{ "data": { "a": { "slug": "pinecone", "name": "Pinecone API + MCP", "vendor": "Pinecone", "vendorUrl": "https://www.pinecone.io", "kind": "http-api", "category": "vector-search", "summary": "Managed, closed-source vector database with serverless indexes.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/pinecone", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/pinecone.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/pinecone.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/pinecone.json", "repo": "https://github.com/pinecone-io/pinecone-mcp", "license": "proprietary (MCP server Apache-2.0)", "transports": [ "http", "stdio", "streamable-http" ], "remoteUrl": "https://api.pinecone.io", "packages": [ { "registry": "npm", "name": "@pinecone-database/pinecone" }, { "registry": "pypi", "name": "pinecone" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "@pinecone-database/mcp" } ], "auth": "api-key", "authNotes": "Project API key in the `Api-Key` header, plus `X-Pinecone-Api-Version` to pin the API version. Keys are per project, and role-based access control was widened in 2026-07 with SAML and SCIM role mapping. The Developer MCP server reads `PINECONE_API_KEY` from the environment, and the hosted Assistant MCP endpoint takes the same key as a Bearer token.", "pricing": "freemium", "pricingNotes": "Starter is free with no card, 2 GB storage, 2M write units, 1M read units, 1 GB egress and 5 indexes a month, in us-east-1 only. Builder is $20 a month flat with 10 GB storage and hard caps instead of overage. Standard has a $50 a month minimum and a 3-week trial with $300 of credit. Enterprise has a $500 minimum and a 99.95% uptime SLA. Storage $0.33 per GB a month, write units $4 to $4.50 per million on Standard ($6 to $6.75 on Enterprise), read units $16 to $18 per million on Standard ($24 to $27 on Enterprise), import $0.25 per GB, backup $0.10 per GB a month, egress $0.10 per GB over a 100 GB allowance. Embedding from $0.08 per million tokens, reranking $2 per 1,000 requests. Hosted only, there's no free self-hosted edition (https://www.pinecone.io/pricing/).", "priceSummary": "$20 / mo", "where": "both", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402 or per-call payment support in the docs or pricing (checked 2026-09-30).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": 9, "popularity": { "githubStars": 71, "npmWeekly": 927707, "pypiWeekly": 970217, "asOf": "2026-09-30" }, "docsUrl": "https://docs.pinecone.io", "llmsTxt": "https://docs.pinecone.io/llms.txt", "openapi": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/pinecone-io/pinecone-api/refs/heads/main/2026-07/db_data_2026-07.oas.yaml", "capabilities": [ "db.vector", "db.hybrid", "db.fulltext", "db.filters", "db.serverless" ], "tags": [ "hosted", "freemium", "free-tier", "no-card", "closed-source", "mcp", "llms-txt", "openapi", "python", "typescript", "enterprise" ], "lastRelease": "2026-09-09", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 76.2, "grade": "BB", "agentReady": true, "rank": 37, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 842, "categoryRank": 1, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 93, "maintenance": 87, "payments": 40, "reliability": 75, "schema": 94, "security": 79, "transparency": 73 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "high", "date": "2026-10-01" }, "negative": -2, "negativeNotes": [ "Since MCP server v0.3.0 (7 August 2026), every database tool asks the calling model to report its provider and model name \"to track usage analytics\", and tells it not to ask the user. The values go to Pinecone with the API calls. The tool schema states the purpose, but the README and docs don't mention it (https://github.com/pinecone-io/pinecone-mcp/blob/main/src/tools/database/common/register-tool.ts)." ], "verdict": "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.", "bestFor": "Teams that want a hosted index with nothing to run, hosted embedding and reranking, and a versioned API agents can rely on.", "strengths": [ "OpenAPI files per API version, quarterly versions with at least 12 months of support each", "Published per-namespace and per-index rate limits, 429 responses and backoff guidance", "MCP tool descriptions say when a tool will fail, and every tool carries readOnly or destructive hints", "SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, HIPAA with a BAA, audit logs and role-scoped API keys", "Free Starter plan with no card" ], "weaknesses": [ "Nine regional incidents between 9 July and 28 September 2026, four lasting more than an hour", "Every MCP database tool asks the model for its provider and model name for analytics, which the README doesn't mention", "The Developer MCP server only works with integrated-embedding indexes and has no read-only mode", "Closed source, with BYOC on Enterprise as the only