Vecstore vs Pinecone

Pinecone stores vectors. Vecstore gives you search.

With Pinecone you bring the embeddings, the database and the glue. With Vecstore you bring your data.

Sign up for Vecstore

100 free credits on sign up. No card required.

What you skip

5 things you don't have to build with Vecstore

1/ The embedding pipeline

Send plain text or an image. Vecstore turns it into vectors. No embedding API, no model to pick or upgrade.

Pinecone: 3 calls

// 1. Generate embedding
const embedding = await openai.embeddings
  .create({
    model: 'text-embedding-3-small',
    input: query
  });

// 2. Query Pinecone
const results = await index.query({
  vector: embedding.data[0].embedding,
  topK: 10
});

// 3. Fetch actual records
const ids = results.matches.map(m => m.id);
const records = await db.query(
  'SELECT * FROM items WHERE id = ANY($1)',
  [ids]
);

Vecstore: 1 call

const results = await fetch(
  `https://api.vecstore.app/databases/${dbId}/search`,
  {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: {
      'X-API-Key': apiKey,
      'Content-Type': 'application/json'
    },
    body: JSON.stringify({ query })
  }
);

2/ A second database

Pinecone returns IDs. Vecstore returns the full records, so there's nothing to look up after.

Pinecone: id, score

Vecstore: id, score, content, metadata

3/ A sync job

No keeping vectors and records in step. Your data lives in one place.

queue worker retries

4/ An image model

Reverse image, text to image, face and OCR search work without running models yourself.

5/ A moderation service

NSFW detection across 52 categories, same API key.

NSFW detection →
Side by side

Compare Vecstore vs Pinecone

Feature Vecstore Pinecone
What it is Search API Vector index
Embeddings Built in Bring your own
Stores your records Separate database
Image search
Text search Semantic + hybrid Vector similarity
Languages 100+ in one index Depends on your model
NSFW detection
Data sync Not needed Your job
Search returns Full records IDs + limited metadata
Bring your own model
Starting price $11/mo $50/mo
Being honest

Pinecone is a solid vector index. It's just a different job.

Pick Pinecone for

  • ✓ Your own embedding models and fine tuning
  • ✓ RAG where you control chunking and scoring
  • ✓ Research and trying out new retrieval ideas

Pick Vecstore for

  • ✓ Search your users type into
  • ✓ Image, face and OCR search without models
  • ✓ Shipping without an ML team

Common questions

Is Vecstore a vector database?

No. It is a search API. You send data in and search it. Embeddings, indexing and retrieval happen inside. You never handle vectors.

Can I bring my own embedding model?

Not right now. If you need control over the model, Pinecone or an open source vector database is the better fit.

What about lock-in?

Both are managed services. With Vecstore your data and search live in one place, so moving away means swapping one API. With Pinecone you also have a database and a pipeline to rework.

Can I use both?

Yes. Pinecone for your LLM retrieval where you want full control, Vecstore for the search your users see.

How does pricing compare?

Pinecone Standard starts at $50 a month, plus your embedding API and database. Vecstore starts at $11 a month for 5,000 credits, with 100 free credits to try it.

Stop building search plumbing. Start searching.

85M+ searches powered by Vecstore this year

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