# Qdrant vs Elasticsearch

Compare deployment options, cost efficiency, and features to choose the right vector database for your application. If you want to compare these models on your data, try [Agentset](https://app.agentset.ai/).

## Database Comparison

## Qdrant takes the lead.

Both Qdrant and Elasticsearch are powerful vector databases designed for efficient similarity search and storage. However, their deployment options and features differ in important ways.

### Why Qdrant:

- Qdrant ranks higher overall
- Qdrant has more permissive licensing
- Elasticsearch has 2 more strengths

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## Qdrant

Qdrant is an open-source vector database available as both a managed cloud service and a self-hosted solution. It offers strong HNSW performance, flexible deployment, and predictable cost structures, making it suitable for both startups and large-scale RAG workloads.

- **Deployment:** Self-Hosted, Managed Cloud
- **Cost:** Starts ~$0.014/hour for smallest node
- **License:** Apache 2.0

## Elasticsearch

Elasticsearch is one of Europe's most widely deployed open-source search engines that includes native vector database capabilities. It combines dense vector search with traditional full-text BM25 keyword search for powerful hybrid retrieval, making it ideal for RAG applications that need both semantic and lexical search capabilities.

- **Deployment:** Self-Hosted, Managed Cloud, Serverless
- **Cost:** Serverless: usage-based (ECU); Hosted: starts ~$95/month; Self-hosted: free (infra cost only)
- **License:** AGPL v3 / SSPL / Elastic License 2.0

## Build RAG in Minutes, Not Months

Agentset gives you a complete RAG API with fully managed vector storage and retrieval. Upload your data, call the API, and get accurate results from day one.

## Feature Comparison

## Infrastructure & Technical Details

| Feature            | Qdrant            | Elasticsearch                                   |
|--------------------|-------------------|-------------------------------------------------|
| Deployment          | Self-Hosted, Managed Cloud | Self-Hosted, Managed Cloud, Serverless        |
| Cost               | Starts ~$0.014/hour for smallest node | Serverless: usage-based (ECU); Hosted: starts ~$95/month; Self-hosted: free (infra cost only) |
| License            | Apache 2.0        | AGPL v3 / SSPL / Elastic License 2.0           |
| Index Types        | HNSW, Sparse (dot similarity) | HNSW, int8_hnsw, int4_hnsw, bbq_hnsw, Flat   |
| Cloud Providers    | AWS, Azure, GCP   | AWS, Azure, GCP, Alibaba Cloud                 |
| Regional Flexibility | high            | high                                            |
| Strengths          | [10](/content/vector-databases/qdrant#strengths/index.html) | [12](/content/vector-databases/elasticsearch#strengths/index.html) |
| Weaknesses         | [5](/content/vector-databases/qdrant#weaknesses/index.html) | [8](/content/vector-databases/elasticsearch#weaknesses/index.html) |