--- title: "paradedb vs pgvector" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/paradedb-paradedb-vs-pgvector-pgvector" tools: ["paradedb-paradedb", "pgvector-pgvector"] --- # paradedb vs pgvector *GraphCanon updated Sep 20, 2026* ## Verdict Pick paradedb if paradeDB is a PostgreSQL extension written in Rust, designed for full-text search, vector retrieval, and aggregations, making it a comprehensive solution for hybrid search and analytics; pick pgvector if pgvector is an extension for PostgreSQL that enables efficient vector similarity search using various distance metrics, including L2, inner product, cosine distance, and L1 distance. [paradedb](https://paradedb.com) reports 9.3k GitHub stars, 457 forks, and 213 open issues, last pushed Sep 18, 2026. [pgvector](https://github.com/pgvector/pgvector) has 23k stars, 1.3k forks, and 16 open issues, last pushed Sep 10, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [paradedb's repository](https://github.com/paradedb/paradedb) and [pgvector's repository](https://github.com/pgvector/pgvector). | | [paradedb](/tools/paradedb-paradedb.md) | [pgvector](/tools/pgvector-pgvector.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | One Postgres for application data, full-text search, vector retrieval, and aggregations | Open-source vector similarity search for Postgres | | Stars | 9,278 | 23,049 | | Forks | 457 | 1,325 | | Open issues | 213 | 16 | | Language | Rust | C | | Adopt for | ParadeDB is a PostgreSQL extension written in Rust, designed for full-text search, vector retrieval, and aggregations, making it a comprehensive solution for hybrid search and analytics. | pgvector is an extension for PostgreSQL that enables efficient vector similarity search using various distance metrics, including L2, inner product, cosine distance, and L1 distance. | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | ParadeDB Community is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0, while ParadeDB Enterprise offers commercial licensing options. | Other | | Categories | Data & Retrieval, Vector Databases | Vector Databases | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [paradedb](/tools/paradedb-paradedb.md) | [pgvector](/tools/pgvector-pgvector.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance | Very active (96%) | Active (82%) | | Days since push | 0d | 7d | | Open issues (now) | 213 | 16 | | Stars delta | +161 (30d) | +674 (30d) | | Open issues delta | +8 (30d) | +2 (30d) | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/paradedb-paradedb/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/pgvector-pgvector/trust.md) | ## Decision facts: paradedb - **Pricing:** freemium - ParadeDB Community is free and open-source under the AGPL-3.0 license. ParadeDB Enterprise offers commercial licensing for additional features and support. - **Requirements:** Min 2 GB RAM; Requires Docker; Installation can be done locally in a fresh Docker container.; For deployment, check out the hosting options provided by ParadeDB. - **Adopt for:** ParadeDB is a PostgreSQL extension written in Rust, designed for full-text search, vector retrieval, and aggregations, making it a comprehensive solution for hybrid search and analytics. - **License detail:** ParadeDB Community is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0, while ParadeDB Enterprise offers commercial licensing options. ## Decision facts: pgvector - **Adopt for:** pgvector is an extension for PostgreSQL that enables efficient vector similarity search using various distance metrics, including L2, inner product, cosine distance, and L1 distance. ## Choose when ### Choose paradedb if… - paradedb is primarily Rust; pgvector is C. - License: paradedb is AGPL-3.0, pgvector is Other. - Pricing: ParadeDB Community is free and open-source under the AGPL-3.0 license. ParadeDB Enterprise offers commercial licensing for additional features and support.. - Requirements: Min 2 GB RAM; Requires Docker; Installation can be done locally in a fresh Docker container.; For deployment, check out the hosting options provided by ParadeDB.. - Tags unique to paradedb: aggregations, analytics, bm25, columnar-storage. - Also covers Data & Retrieval. - When you need a PostgreSQL extension that supports full-text search, vector retrieval, and aggregations in a single database. ### Choose pgvector if… - pgvector is primarily C; paradedb is Rust. - License: pgvector is Other, paradedb is AGPL-3.0. - Tags unique to pgvector: approximate-nearest-neighbor-search, c-language, docker-support, l2-distance. - pgvector ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment. - When you need to perform vector similarity searches within a PostgreSQL database and require support for multiple distance metrics. ## When NOT to use paradedb - If your project strictly requires a standalone vector database without the need for full-text search or aggregations. - When you prefer a solution that does not come with the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0, as this might not align with your licensing requirements. - If your application does not require real-time analytics or hybrid search capabilities, and