# Vector search and retrieval databases for AI agents

> 10 retrieval & vector search listings ranked by the Anchor benchmark. Leader Pinecone API + MCP (BB). Databases an agent can query for retrieval, with vector, keyword and hybrid search. Compared on retrieval accuracy, filters, how fast an update becomes searchable, p95 latency, setup effort and cost at a stated corpus size, with hosted and self-hosted costs reported apart.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/categories/vector-search
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/categories/vector-search.md (~3,000 tokens)
- Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/categories/vector-search.min.md (~530 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts)
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/categories/vector-search.json (this page as data, same URL with Accept: application/json)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (full text: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- Updated: 2026-10-04

Databases an agent can query for retrieval, with vector, keyword and hybrid search. Compared on retrieval accuracy, filters, how fast an update becomes searchable, p95 latency, setup effort and cost at a stated corpus size, with hosted and self-hosted costs reported apart.

- Tools ranked: 10 · agent-ready (BB or better): 4 · accept x402: 0 · hosted endpoints: 8 · desk reviews by the panel: 38
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools.json (list) · https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/rankings.json (ranked) · https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/x402.json (payable) · https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/capabilities.json (by capability)
- Grades run AA, A, BB, B, C, D, E, F · methodology: https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/

- Capabilities in this category: db.vector, db.hybrid, db.fulltext, db.filters, db.serverless
- https://letme.dev/db.vector picks the top-graded tool in this list and says how to call it direct; calling through letme comes later (https://www.anchorterminal.com/letme/index.md)

## Ranking

| # | Tool | Vendor | Kind | Category | Grade | Score | Confidence | x402 | Auth | Where | Reviews | Page |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 28 | Pinecone API + MCP | Pinecone | HTTP API | Retrieval | BB | 76.4 | high | no | API key | hosted + local | 3.5/5 (8) | https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/pinecone.md |
| 30 | Supabase API + MCP | Supabase | HTTP API | Databases | BB | 75.8 | medium | no | OAuth or key | hosted + local | 3.3/5 (8) | https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/supabase-mcp.md |
| 37 | Qdrant API + MCP | Qdrant | HTTP API | Retrieval | BB | 75.3 | high | no | API key | hosted + local | 3.6/5 (8) | https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/qdrant.md |
| 93 | Typesense API + MCP | Typesense | HTTP API | Retrieval | BB | 70.9 | medium | no | OAuth or key | hosted | 3/5 (2) | https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/typesense.md |
| 131 | Weaviate API + MCP | Weaviate | HTTP API | Retrieval | B | 68.2 | medium | no | API key | local | 3.5/5 (2) | https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/weaviate.md |
| 174 | LanceDB | LanceDB | SDK + MCP | Retrieval | B | 65.4 | medium | no | None | local | 3/5 (2) | https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/lancedb.md |
| 218 | Upstash Vector API + MCP | Upstash | HTTP API | Retrieval | B | 62.4 | medium | no | OAuth or key | hosted | 3/5 (2) | https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/upstash-vector.md |
| 293 | Milvus and Zilliz Cloud API + MCP | Zilliz | HTTP API | Retrieval | C | 57.5 | medium | no | API key | hosted + local | 3.5/5 (2) | https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/milvus-zilliz.md |
| 400 | Chroma API + MCP | Chroma | HTTP API | Retrieval | E | 45.4 | medium | no | API key | hosted + local | 3/5 (2) | https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/chroma.md |
| 439 | Epsilla Vector Database | Epsilla | HTTP API | Retrieval | F | 36 | medium | no | API key | hosted | 1.5/5 (2) | https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/epsilla.md |

Scores are from public evidence against the published checklist (https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/), with Performance and Task success pending. p95 latency and context cost come from our probes, which haven't run yet.

## Summaries

### 28. Pinecone API + MCP, BB (76.4)

Managed, closed-source vector database with serverless indexes. OpenAPI files per API version, quarterly versions with at least 12 months of support each. Nine regional incidents between 9 July and 28 September 2026, four lasting more than an hour.

- Page: https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/pinecone · Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/pinecone.md · JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/pinecone.json
- Capabilities: db.vector, db.hybrid, db.fulltext, db.filters, db.serverless · endpoint: `https://api.pinecone.io`

### 30. Supabase API + MCP, BB (75.8)

Hosted Postgres with an auto-generated REST API (PostgREST), GraphQL, auth, storage, realtime and Edge Functions, plus a Management API and an official MCP server. OAuth 2.1 with dynamic client registration, plus personal access tokens scoped to chosen projects and permissions. Several multi-hour platform incidents between 27 August and 30 September.

- Page: https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/supabase-mcp · Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/supabase-mcp.md · JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/supabase-mcp.json
- Capabilities: db.sql, db.admin, db.vector, db.hybrid, db.fulltext, db.filters · endpoint: `https://api.supabase.com/v1`

### 37. Qdrant API + MCP, BB (75.3)

Open-source vector database written in Rust, run yourself or on Qdrant Cloud. Database keys can be read-only, limited to chosen collections and expire after 90 days by default. The MCP server has 2 tools, can't manage collections or run filtered queries, and last released on 10 December 2025.