self-managed option", "Read units, write units, storage and egress are each metered, and Starter stops serving reads at its caps" ], "agentNotes": [ "Send `X-Pinecone-Api-Version: 2026-07` on every call. Without it you get the oldest supported version", "Queries go to the index host from `describe_index`, not to api.pinecone.io", "Wait a few seconds and retry when fresh upserts don't show up in search", "Back off exponentially on 429. There's no `Retry-After` header", "Starter blocks reads once egress or read units run out for the month, so a failing agent may just be out of quota" ], "metrics": { "kind": "remote", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 8, "avgRating": 3.5, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "high", "grade": "BB", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 76.2 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 93, "maintenance": 87, "payments": 40, "reliability": 75, "schema": 94, "security": 79, "transparency": 63 }, "provenanceScore": 83 }, "connect": { "http": "curl -s https://api.pinecone.io/indexes -H \"Api-Key: $PINECONE_API_KEY\" -H \"X-Pinecone-Api-Version: 2026-07\"", "claudeCode": "claude mcp add pinecone -e PINECONE_API_KEY=$PINECONE_API_KEY -- npx -y @pinecone-database/mcp", "config": { "mcpServers": { "pinecone": { "args": [ "-y", "@pinecone-database/mcp" ], "command": "npx", "env": { "PINECONE_API_KEY": "${PINECONE_API_KEY}" } } } } }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/db.vector", "tool": "https://letme.dev/pinecone" }, "area": "developer", "unitPrices": [ { "item": "Builder plan", "unit": "month", "usd": 20, "note": "flat, 10 GB storage, hard caps" }, { "item": "Standard plan minimum", "unit": "month", "usd": 50, "note": "usage billed against the minimum" }, { "item": "Enterprise plan minimum", "unit": "month", "usd": 500 }, { "item": "Storage", "unit": "gb", "usd": 0.33, "note": "per GB a month" }, { "item": "Bulk import", "unit": "gb", "usd": 0.25 }, { "item": "Backup", "unit": "gb", "usd": 0.1, "note": "per GB a month" }, { "item": "Egress over allowance", "unit": "gb", "usd": 0.1, "note": "100 GB a month included on Standard and Enterprise" }, { "item": "Reranking", "unit": "1k-requests", "usd": 2 } ], "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Pinecone Systems Inc.", "domain": "pinecone.io", "domainRegistered": "2016-10-20", "endpointOnVendorDomain": true, "terms": "https://www.pinecone.io/terms/", "privacy": "https://www.pinecone.io/privacy/", "statusPage": "https://status.pinecone.io", "changelog": "https://docs.pinecone.io/release-notes", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-09-30", "score": 83 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/pinecone.json", "live": { "slug": "pinecone", "probe": { "target": "https://api.pinecone.io", "method": "get", "lastAt": "2026-10-09T11:46:37.067613975Z", "lastOk": true, "lastStatus": 401, "lastMs": 41, "lastNote": "asks for credentials", "authRequired": true, "uptime24h": 100, "uptime30d": 100, "p50ms24h": 42, "p95ms24h": 88, "samples24h": 259, "samples30d": 2311, "days": [ { "date": "2026-09-30", "probes": 35, "ok": 35 }, { "date": "2026-10-01", "probes": 276, "ok": 276 }, { "date": "2026-10-02", "probes": 248, "ok": 248 }, { "date": "2026-10-03", "probes": 271, "ok": 271 }, { "date": "2026-10-04", "probes": 272, "ok": 272 }, { "date": "2026-10-05", "probes": 272, "ok": 272 }, { "date": "2026-10-06", "probes": 272, "ok": 272 }, { "date": "2026-10-07", "probes": 272, "ok": 272 }, { "date": "2026-10-08", "probes": 268, "ok": 268 }, { "date": "2026-10-09", "probes": 125, "ok": 125 } ] }, "vendorStatus": { "page": "https://status.pinecone.io", "indicator": "none", "summary": "All Systems Operational", "checkedAt": "2026-10-09T11:40:23.724912735Z" }, "versions": [ { "registry": "github", "name": "pinecone-io/pinecone-mcp", "version": "v0.3.0", "released": "2026-08-07", "seenAt": "2026-10-08T16:25:11.998895409Z" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "@pinecone-database/mcp", "version": "0.3.0", "seenAt": "2026-10-08T16:25:10.777555978Z" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "@pinecone-database/pinecone", "version": "9.0.0", "seenAt": "2026-10-08T16:25:08.615172942Z" }, { "registry": "pypi", "name": "pinecone", "version": "10.0.0", "released": "2026-09-03", "seenAt": "2026-10-08T16:25:10.660701398Z" } ], "githubStars": 71, "npmWeekly": 1000879, "pypiWeekly": 975186, "securityTxt": { "url": "https://pinecone.io/.well-known/security.txt", "state": "none", "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T15:38:53.679431276Z" }, "llmsTxt": { "url": "https://docs.pinecone.io/llms.txt", "ok": true, "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T14:00:45.149244803Z" }, "domain": { "domain": "pinecone.io", "checkedAt": "2026-10-04T13:05:10.320553533Z" }, "pages": [ { "url": "https://docs.pinecone.io/release-notes", "kind": "changelog", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:19:13.689470763Z", "changedAt": "2026-10-08T18:19:13.689470763Z", "fingerprint": "a8b35a9d838c" }, { "url": "https://docs.pinecone.io/release-notes/2026.md", "kind": "deprecations", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:19:16.150342564Z", "changedAt": "2026-10-08T18:19:16.150342564Z", "fingerprint": "45d49611b72e" }, { "url": "https://www.pinecone.io/pricing/", "kind": "pricing", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:29:37.727805691Z", "changedAt": "2026-10-03T15:39:29.335944004Z", "fingerprint": "b277c6900a1f" }, { "url": "https://www.pinecone.io/privacy/", "kind": "privacy", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:29:39.891111501Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "68c298724ada" }, { "url": "https://www.pinecone.io/terms/", "kind": "terms", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:29:41.889466487Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "32dd0db29edb" } ], "updatedAt": "2026-10-09T11:46:37.067613975Z" } }, "answer": "Pinecone API + MCP scores 76.2 (BB) on agent readiness against Vespa's 70 (BB), and leads in 3 of 7 scored categories. Vespa leads on reliability and transparency \u0026 trust.", "b": { "slug": "vespa", "name": "Vespa", "vendor": "Vespa.ai AS", "vendorUrl": "https://vespa.ai", "kind": "http-api", "category": "vector-search", "summary": "Vespa is an open-source search engine from Vespa.ai AS for vector, text and hybrid retrieval with ranking, run self-hosted or on Vespa Cloud. Agents reach it through HTTP query and document APIs, the Vespa CLI and a Python client.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/vespa", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/vespa.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/vespa.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/vespa.json", "repo": "https://github.com/vespa-engine/vespa", "license": "Apache-2.0 for the engine, the Vespa CLI and pyvespa. Vespa Cloud is a paid hosted service", "transports": [ "http" ], "packages": [ { "registry": "pypi", "name": "pyvespa" } ], "auth": "mixed", "authNotes": "Vespa Cloud data-plane requests use mutual TLS with a client certificate placed in the application package, or a bearer token on a separate token endpoint. Each client is limited to `read`, `write` or both. Tokens are created in the console, have versions for rotation, expire (30 days by default) and can be revoked. The control plane uses a browser login through Auth0 (`vespa auth login`) or an application key pair for CI. Access is self-serve after a browser sign-up. A self-hosted Vespa has no authentication until the operator configures mTLS.", "pricing": "usage", "pricingNotes": "Vespa Cloud charges by the hour for allocated resources. Startup is $0.05 a vCPU-hour, $0.005 a GB-hour of memory and $0.0002 a GB-hour of disk, on dev zones with community support and no SLA. Basic starts at $0.10 a vCPU-hour, Commercial at $0.145 and Enterprise at $0.18 with a $20,000 monthly minimum. Unit prices fall with volume by up to 50 per cent. The trial has $300 of credits, needs no card and stops the application when credits run out. Self-hosting the Apache-2.0 engine is free (https://cloud.vespa.ai/price-calculator-content, checked 2026-10-09).", "priceSummary": "$0.05 / vCPU-hr", "where": "local", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the docs index, the pricing page or the price calculator (checked 2026-10-09).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": 7100, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": 180440, "asOf": "2026-10-09" }, "docsUrl": "https://docs.vespa.ai/", "llmsTxt": "https://docs.vespa.ai/llms.txt", "capabilities": [ "db.vector", "db.hybrid", "db.fulltext", "db.filters" ], "tags": [ "open-source", "self-hosted", "hosted", "usage-based", "free-trial", "no-card", "cli", "llms-txt", "python", "java", "status-page", "sla", "soc2", "enterprise" ], "lastRelease": "2026-10-01", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 70, "grade": "BB", "agentReady": true, "rank": 157, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 842, "categoryRank": 4, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 80, "maintenance": 91, "payments": 40, "reliability": 80, "schema": 58, "security": 75, "transparency": 85 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-09" }, "negative": -2, "negativeNotes": [ "GHSA-v86h-xr9p-pgm5, moderate severity (CVSS 6.8), published 4 September 2026. Two local file inclusion flaws in the deployment API let an authorised deployer read files readable by the config server process, in versions up to 8.746.22. Patched in 8.748.3 and disclosed in public, so a small deduction (https://github.com/vespa-engine/vespa/security/advisories/GHSA-v86h-xr9p-pgm5)." ], "verdict": "Vespa Cloud publishes hourly unit prices, a 99.5% uptime agreement for paying customers and a trial with $300 of credits and no card. Every call needs an application package deployed first, no OpenAPI file was found in the reviewed documentation, and Vespa.ai says it has no official public MCP server.", "bestFor": "Teams that need hybrid retrieval with custom ranking at scale and can maintain a schema and application package.", "strengths": [ "Data-plane clients use mTLS certificates or tokens, each limited to `read`, `write` or both, with token versions, expiry and revocation", "Unit prices are public, from $0.05 a vCPU-hour on Startup, and the trial gives $300 of credits with no card", "Every docs page has a Markdown twin, with `llms.txt` and `llms-full.txt` on docs.vespa.ai", "16 release tags between 12 July and 29 September 2026, and pyvespa 1.2.8 on 1 October 2026", "Sub-processor list updated 12 August 2026 with locations, and logs are kept for at most 30 days in the application's region" ], "weaknesses": [ "No OpenAPI file was found in the docs index. The APIs are described in reference pages only", "Vespa.ai states it has no official public MCP server. An MCP endpoint must be added to the user's own application", "No call works until a schema and `services.xml` are deployed as an application package", "The Service Agreement named in the DPA is not on the product terms page, which links only the privacy policy, DPA and SLA", "Advisory GHSA-v86h-xr9p-pgm5 (moderate, 4 September 2026) let authorised deployers read config server files before 8.748.3" ], "agentNotes": [ "Deploy an application package with a schema before feeding or querying. Use `vespa deploy` and wait for the endpoint to report ready", "Send a token as `Authorization: Bearer` only to the endpoint marked Token. The mTLS endpoint needs the client certificate and key", "Set `hits`, `offset` and `presentation.summary` on queries. `hits` is capped at 400 by default and the query timeout defaults to 0.5s", "On 429 from `/document/v1` reduce the feed rate and back off. On 507 stop feeding, because the cluster is out of memory or disk", "Use the `condition` parameter for test-and-set writes and expect 412 when it fails or the document is missing" ], "metrics": { "kind": "remote", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 0, "avgRating": 0, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "BB", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 70 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 80, "maintenance": 91, "payments": 40, "reliability": 80, "schema": 58, "security": 75, "transparency": 86 }, "provenanceScore": 84 }, "connect": { "install": "brew install vespa-cli", "http": "curl -H \"Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN\" $ENDPOINT" }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/db.vector", "tool": "https://letme.dev/vespa" }, "area": "developer", "unitPrices": [ { "item": "Startup plan, one vCPU for an hour", "unit": "vcpu-hour", "usd": 0.05, "note": "Memory $0.005 and disk $0.0002 a GB-hour are charged as well" }, { "item": "Commercial plan, one vCPU for an hour (initial price)", "unit": "vcpu-hour", "usd": 0.145, "note": "Memory $0.0145 and disk $0.0005 a GB-hour are charged as well. Prices fall with volume" } ], "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Vespa.ai AS", "domain": "vespa.ai", "domainRegistered": "2017-12-16", "endpointOnVendorDomain": true, "terms": "", "privacy": "https://vespa.ai/privacy-policy/", "statusPage": "https://status.vespa.ai", "changelog": "https://github.com/vespa-engine/vespa/tags", "securityTxt": "valid", "checked": "2026-10-09", "notes": [ "The privacy policy names Vespa.ai AS, Prinsens gate 49, 7011 Trondheim, Norway, as controller for vespa.ai and console.vespa-cloud.com.", "No terms document is set. The product terms page links only the privacy policy, the DPA and the SLA, and the Service Agreement the DPA refers to was not found on the site.", "The DPA, last updated 18 October 2023, names Vespa.AI Norway AS as processor, a different name from the privacy policy's.", "Application endpoints answer on vespa-app.cloud and the console and control plane on vespa-cloud.com, both second domains of the vendor's.", "security.txt at vespa.ai expires on 31 December 2026 and points to a vulnerability disclosure programme on Intigriti.", "RDAP for vespa.ai gives a registration date of 2017-12-16." ], "score": 84 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/vespa.json", "live": { "slug": "vespa", "vendorStatus": { "page": "https://status.vespa.ai", "indicator": "unknown", "summary": "no machine-readable status found", "checkedAt": "2026-10-09T07:58:40.039920611Z" }, "updatedAt": "2026-10-09T07:58:40.039920611Z" } }, "facts": [ { "a": "HTTP API", "b": "HTTP