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pgvector

Open-source Postgres extension for vector similarity search, keeping embeddings alongside the rest of your data.

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Is pgvector free?

Yes, pgvector has a free plan. What you get: Free Postgres extension for vector similarity search. To get it: install the pgvector extension on your Postgres server; then enable it with CREATE EXTENSION vector in each database; then create a vector column, insert embeddings and query nearest neighbors. Verified on github.com.

Free plan at a glance

Includes
  • Free Postgres extension for vector similarity search

Open source under a permissive licence: use for any purpose, without fee. It also comes preinstalled with Postgres.app and many hosted Postgres providers.

Duration
Free forever
Commercial use
Allowed on the free plan

How to get it free

Self-host
  1. Install the pgvector extension on your Postgres server
  2. Enable it with CREATE EXTENSION vector in each database
  3. Create a vector column, insert embeddings and query nearest neighbors

Good to know

  • Needs Postgres 13+
Get the free plan

github.com, Checked Source

Overview

pgvector adds vector columns and exact or approximate nearest-neighbor search (HNSW and IVFFlat indexes) to Postgres, so embeddings sit next to your other data with ACID compliance and JOINs. Its licence allows use for any purpose, without fee.

Key features

  • Exact and approximate nearest-neighbor search
  • HNSW and IVFFlat indexes
  • Single-precision, half-precision, binary and sparse vectors
  • L2, inner product, cosine, L1, Hamming and Jaccard distance
  • Hybrid search together with Postgres full-text search
  • Works from any language with a Postgres client

Best for

Tasks
Host & deploy apps
People
Developers who already use Postgres and need vector search, Teams building semantic search without a separate vector database, Apps that keep embeddings and relational data in one place

Limitations

  • You install the extension yourself; it needs Postgres 13+
  • Indexed vector columns are limited to 2,000 dimensions
  • Approximate indexes trade some recall for speed

FAQ

Is pgvector free?
Yes. pgvector has a free plan: Free Postgres extension for vector similarity search. We last checked github.com's pricing page on 2026-10-24.
What does the pgvector free plan include?
Free Postgres extension for vector similarity search. Source: https://github.com/pgvector/pgvector (checked 2026-10-24).
How do I get pgvector for free?
Steps: Install the pgvector extension on your Postgres server; Enable it with CREATE EXTENSION vector in each database; Create a vector column, insert embeddings and query nearest neighbors. Start at https://github.com/pgvector/pgvector (checked 2026-10-24).
Do I need an account to use pgvector for free?
Not for the free option: the free route is to self-host pgvector (Install the pgvector extension on your Postgres server). Checked 2026-10-24.
What's the catch with pgvector's free plan?
Needs Postgres 13+. Checked 2026-10-24.
What are free alternatives to pgvector?
Neon, Qdrant Cloud and Weaviate all have free plans. We checked their free offers on 2026-10-25.
Where can I run pgvector?
Install it on Linux, Mac or Windows, or with Docker, Homebrew, PGXN, APT, Yum, pkg, APK or conda-forge. It comes preinstalled with Postgres.app and many hosted Postgres providers.Source: github.com/pgvector/pgvector
Does pgvector support hybrid search?
Yes. Use it together with Postgres full-text search, and combine the results with Reciprocal Rank Fusion or a cross-encoder.Source: github.com/pgvector/pgvector
Which programming languages work with pgvector?
Any language with a Postgres client. The README lists libraries for languages such as Go, Java, JavaScript and TypeScript, C# and many more.Source: github.com/pgvector/pgvector

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Sources

Free offer
Verified on github.com/pgvector/pgvector/blob/master/LICENSE
…to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software and its documentation for any purpose, without fee, and without a written agreement is hereby…
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How we check free offers

Added by our team. We check that a free option exists and record the date; signing up is between you and pgvector, so read their privacy policy and terms first.

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