Qdrant alternatives
Short answer
We track 1 self-hosted alternative to Qdrant: Milvus.
Milvus (self-hosted vector databases): no objective advantage over Qdrant in our data; it differs in features.
Last updated · how we rank · sources
Qdrant alternatives compared
| # | App | Advantages over Qdrant | Est. server cost | Official hardware | License | Stars | Last commit | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | Qdrant (this app) | Active | not estimated (no official RAM figure) | not published | Apache-2.0 | 35.2k | Oct 21, 2026 | — |
| 1 | Milvus Self-hosted vector databases | None in our data (differs in features) Trade-off: Qdrant has simpler deploy (one container vs a multi-container stack) | from €35.99/mo | minimum 8 GB RAM (recommended 4 vCPU · 16 GB RAM) | Apache-2.0 | 46.5k | Oct 22, 2026 | Qdrant vs Milvus |
Ranked by the number of objective advantages each alternative has over the app (cheaper estimated server cost, lighter official RAM figure, no GPU needed, fewer license conditions, better maintenance status, at least 1.5× the GitHub stars, simpler deploy). Ties: same-category apps first, then more GitHub stars. License order used: Permissive (MIT/Apache) → Open core → Copyleft (GPL) or Custom conditions → Network copyleft (AGPL) → Source-available. Archived projects are not listed as alternatives.
What each alternative is
- Milvus (Data labeling & vector databases): Scalable open-source vector database for semantic search and RAG at large data volumes. Why it is listed: Both store embeddings and run similarity search with filtering, as the vector store behind RAG and semantic-search features.
Qdrant alternatives: FAQ
What is the best self-hosted alternative to Qdrant?
By our objective ranking: 1. Milvus. "Best" depends on the features you need; the ranking only counts cost, hardware, license, maintenance, community size and deploy complexity.
Is there a cheaper alternative to Qdrant?
Not by our estimate. Qdrant: not estimated (no official RAM figure). Alternatives: Milvus (from €35.99/mo).
Which Qdrant alternative has the most permissive license?
None has fewer conditions than Qdrant (Apache-2.0 (Permissive)). Alternatives: Milvus: Apache-2.0 (Permissive). Not legal advice.
Related
Sources
- Qdrant GitHub repository: github.com/qdrant/qdrant
- Qdrant documentation: qdrant.tech/documentation/
- Qdrant license: github.com/qdrant/qdrant/blob/master/LICENSE
- Qdrant hardware requirements, Qdrant deploy instructions: github.com/qdrant/qdrant#readme
- Milvus GitHub repository: github.com/milvus-io/milvus
- Hetzner Cloud pricing used for cost estimates (read 2026-10-22): www.hetzner.com/cloud/regular-performance
- GitHub stars and commits: GitHub REST API, refreshed daily