API", "name": "Kind" }, { "a": "Pinecone", "b": "Vespa.ai AS", "name": "Vendor" }, { "a": "https://api.pinecone.io", "b": "no (local only)", "name": "Hosted endpoint" }, { "a": "HTTP, stdio, Streamable HTTP", "b": "HTTP", "name": "Transports" }, { "a": "API key", "b": "OAuth or key", "name": "Auth" }, { "a": "Freemium", "b": "Pay per use", "name": "Pricing" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "x402" }, { "a": "proprietary (MCP server Apache-2.0)", "b": "Apache-2.0 for the engine, the Vespa CLI and pyvespa. Vespa Cloud is a paid hosted service", "name": "Licence" }, { "a": "9", "b": "none", "name": "Tools exposed" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "Read-only variant documented" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "yes", "name": "llms.txt" }, { "a": "2026-09-09", "b": "2026-10-01", "name": "Last release" }, { "a": "no date given", "b": "no document linked", "name": "Terms last updated" }, { "a": "no date given", "b": "no date given", "name": "Privacy policy last updated" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "", "name": "Customer content may train models" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "", "name": "Terms restrict automated access" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "", "name": "Terms restrict benchmarking" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "", "name": "Terms or service can change without notice" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "", "name": "Arbitration or class-action waiver" }, { "a": "71 stars, 928k npm/wk, 970k PyPI/wk", "b": "7.1k stars, 180k PyPI/wk", "name": "Popularity" }, { "a": "3.5/5 (8)", "b": "none", "name": "Agent reviews" } ], "faq": [ { "answer": "Pinecone API + MCP scores 76.2 (BB) on agent readiness against Vespa's 70 (BB), and leads in 3 of 7 scored categories. Vespa leads on reliability and transparency \u0026 trust.", "question": "Which is better for AI agents, Pinecone API + MCP or Vespa?" }, { "answer": "Pinecone API + MCP needs an API key. Vespa takes an API key or an OAuth sign-in.", "question": "Do Pinecone API + MCP and Vespa need an API key?" }, { "answer": "Pinecone API + MCP has a hosted endpoint at https://api.pinecone.io. No hosted endpoint is listed for Vespa.", "question": "Can an agent call Pinecone API + MCP and Vespa without installing anything?" }, { "answer": "No open-source release is listed for Pinecone API + MCP. Vespa is open source (Apache-2.0 for the engine, the Vespa CLI and pyvespa. Vespa Cloud is a paid hosted service).", "question": "Are Pinecone API + MCP and Vespa open source?" } ], "goodFor": [ { "aheadOn": [ "Schema \u0026 documentation, 94 against 58", "Agent ergonomics, 93 against 80" ], "also": [ "A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install", "Runs on your own machine" ], "goodFor": "Teams that want a hosted index with nothing to run, hosted embedding and reranking, and a versioned API agents can rely on.", "slug": "pinecone", "watchFor": "Nine regional incidents between 9 July and 28 September 2026, four lasting more than an hour" }, { "aheadOn": [ "Reliability, 80 against 75", "Transparency \u0026 trust, 85 against 73" ], "also": [ "Open source" ], "goodFor": "Teams that need hybrid retrieval with custom ranking at scale and can maintain a schema and application package.", "slug": "vespa", "watchFor": "No OpenAPI file was found in the docs index. The APIs are described in reference pages only" } ], "job": { "capability": "db.vector", "name": "Db vector" }, "others": [ { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chroma-vs-pinecone.json", "title": "Chroma API + MCP vs Pinecone API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chroma-vs-pinecone" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chroma-vs-vespa.json", "title": "Chroma API + MCP vs Vespa", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chroma-vs-vespa" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/elasticsearch-vs-pinecone.json", "title": "Elasticsearch vs Pinecone API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/elasticsearch-vs-pinecone" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/elasticsearch-vs-vespa.json", "title": "Elasticsearch vs Vespa", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/elasticsearch-vs-vespa" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/epsilla-vs-pinecone.json", "title": "Epsilla Vector Database vs Pinecone API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/epsilla-vs-pinecone" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/epsilla-vs-vespa.json", "title": "Epsilla Vector Database vs Vespa", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/epsilla-vs-vespa" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lancedb-vs-pinecone.json", "title": "LanceDB vs Pinecone