What is Weaviate?
Weaviate is an open-source vector database for building AI search, retrieval-augmented generation and recommendation applications. It was founded in 2019 (originally as SeMI Technologies) by Bob van Luijt, Etienne Dilocker and Micha Verhagen, and is headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The core database is open source; Weaviate Cloud is a separate managed service with a free tier and usage-based paid plans.
Read the full overview
Sources checked 27 September 2026: official website, documentation, GitHub repository, pricing page.
WeaviateDatabasesOpen-source, AI-native vector database
Key capabilities
- Vector + hybrid search: Combines vector similarity with keyword search.
- Client SDKs & APIs: Python, Go, TypeScript/JavaScript clients plus GraphQL and REST.
- Deployment choice: Docker, Kubernetes or embedded self-hosting, or managed Weaviate Cloud.
Check which embedding models and integrations you need, and compare self-hosted cluster costs against Weaviate Cloud's per-dimension pricing (roughly $45-$400+/month) before committing.
“Open-source, AI-native vector database”
Technical details
- Access
- Self-hosted
- Source model
- Open source
- Founded
- 2019
- Pricing model
- Freemium
- API
- Not specified
- Website
- weaviate.io ↗
- GitHub
- Source repository ↗
What to verify
Start from the users, systems and operating responsibilities the tool needs to support.
- Confirm current features, licensing and support terms.
- Validate deployment, data location and access control.
- Test integrations, exports and recovery workflows.
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