Pinecone
pinecone.io
Managed vector database for AI applications.
Quick Information
- Category:
- MLOps & Infrastructure
- Pricing:
- Freemium
- Platforms:
- Cloud, API
- Free Plan:
- Yes
- API Available:
- Yes
- Last Verified:
- October 2026
What Is Pinecone?
Pinecone is a managed vector database for AI applications such as search and retrieval-augmented generation. Its pricing has a free tier and paid plans with monthly minimums, but third-party sources disagree on details and I did not reach Pinecone's own pricing page. The free Starter plan is described with 5 indexes, 100 namespaces, 2 GB of storage, 2 million write units and 1 million read units per month, limited to AWS us-east-1 according to one source. Paid plans act as minimums with usage billed above them: one source lists Builder at $20 a month flat, Standard at a $50 minimum and Enterprise at a $500 minimum, and on Standard and Enterprise you pay whichever is higher, the minimum or your usage.
Usage meters are storage at about $0.33 per GB-month in most sources, Standard read units at roughly $16 to $18 per million and write units at $4 to $4.50 per million, and Enterprise at roughly $24 to $27 per million reads and $6 to $6.75 per million writes. One less reliable source lists $8.25 per million read units, so be cautious. Egress is reported at $0.10 per GB with 100 GB included on paid tiers by one source, and 1 GB included on Starter by another. A cost article compares Pinecone against pgvector, which can be cheaper for small workloads, and the right choice depends on query volume since read units drive the bill.
Pinecone suits teams that want a fully managed vector store without running infrastructure. Compare Weaviate, Qdrant and Zilliz. Browse the MLOps & Infrastructure tools directory for more.
What Can You Use Pinecone For?
RAG and semantic search
Managed vectors.
Recommendation retrieval
Low-latency queries.
Pinecone Features
- Read and write units — Usage meters.
- Monthly minimums — Paid tiers.
- Free Starter plan — Capped.
Who Is Pinecone For?
- AI app developers — Fully managed.
- Enterprises — Scale and support.
Pinecone Pros & Limitations
What We Like
- No infrastructure to run
- Free tier to start
- Mature ecosystem
Limitations
- Read unit costs add up
- Paid prices vary by source
- Closed-source service
Pinecone Pricing
| Plan | Price | Main Features |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | Free | 5 indexes, 2 GB, 2M write and 1M read units per month; AWS us-east-1 |
| Builder | $20/month (one source) | Flat |
| Standard | $50/month minimum plus usage | Reads about $16-$18 per million; writes $4-$4.50 per million |
| Enterprise | $500/month minimum plus usage | Reads about $24-$27 per million; writes $6-$6.75 per million |
| Storage | About $0.33/GB-month | Egress $0.10/GB per one source |
Pricing was last verified October 2026. Check the official website for the latest pricing.
AI Listing Jungle Ranking
- Global Rank:
- #798
- Overall Score:
- 52.8/100
- Monthly Users:
- –
- Rank Change:
- ▲ 784
This ranking reflects AI Listing Jungle's own independent scoring methodology and is not an endorsement by Pinecone or its company. How Our Rankings Work
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a free plan?
Yes, Starter.
Standard minimum?
About $50 a month.
Enterprise minimum?
About $500 a month.
Storage price?
About $0.33 per GB-month.
Our Take
The easiest managed vector database.
Watch read-unit spend.
Pinecone Alternatives
Pinecone Comparisons
Ready to try Pinecone?
Visit the official website to get started.
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