turbopuffer
Hosted vector and full-text search database that keeps data on object storage with a memory and SSD cache.
Updated · AppBreakup editorial · Web
Is turbopuffer free?
No, it's a paid product
6 alternatives with a free optionSwitch from turbopuffer to
All 6
PineconeStarting price: $20 a month flat (Builder)
Zilliz CloudDedicated starting price: From $126 per month
QdrantOpen source
- Verified facts
- 4 of 4
- Alternatives ranked
- 6
- Approved reviews
- 0
- Visits sent from here
- 0
About turbopuffer
turbopuffer is a managed search database for vectors and text. Its design keeps all data on object storage such as S3 and caches frequently queried data in memory and on SSD, which makes storing very large or rarely queried datasets cheaper than on databases that keep everything on fast disks. Data is split into namespaces, so it suits products with many separate tenants, such as one index per customer or per code repository. It supports approximate nearest-neighbour search, BM25 full-text search, hybrid search, metadata filters and branching, and has client libraries for Python, TypeScript, Go, Java, Ruby, Rust and more. The trade-off is that the first query against a cold namespace is slower than a warm one. There's no free plan: plans charge for storage, writes and queries on top of a monthly minimum, with higher tiers adding HIPAA, SSO, single-tenant and bring-your-own-cloud deployments.
Best for: AI products with huge or multi-tenant search indexes where storage cost matters most.
turbopuffer pricing (checked Nov 8, 2026)
Each line is quoted from turbopuffer's own site, with the page it came from.
| Plan or term | What it says | Checked | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum usage | $16 per month (Launch plan) | Nov 8, 2026 | turbopuffer.com |
Pros and cons
What works
- Object-storage design keeps large datasets relatively cheap to store
- Vector, BM25 full-text and hybrid search in one service
- Namespaces make per-customer indexes straightforward
- Published usage pricing with a calculator
Why people leave
- No free plan; every plan has a monthly minimum
- Queries on cold namespaces are noticeably slower than warm ones
- No migration tooling from other databases outside the enterprise plan
- Hosted only, with no open-source self-hosted edition
turbopuffer vs Pinecone, Zilliz Cloud and Qdrant
From each app's listing and the prices verified on its own site. A dash means we haven't verified it yet.
| Attribute | turbopuffer | Pinecone | Zilliz Cloud | Qdrant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free plan + paid | Free plan + paid | Open source |
| Verified price | — | $20 a month flat (Builder) | From $126 per month | — |
| Free plan | No | Yes (Starter) | Yes, $0 with 5 GB storage | Free app |
| Open source | No | No | No | Yes |
| Self-hostable | No | No | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Web | Web | Web | Self-hosted, Web |
Top turbopuffer alternatives
See all 6- 1Pinecone68.8
Serverless vector database with a free starter tier and consistently warm queries.
- 2Zilliz Cloud64.8
Managed Milvus with tiered storage for big datasets and a free tier to start.
- 3Qdrant61.8
Open source, so you can self-host for free or use its managed cloud.
- 4
Weaviate55.9Open-source vector database with built-in hybrid search and vectorizer modules, available self-hosted or managed.
- 5
Milvus55.3Self-hostable open-source engine if you want to avoid a hosted-only vendor.
Why people left turbopuffer
In reviewers' own words, from reviews of the apps they moved to. These are their opinions, not ours.
No switching stories yet. If you moved away from turbopuffer, review the app you switched to and tell us why.
Reviews
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turbopuffer: common questions
What is turbopuffer?
turbopuffer: Hosted vector and full-text search database that keeps data on object storage with a memory and SSD cache. Best for AI products with huge or multi-tenant search indexes where storage cost matters most. Available for Web.
Is turbopuffer free?
No, turbopuffer is a paid product.
How much does turbopuffer cost?
turbopuffer is a paid product. Minimum usage: $16 per month (Launch plan). Checked on turbopuffer's own site, November 2026.
Is turbopuffer open source?
No, turbopuffer is not open source. Open-source alternatives include Qdrant, Weaviate and Milvus.
What platforms does turbopuffer run on?
turbopuffer is available for Web.
What are the best alternatives to turbopuffer?
The highest-ranked turbopuffer alternatives right now are Pinecone, Zilliz Cloud and Qdrant. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.
turbopuffer vs Pinecone: what's the difference?
turbopuffer is a paid product; Pinecone is free with paid plans. Both run on Web.