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Databases · head to head

SurrealDB vs Vespa

SurrealDB logo

SurrealDB

Databases

Multi-model database combining documents, graphs, vectors and time-series

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Vespa logo

Vespa

Databases

Distributed AI search platform for retrieval, ranking, and inference

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: SurrealDB the listed $0.192/node/hr Scale pricing lacks transparent higher-tier rates, requiring a sales conversation for full production sizing.; Vespa pricing not publicly listed, requires contacting sales
  • They diverge on capability: SurrealDB covers Multi-model engine, Vespa covers Vector search.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which SurrealDB and Vespa actually diverge.

Attributes where SurrealDB and Vespa differ
AttributeSurrealDBVespa
Pricing modelusage-basedcontact-sales
Platformsweb, api, windows, mac, linuxCloud, Self-hosted
Founded20222023

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

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 SurrealDB

  • Multi-model engine
  • ACID transactions
  • Hybrid retrieval
  • Horizontal scaling
  • Multi-region disaster recovery
  • FIPS-compliant cryptography

Only in Vespa

  • Vector search
  • Text and structured search
  • Machine-learned ranking
  • Real-time serving
  • SQL interface
  • Automatic scaling
  • Open-source

What people use each for

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

SurrealDB

  • AI agent memory and retrieval-augmented generationnot Vespa
  • Applications needing documents, graphs and vectors in one databasenot Vespa
  • Knowledge graph construction from unstructured datanot Vespa
  • Regulated workloads requiring SOC2/ISO27001/HIPAA-eligible hostingnot Vespa

Vespa

  • Build RAG systems with semantic search over documentsnot SurrealDB
  • Power e-commerce search with ML rankingnot SurrealDB
  • Create recommendation engines for personalizationnot SurrealDB
  • Implement real-time search for news or feedsnot SurrealDB
  • Deploy private semantic search over sensitive datanot SurrealDB

Where each one falls short

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

SurrealDB

  • The listed $0.192/node/hr Scale pricing lacks transparent higher-tier rates, requiring a sales conversation for full production sizing.
  • As a newer multi-model database, it has a smaller ecosystem of drivers, ORMs and community tooling than established single-model databases.
  • HIPAA compliance is only available as an Enterprise add-on rather than included in standard paid tiers.
  • Combining multiple data models in one engine can add query-planning complexity compared to purpose-built single-model databases.

Vespa

  • Pricing not publicly listed, requires contacting sales
  • Steeper learning curve compared to simpler search tools
  • Operational complexity for self-hosted deployments
  • Smaller ecosystem compared to cloud-native alternatives

Pricing, plan by plan

SurrealDB

Free
  • StartFree
    • 1 free instance, then from $0.021/hr
    • 1GB storage free forever
    • Vertical scaling to terabytes
  • Scale$0.192/month
    • $0.192/node/hr
    • Production-grade fault tolerance
    • Horizontal scaling to petabytes
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Self-hosted, custom pricing
    • Clustered fault-tolerant deployments
    • FIPS-compliant cryptography

Vespa

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Vespa review.

Which should you pick?

Choose SurrealDB if

  • You need multi-model engine.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on web, api, windows, mac, linux.
  • You also want acid transactions.
SurrealDB review

Choose Vespa if

  • You need vector search.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Cloud, Self-hosted.
  • You also want text and structured search.
Vespa review

Questions people ask

Is SurrealDB or Vespa better?
Neither clearly leads. SurrealDB starts at Free and Vespa at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, SurrealDB or Vespa?
SurrealDB starts at Free and Vespa at Free.
Does SurrealDB or Vespa run on more platforms?
SurrealDB runs on web, api, windows, mac, linux. Vespa runs on Cloud, Self-hosted.
Can I use SurrealDB for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is SurrealDB best used for?
SurrealDB is most often used for ai agent memory and retrieval-augmented generation, applications needing documents, graphs and vectors in one database, knowledge graph construction from unstructured data, regulated workloads requiring soc2/iso27001/hipaa-eligible hosting. Of those, ai agent memory and retrieval-augmented generation and applications needing documents, graphs and vectors in one database are not what Vespa is typically brought in for.
What can SurrealDB do that Vespa cannot?
SurrealDB covers Multi-model engine, ACID transactions, Hybrid retrieval, Horizontal scaling. Vespa covers Vector search, Text and structured search, Machine-learned ranking, Real-time serving.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

SurrealDB: What does SurrealDB cost?

SurrealDB Cloud's Start plan is free with one free instance (then from $0.021/hr), the Scale plan runs $0.192/node/hr for production workloads, and Enterprise self-hosted deployments use custom pricing.

Source
Vespa: Is Vespa open-source?

Yes, Vespa is open-source under the Apache 2.0 license. The code is available on GitHub, and you can self-host or use the managed cloud service.

Source
SurrealDB: Is there a free plan and what are its limits?

Yes, the Start plan includes one free instance with 1GB of storage free forever and 1GB of outbound data transfer per month, aimed at prototypes and development.

Source
Vespa: What latency can Vespa achieve?

Vespa is designed for sub-100 millisecond latencies with thousands of queries per second, suitable for real-time search and recommendation applications.

Source
SurrealDB: How is billing handled?

Customers are invoiced monthly based on actual usage in a pay-as-you-go model with no long-term commitments, though commitment-based discounts are available.

Source
Vespa: Does Vespa support vector search?

Yes, Vespa provides native vector search capabilities alongside text, structured data, and tensor operations for building comprehensive search and AI applications.

Source
Vespa: What is the pricing model for Vespa Cloud?

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

Source
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