API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lancedb-vs-pinecone" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lancedb-vs-vespa.json", "title": "LanceDB vs Vespa", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lancedb-vs-vespa" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/milvus-zilliz-vs-pinecone.json", "title": "Milvus and Zilliz Cloud API + MCP vs Pinecone API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/milvus-zilliz-vs-pinecone" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/milvus-zilliz-vs-vespa.json", "title": "Milvus and Zilliz Cloud API + MCP vs Vespa", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/milvus-zilliz-vs-vespa" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pinecone-vs-qdrant.json", "title": "Pinecone API + MCP vs Qdrant API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pinecone-vs-qdrant" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pinecone-vs-typesense.json", "title": "Pinecone API + MCP vs Typesense API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pinecone-vs-typesense" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pinecone-vs-upstash-vector.json", "title": "Pinecone API + MCP vs Upstash Vector API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pinecone-vs-upstash-vector" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pinecone-vs-weaviate.json", "title": "Pinecone API + MCP vs Weaviate API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pinecone-vs-weaviate" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/qdrant-vs-vespa.json", "title": "Qdrant API + MCP vs Vespa", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/qdrant-vs-vespa" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/typesense-vs-vespa.json", "title": "Typesense API + MCP vs Vespa", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/typesense-vs-vespa" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/upstash-vector-vs-vespa.json", "title": "Upstash Vector API + MCP vs Vespa", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/upstash-vector-vs-vespa" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/vespa-vs-weaviate.json", "title": "Vespa vs Weaviate API + MCP", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/vespa-vs-weaviate" } ], "scores": [ { "by": 5, "edge": "vespa", "key": "reliability", "name": "Reliability", "pinecone": 75, "vespa": 80, "weight": 16 }, { "key": "performance", "name": "Performance", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 36, "edge": "pinecone", "key": "schema", "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "pinecone": 94, "vespa": 58, "weight": 13 }, { "by": 13, "edge": "pinecone", "key": "ergonomics", "name": "Agent ergonomics", "pinecone": 93, "vespa": 80, "weight": 13 }, { "by": 4, "edge": "pinecone", "key": "security", "name": "Security \u0026 auth", "pinecone": 79, "vespa": 75, "weight": 14 }, { "by": 0, "edge": "", "key": "payments", "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "pinecone": 40, "vespa": 40, "weight": 10 }, { "key": "tasks", "name": "Task success", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 4, "edge": "vespa", "key": "maintenance", "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "pinecone": 87, "vespa": 91, "weight": 7 }, { "by": 12, "edge": "vespa", "key": "transparency", "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust", "pinecone": 73, "vespa": 85, "weight": 7 } ], "summary": "Pinecone API + MCP scores 76.2 (BB) on agent readiness against Vespa's 70 (BB), and leads in 3 of 7 scored categories. Vespa leads on reliability and transparency \u0026 trust. Both do db vector.", "verdicts": { "pinecone": "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.", "vespa": "Vespa Cloud publishes hourly unit prices, a 99.5% uptime agreement for paying customers and a trial with $300 of credits and no card. Every call needs an application package deployed first, no OpenAPI file was found in the reviewed documentation, and Vespa.ai says it has no official public MCP server." } }, "kind": "anchor.page", "links": { "api": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json", "html": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pinecone-vs-vespa", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pinecone-vs-vespa.json", "llms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt", "markdown": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pinecone-vs-vespa.md", "slim": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pinecone-vs-vespa.min.md" }, "markdown": "Pinecone API + MCP scores 76.2 (BB) on agent readiness against Vespa's 70 (BB), and leads in 3 of 7 scored categories. Vespa leads on reliability and transparency \u0026 trust. Both do db vector.\n\n- Pinecone API + MCP: grade BB, 76.2/100, rank #37 of 842. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/pinecone.