Pinecone vs Weaviate: what a vector database costs

Updated 11 November 2026

First published 2026-11-11 · Tool Comparison

Checked 11 November 2026. Every price below was read on the vendor’s own page that day and is quoted as printed. A vendor with no printed price says so; we did not fill the gap.

TL;DR: Nov 2026: Pinecone shows $20 a month flat and minimum-usage plans at $50 and $500. Weaviate has a free tier and Flex from $45 a month. Checked 11 November 2026.

At a glance

ToolWho it suitsOne figure, as printed
PineconeA team that wants a managed vector database with a flat starter fee and a minimum-spend step above it.Flat plan: “$20/month flat”
WeaviateA team that wants a free tier first and pay-as-you-go after, or may want to run the open-source version itself.Free: “Free Forever $0 /mo”

Pinecone

A team that wants a managed vector database with a flat starter fee and a minimum-spend step above it.

  • Flat plan: “$20/month flat” source, read 11 November 2026.
  • Mid plan: “$50/month min. usage” source, read 11 November 2026.
  • Top plan: “$500/month min. usage” source, read 11 November 2026.

Our page on Pinecone →

Weaviate

A team that wants a free tier first and pay-as-you-go after, or may want to run the open-source version itself.

  • Free: “Free Forever $0 /mo” source, read 11 November 2026.
  • Flex: “Flex Starts at $45 /mo” source, read 11 November 2026.
  • Embedding price: “$0.025 / 1M tokens” source, read 11 November 2026.

Our page on Weaviate →

Open score and India fit

Our open score gives a tool up to 60 points from signals we can check: rupee pricing, GST invoice, UPI, data in India, a public price, a free plan and the number of alternatives. “Not recorded” means we have not found a vendor statement on that point, not that the answer is no. How the score is worked out.

ToolOpen scorePrices in ₹GST invoiceUPIData in India
Pinecone40 of 60 (known 3 of 8 signals)Not recordedNot recordedNot recordedNot recorded
Weaviate40 of 60 (known 3 of 8 signals)Not recordedNot recordedNot recordedNot recorded

Before you decide

  • Both in dollars. Vector database cost depends on data size and traffic, which the plan prices do not capture.
  • We did not read where each vendor stores data; for India residency, ask the vendor.

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