Milvus

What it is for

Milvus is a self-hosted vector Data Explorer: you open a collection grid, and the Apache-2.0 binary is $0. Hosted Cloud dollars live on Zilliz (Free $0 / 5 GB). Use it when the job is a collection table you start at a public $, not when you need a $20 chat seat.

What makes it unique: the cover is Attu’s official Data Explorer (ai_research_library 96 entities, rows 10001 Hybrid Retrieval for Customer Support …, 10009 Agentic RAG for Customer Support, columns doc_id / title / content / topic, connected to milvusdemo.local:19530) from the Attu Data Explorer still on zilliztech/attu — not a pricing card. The rows themselves are ops of the Data Explorer.

Key features

• Data Explorer — databases, collections, and inline rows (cover still; Attu). One desk. Cover 10001 / ai_research_library 96 sit here. Import / Export / Query sit here as CTAs, not a sixth desk.
• Vector / hybrid search — ANN plus BM25 / filtered search on the same collection (Attu Vector Search still; docs). A query, not a Data Explorer cell.
• Cluster overview — topology, metrics, and health for the instance you connected (Attu overview still). A cluster, not a row.
• Users / RBAC — the Users tab on the same collection (cover Users tab; docs). A role, not a title cell.
• Snapshots / backup — the Snapshots tab plus backup to S3 / MinIO (cover Snapshots tab; Attu Backup). A snapshot, not a Data Explorer row.
• HTTP API Playground — a live collection-list request against the connected instance (Attu REST API Playground). A request, not a grid cell.

Import sample / Query / Export / Truncate on the cover are CTAs (not desks). OSS $0 vs Zilliz Cloud tiles are the meter. Attu AI Agent (50+ tools) is an AI extra, not a sixth desk we fold into the grid.

Who it's for

Best fit: search / RAG teams who will stay on the OSS binary at $0 while they open a first Data Explorer, then buy Zilliz Cloud when they want a hosted SLA — not a second self-hosted vector DB.

Pricing

Verified 2026-10-23 (Asia/Shanghai). Milvus itself prints no Cloud seat tile — it is the Apache-2.0 server. Hosted dollars are Zilliz Cloud (already listed as Zilliz).

• Milvus OSS — $0. Apache-2.0. Self-host (Docker / K8s / binary). Attu admin UI is Apache-2.0 at zilliztech/attu.
• Zilliz Cloud Free — $0. 5 GB storage. “Start for Free” on zilliz.com/pricing (see Zilliz).
• Zilliz Cloud Dedicated — from $197/month on that same listing. $200 calculator credits. Business Critical / Enterprise are Book a demo — do not invent a $.

Confirm the live Zilliz checkout if you want Cloud; taxes follow your location. Do not copy a third-party CU sticker that is not on zilliz.com/pricing.

Limitations / costs

• OSS is ops you run. Backups, RBAC, and SLA are yours unless you buy Cloud.
• Cloud dollars are Zilliz, not a second Milvus SKU. Dedicated from $197/month lives on Zilliz.
• A Data Explorer grid, not Zilliz’s Create Cluster form. For that form see Zilliz.

Alternatives

• Zilliz — a Create Cluster form when you want Zilliz Free $0 / Dedicated from $197, not Attu’s ai_research_library 96.
• Weaviate — hybrid search when you want Weaviate Cloud, not a self-hosted Milvus collection.
• Qdrant — a Qdrant collection when you want Qdrant Cloud / the Qdrant binary, not Attu rows.

Official tutorial

Official Zilliz channel video: Upgrade Milvus 3.0: What's New and How to Get There (oEmbed author: Zilliz). First-party Milvus 3.0 walkthrough on the same channel milvus.io / Zilliz use (@MilvusVectorDatabase); the Attu Data Explorer still is the cover. Upgrade chrome on the video is ops of Cluster overview, not generate-on-the-grid. @Zilliz is a second official handle we did not need for this oEmbed.

Written path: milvus.io plus the Attu Data Explorer still.

Website

https://milvus.io

Repository

https://github.com/milvus-io/milvus

Source

Catalog row curated for AI Tools Nav. Cover is Attu’s official Data Explorer still (ai_research_library 96 + doc 10001 Hybrid Retrieval + 10009 Agentic RAG). Dollars checked as OSS $0; Cloud Free $0 / Dedicated from $197 cited from Zilliz / zilliz.com/pricing. Tutorial oEmbed author: Zilliz.

Last verified

2026-10-23 (Asia/Shanghai) editorial check.