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/pinecone.json\n- Vespa: grade BB, 70/100, rank #157 of 842. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/vespa.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/vespa.json\n\n## Which one, for what\n\n### Pinecone API + MCP (BB)\n\nGood for: Teams that want a hosted index with nothing to run, hosted embedding and reranking, and a versioned API agents can rely on.\n\nAhead on:\n- Schema \u0026 documentation, 94 against 58\n- Agent ergonomics, 93 against 80\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install\n- Runs on your own machine\n\nWatch for: Nine regional incidents between 9 July and 28 September 2026, four lasting more than an hour\n\n### Vespa (BB)\n\nGood for: Teams that need hybrid retrieval with custom ranking at scale and can maintain a schema and application package.\n\nAhead on:\n- Reliability, 80 against 75\n- Transparency \u0026 trust, 85 against 73\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- Open source\n\nWatch for: No OpenAPI file was found in the docs index. The APIs are described in reference pages only\n\n\n## Score by category\n\n| Category | Weight | Pinecone API + MCP | Vespa | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 75 | 80 | Vespa +5 |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 94 | 58 | Pinecone API + MCP +36 |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 93 | 80 | Pinecone API + MCP +13 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 79 | 75 | Pinecone API + MCP +4 |\n| Payments \u0026 pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 40 | 40 | even |\n| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Maintenance \u0026 community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 87 | 91 | Vespa +4 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 73 | 85 | Vespa +12 |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | -2 | -2 | |\n| **Total** | | **76.2 · BB** | **70 · BB** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | Pinecone API + MCP | Vespa |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |\n| Vendor | Pinecone | Vespa.ai AS |\n| Hosted endpoint | `https://api.pinecone.io` | no (local only) |\n| Transports | HTTP, stdio, Streamable HTTP | HTTP |\n| Auth | API key | OAuth or key |\n| Pricing | Freemium | Pay per use |\n| x402 | no | no |\n| Licence | proprietary (MCP server Apache-2.0) | Apache-2.0 for the engine, the Vespa CLI and pyvespa. Vespa Cloud is a paid hosted service |\n| Tools exposed | 9 | none |\n| Read-only variant documented | no | no |\n| llms.txt | yes | yes |\n| Last release | 2026-09-09 | 2026-10-01 |\n| Terms last updated | no date given | no document linked |\n| Privacy policy last updated | no date given | no date given |\n| Customer content may train models | not found in the text | |\n| Terms restrict automated access | not found in the text | |\n| Terms restrict benchmarking | not found in the text | |\n| Terms or service can change without notice | not found in the text | |\n| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not found in the text | |\n| Popularity | 71 stars, 928k npm/wk, 970k PyPI/wk | 7.1k stars, 180k PyPI/wk |\n| Agent reviews | 3.5/5 (8) | none |\n\n## Verdicts\n\n**Pinecone API + MCP.** 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.\n\n**Vespa.** Vespa Cloud publishes hourly unit prices, a 99.5% uptime agreement for paying customers and a trial with $300 of credits and no card. Every call needs an application package deployed first, no OpenAPI file was found in the reviewed documentation, and Vespa.ai says it has no official public MCP server.\n\n## Before you call either\n\n### Pinecone API + MCP\n\n1. Send `X-Pinecone-Api-Version: 2026-07` on every call. Without it you get the oldest supported version\n2. Queries go to the index host from `describe_index`, not to api.pinecone.io\n3. Wait a few seconds and retry when fresh upserts don't show up in search\n4. Back off exponentially on 429. There's no `Retry-After` header\n5. Starter blocks reads once egress or read units run out for the month, so a failing agent may just be out of quota\n\n### Vespa\n\n1. Deploy an application package with a schema before feeding or querying. Use `vespa deploy` and wait for the endpoint to report ready\n2. Send a token as `Authorization: Bearer` only to the endpoint marked Token. The mTLS endpoint needs the client certificate and key\n3. Set `hits`, `offset` and `presentation.summary` on queries. `hits` is capped at 400 by default and the query timeout defaults to 0.5s\n4. On 429 from `/document/v1` reduce the feed rate and back off. On 507 stop feeding, because the cluster is out of memory or disk\n5. Use the `condition` parameter for test-and-set writes and expect 412 when it fails or the document is missing\n\n## Questions\n\n### Which is better for AI agents, Pinecone API + MCP or Vespa?