Chroma

Chroma is the vector database that just wants you to get started. Two lines of code, embeddings stored, similarity search working. No infrastructure, no config files, no PhD required. It's the SQLite of vector databases — embedded by default, scales up when you need it.

For prototyping RAG apps, semantic search, or AI features, Chroma gets you from zero to working demo faster than anything else. Qdrant is more performant at scale and has richer filtering. Pinecone is fully managed but proprietary. pgvector keeps everything in Postgres but lacks Chroma's developer experience.

Best for indie hackers building AI-powered features who need to move fast. The Python and JS SDKs are excellent. Integrations with LangChain, LlamaIndex, and every AI framework exist.

The catch: Chroma's simplicity is also its ceiling. At serious scale (millions of vectors, high QPS), you'll outgrow it and need Qdrant or Milvus. The hosted offering (Chroma Cloud) is still early. And the recent Rust rewrite, while faster, means the internals are still stabilizing.