Enterprise$undefined/mo
    • Consumption-based, per-credit pricing
  • Business Critical$undefined/mo
    • Consumption-based, per-credit pricing
  • Virtual Private Snowflake$undefined/mo
    • Consumption-based, per-credit pricing

Zilliz

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Zilliz review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Snowflake if

  • You need separated compute/storage.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want near-zero maintenance.
Snowflake review

Choose Zilliz if

  • You need vector indexing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Cloud, Self-hosted.
  • You also want distributed architecture.
Zilliz review

Questions people ask

Is Snowflake or Zilliz better?
Neither clearly leads. Snowflake starts at Free and Zilliz at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Snowflake or Zilliz?
Snowflake starts at Free and Zilliz at Free.
Does Snowflake or Zilliz run on more platforms?
Snowflake runs on Web, API. Zilliz runs on Cloud, Self-hosted.
Can I use Snowflake for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Snowflake best used for?
Snowflake is most often used for cloud data warehousing and sql analytics, data engineering and elt pipelines, data sharing and marketplace, ai/ml workloads via snowpark and cortex. Of those, cloud data warehousing and sql analytics and data engineering and elt pipelines are not what Zilliz is typically brought in for.
What can Snowflake do that Zilliz cannot?
Snowflake covers Separated Compute/Storage, Near-zero Maintenance, Data Sharing, Time Travel. Zilliz covers Vector indexing, Distributed architecture, SQL interface, Tensor support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Snowflake: How is Snowflake priced?

Snowflake uses a consumption based model. Compute is billed in credits and storage is charged monthly on the average amount stored after compression. Capacity can be bought on demand or pre-paid.

Source
Zilliz: What is the difference between Milvus and Zilliz Cloud?

Milvus is the open-source vector database that you can self-host. Zilliz Cloud is the fully managed service built on Milvus that removes operational overhead and handles scaling automatically.

Source
Snowflake: What Snowflake editions are there?

Snowflake sells four editions: Standard as the entry level offering, Enterprise for high growth and large scale customers, Business Critical for regulated industries handling sensitive data, and Virtual Private Snowflake for a completely isolated environment.

Source
Zilliz: How many vectors can Zilliz handle?

Milvus and Zilliz Cloud can store and search billions of vectors through their distributed architecture that separates storage and compute layers.

Source
Snowflake: Does Snowflake publish a per credit price?

Not on its pricing options page. Snowflake directs buyers to its Credit Consumption Table and a pricing calculator for the rates, which vary by edition, region and cloud provider.

Source
Zilliz: Is Milvus open-source?

Yes, Milvus is open-source under the Apache License 2.0 and is part of the LF AI & Data Foundation.

Source
Zilliz: What pricing does Zilliz Cloud offer?

Zilliz Cloud pricing is not publicly listed and requires contacting their team to discuss your specific scale and use case requirements.

Source
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