you are looking for a simpler solution. - For scenarios where you need a distributed search solution that operates independently of PostgreSQL. ## When NOT to use pgvector - If your application does not require the full feature set of PostgreSQL and you are looking for a lightweight solution specifically designed for vector similarity searches. - When you need real-time, low-latency vector similarity searches that might be better served by specialized vector databases or in-memory solutions. - If you are working in an environment where PostgreSQL is not supported or where you need to integrate with a different database system. - When you require a solution that supports more advanced indexing techniques or approximate nearest neighbor search algorithms that are not natively supported by pgvector. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between paradedb and pgvector? paradedb: One Postgres for application data, full-text search, vector retrieval, and aggregations. pgvector: Open-source vector similarity search for Postgres. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose paradedb over pgvector? Choose paradedb over pgvector when paradedb is primarily Rust; pgvector is C; License: paradedb is AGPL-3.0, pgvector is Other; Pricing: ParadeDB Community is free and open-source under the AGPL-3.0 license. ParadeDB Enterprise offers commercial licensing for additional features and support.; Requirements: Min 2 GB RAM; Requires Docker; Installation can be done locally in a fresh Docker container.; For deployment, check out the hosting options provided by ParadeDB.; Tags unique to paradedb: aggregations, analytics, bm25, columnar-storage; Also covers Data & Retrieval; When you need a PostgreSQL extension that supports full-text search, vector retrieval, and aggregations in a single database. ### When should I choose pgvector over paradedb? Choose pgvector over paradedb when pgvector is primarily C; paradedb is Rust; License: pgvector is Other, paradedb is AGPL-3.0; Tags unique to pgvector: approximate-nearest-neighbor-search, c-language, docker-support, l2-distance; pgvector ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment; When you need to perform vector similarity searches within a PostgreSQL database and require support for multiple distance metrics. ### When should I avoid paradedb? If your project strictly requires a standalone vector database without the need for full-text search or aggregations. When you prefer a solution that does not come with the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0, as this might not align with your licensing requirements. If your application does not require real-time analytics or hybrid search capabilities, and you are looking for a simpler solution. For scenarios where you need a distributed search solution that operates independently of PostgreSQL. ### When should I avoid pgvector? If your application does not require the full feature set of PostgreSQL and you are looking for a lightweight solution specifically designed for vector similarity searches. When you need real-time, low-latency vector similarity searches that might be better served by specialized vector databases or in-memory solutions. If you are working in an environment where PostgreSQL is not supported or where you need to integrate with a different database system. When you require a solution that supports more advanced indexing techniques or approximate nearest neighbor search algorithms that are not natively supported by pgvector. ### Is paradedb or pgvector more popular on GitHub? pgvector has more GitHub stars (23,049 vs 9,278). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are paradedb and pgvector open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (paradedb: AGPL-3.0, pgvector: Other). ### Where can I find alternatives to paradedb or pgvector? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [paradedb alternatives](/tools/paradedb-paradedb/alternatives) and [pgvector alternatives](/tools/pgvector-pgvector/alternatives) ([paradedb markdown twin](/tools/paradedb-paradedb/alternatives.md), [pgvector markdown twin](/tools/pgvector-pgvector/alternatives.md)), ranked by typed relationship edges rather than popularity votes. ### Is there a machine-readable version of this comparison? Yes. The markdown twin at [this comparison](/compare/paradedb-paradedb-vs-pgvector-pgvector.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, paradedb or pgvector? paradedb: Very active. pgvector: Active. Compare maintenance labels, days since push, and release cadence in the trust section below - stars alone do not measure maintenance. ### Where are the full trust reports for paradedb and pgvector? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [paradedb trust report](/tools/paradedb-paradedb/trust); [pgvector trust report](/tools/pgvector-pgvector/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=paradedb-paradedb`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=paradedb-paradedb) - LLM index: [/llms.txt](/llms.txt) - Full corpus: [/llms-full.txt](/llms-full.txt) _GraphCanon - The knowledge graph for AI development. https://www.graphcanon.com/_