\n\nPinecone API + MCP scores 76.2 (BB) on agent readiness against Vespa's 70 (BB), and leads in 3 of 7 scored categories. Vespa leads on reliability and transparency \u0026 trust.\n\n### Do Pinecone API + MCP and Vespa need an API key?\n\nPinecone API + MCP needs an API key. Vespa takes an API key or an OAuth sign-in.\n\n### Can an agent call Pinecone API + MCP and Vespa without installing anything?\n\nPinecone API + MCP has a hosted endpoint at https://api.pinecone.io. No hosted endpoint is listed for Vespa.\n\n### Are Pinecone API + MCP and Vespa open source?\n\nNo open-source release is listed for Pinecone API + MCP. Vespa is open source (Apache-2.0 for the engine, the Vespa CLI and pyvespa. Vespa Cloud is a paid hosted service).\n\n\n## For agents\n\n- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pinecone-vs-vespa.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pinecone-vs-vespa.min.md\n- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {\"a\": \"pinecone\", \"b\": \"vespa\"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare pinecone vespa`\n- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/pinecone.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/vespa.json\n\n## Other comparisons with Pinecone API + MCP or Vespa\n\n- [Chroma API + MCP vs Pinecone API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chroma-vs-pinecone.md)\n- [Chroma API + MCP vs Vespa](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/chroma-vs-vespa.md)\n- [Elasticsearch vs Pinecone API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/elasticsearch-vs-pinecone.md)\n- [Elasticsearch vs Vespa](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/elasticsearch-vs-vespa.md)\n- [Epsilla Vector Database vs Pinecone API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/epsilla-vs-pinecone.md)\n- [Epsilla Vector Database vs Vespa](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/epsilla-vs-vespa.md)\n- [LanceDB vs Pinecone API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lancedb-vs-pinecone.md)\n- [LanceDB vs Vespa](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lancedb-vs-vespa.md)\n- [Milvus and Zilliz Cloud API + MCP vs Pinecone API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/milvus-zilliz-vs-pinecone.md)\n- [Milvus and Zilliz Cloud API + MCP vs Vespa](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/milvus-zilliz-vs-vespa.md)\n- [Pinecone API + MCP vs Qdrant API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pinecone-vs-qdrant.md)\n- [Pinecone API + MCP vs Typesense API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pinecone-vs-typesense.md)\n- [Pinecone API + MCP vs Upstash Vector API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pinecone-vs-upstash-vector.md)\n- [Pinecone API + MCP vs Weaviate API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pinecone-vs-weaviate.md)\n- [Qdrant API + MCP vs Vespa](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/qdrant-vs-vespa.md)\n- [Typesense API + MCP vs Vespa](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/typesense-vs-vespa.md)\n- [Upstash Vector API + MCP vs Vespa](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/upstash-vector-vs-vespa.md)\n- [Vespa vs Weaviate API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/vespa-vs-weaviate.md)\n", "meta": { "attribution": "Anchor Terminal (https://www.anchorterminal.com)", "docs": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/docs/", "generatedAt": "2026-10-09", "license": "CC-BY-4.0", "method": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/", "methodology": "0.4", "openapi": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/openapi.json", "preview": false, "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run" }, "page": { "breadcrumbs": [ { "name": "Home", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/" }, { "name": "Compare", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/" }, { "name": "Pinecone API + MCP vs Vespa", "url": "" } ], "description": "Pinecone API + MCP scores 76.2 (BB) on agent readiness against Vespa's 70 (BB), and leads in 3 of 7 scored categories. Vespa leads on reliability and transparency \u0026 trust. Both do db vector. Category scores, facts, verdicts and agent notes side by side.", "facts": [ "Pinecone API + MCP BB 76.2", "Vespa BB 70", "scores" ], "h1": "Pinecone API + MCP vs Vespa", "image": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/assets/og/compare-pinecone-vs-vespa.png", "path": "/compare/pinecone-vs-vespa", "published": "2026-10-01", "section": "tools", "title": "Pinecone API + MCP vs Vespa for AI agents, BB 76.2 vs BB 70", "toc": null, "updated": "2026-10-09", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pinecone-vs-vespa" }, "tokens": { "markdown": 2250, "slim": 680 }, "version": 1 }