- Page: https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/qdrant · Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/qdrant.md · JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/qdrant.json
- Capabilities: db.vector, db.hybrid, db.fulltext, db.filters · endpoint: `https://api.cloud.qdrant.io`

### 93. Typesense API + MCP, BB (70.9)

Open-source (GPL-3.0) search engine with typo-tolerant keyword search, vector and hybrid search, filters, facets, geo search, JOINs and built-in embedding. Keyword, vector and hybrid search with filters, facets, sorting and geo in one request. Server v30.2 from April 2026 is still the newest stable release.

- Page: https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/typesense · Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/typesense.md · JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/typesense.json
- Capabilities: db.vector, db.hybrid, db.fulltext, db.filters · endpoint: `https://cloud.typesense.org/api/v1`

### 131. Weaviate API + MCP, B (68.2)

Open-source vector database written in Go, run yourself or on Weaviate Cloud. Built-in MCP server with 4 typed tools, readOnly, destructive and idempotent hints on each, and write tools hidden until enabled. No public status page or incident history.

- Page: https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/weaviate · Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/weaviate.md · JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/weaviate.json
- Capabilities: db.vector, db.hybrid, db.fulltext, db.filters

### 174. LanceDB, B (65.4)

Open-source embedded database on the Lance columnar format. Embedded, no server, and tables can live directly in S3, GCS or Azure storage. No self-serve hosted API. Enterprise is sold through a contact form.

- Page: https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/lancedb · Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/lancedb.md · JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/lancedb.json
- Capabilities: db.vector, db.hybrid, db.fulltext, db.filters

### 218. Upstash Vector API + MCP, B (62.4)

Serverless vector database billed per request. $0.40 per 100,000 requests and a free plan with 10,000 queries and updates a day. The Vector changelog's last entry is August 2025 and the Python client last shipped in February 2025.

- Page: https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/upstash-vector · Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/upstash-vector.md · JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/upstash-vector.json
- Capabilities: db.vector, db.hybrid, db.filters, db.serverless · endpoint: `https://api.upstash.com/v2`

### 293. Milvus and Zilliz Cloud API + MCP, C (57.5)

Milvus is the open-source (Apache-2.0, LF AI and Data) vector database, run embedded as Milvus Lite, standalone or distributed on Kubernetes. Apache-2.0 under the LF AI and Data Foundation, run embedded as Milvus Lite, standalone or distributed. The Zilliz MCP server's only PyPI release dates from June 2025 and predates an August 2026 fix for token forwarding.

- Page: https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/milvus-zilliz · Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/milvus-zilliz.md · JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/milvus-zilliz.json
- Capabilities: db.vector, db.hybrid, db.fulltext, db.filters, db.serverless · endpoint: `https://api.cloud.zilliz.com/v2`

### 400. Chroma API + MCP, E (45.4)

Open-source retrieval database that runs in-process, as a local server or as Chroma Cloud, a serverless hosted service. Runs in-process, as a local server or serverless on Chroma Cloud with the same v2 API. CVE-2026-45829, CVSS 9.3, has no patched release more than four months after the advisory.

- Page: https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/chroma · Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/chroma.md · JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/chroma.json
- Capabilities: db.vector, db.hybrid, db.fulltext, db.filters, db.serverless · endpoint: `https://api.trychroma.com/api/v2`

### 439. Epsilla Vector Database, F (36)

Open-source (GPL-3.0) vector database with dense and sparse vectors, built-in embedding, filters and hybrid search through client-side retrievers and an RRF reranker. GPL-3.0 server you can run from one Docker image. No tagged release since 29 November 2025 and no release notes since March 2025.

- Page: https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/epsilla · Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/epsilla.md · JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/epsilla.json
- Capabilities: db.vector, db.hybrid, db.filters · endpoint: `https://dispatch.epsilla.com/api/v3`

## How we test this category

The same corpus indexed and the same queries run on every database. We measure retrieval accuracy, filter behaviour, update delay, p95 latency, setup effort and cost at a stated corpus size, and report hosted services and self-hosted deployments separately. This test hasn't run yet, so Task success is pending and the grades here come from the categories assessed from public evidence.

## Indexed, not reviewed (6)

Sorted into this category from public catalogues, with facts and our own checks but no score, grade or rank (https://www.anchorterminal.com/indexed/index.md).

| Listing | Kind | What it does | Why it's here |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [ArcadeDB MCP Server](https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/arcadedb-mcp-server.md) | MCP server | Built-in MCP server for ArcadeDB multi-model database (graph, document, vector, time-series) | vendor's own, widely used |
| [brilliant.design MCP server](https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/brilliant-mcp.md) | MCP server | Local MCP bridge: your coding agent designs on Brilliant's real vector canvas, fully on 127.0.0.1. | vendor's own |
| [deepcontext](https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/wild-card-deepcontext.md) | MCP server | Advanced codebase indexing and semantic search MCP server | vendor's own |
| [Magnificent Jobs](https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/magnificentjobs-jobs.md) | MCP server | Semantic search over 3.5M+ live US job postings pulled straight from company ATSes. Read-only. | vendor's own |
| [Picsha AI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/picsha.md) | MCP server | AI-native digital asset management: semantic search, generative image edits, and CDN delivery. | vendor's own |
| [WalkMyPlan](https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/walkmyplan.md) | MCP server | Describe a house or upload a DWG/vector-PDF plan and get a walkable, editable 3D model. | vendor's own |