Vespa vs Weaviate
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted search engines options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Vespa
Open-source big data serving engine for search and recommendation
VS
Weaviate
Open-source vector database for semantic and AI search
| Feature | Vespa | Weaviate |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Search Engines | Search Engines |
| License | Apache-2.0 | BSD-3-Clause |
| Language | Java | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 4,096 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, bare-metal | docker, kubernetes, helm |
| GitHub stars | ★ 7,043 | ★ 16,704 |
| First released | 2017 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Elasticsearch, Algolia | Pinecone, Algolia |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Vespa or Weaviate better?
Weaviate is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Vespa if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Vespa and Weaviate free and open-source?
Yes. Vespa is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Weaviate under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Vespa and Weaviate with Docker?
Vespa: yes. Weaviate: yes.