FAISS alternative. Production vector search without building your own infrastructure.

Using FAISS? LanceDB gives you the same fast algorithms with built-in persistence, indexing, full-text search, and query capabilities (no custom wrapper required).

Why teams switch

Compute-storage separation

Complete database on object storage. No DIY persistence layer. Up to 100x savings at scale.

One table, not six systems

Raw data, embeddings, and features together. No custom serialization, no external metadata store.

Schema evolution without rebuilds

New embedding model? Add a column. No index rebuild, no custom migration code.

Full-text + hybrid search, native

Vector, full-text, and SQL queries in one system. FAISS is vector-only.

Comparison

	FAISS	LanceDB
Cost	Library - you build the persistence and scaling layer.	Complete database with object storage. Up to 100x savings at scale.
Scale	You manage infrastructure and scaling.	20 PB largest table. 20K+ QPS. Billions of vectors.
Search	Vector similarity only.	Native vector, full-text, and SQL hybrid search in one query.
Data model	Index library — no built-in data management.	Schema evolution - raw data, embeddings, and features in one table.
Production	Build your own query, persistence, and serving layer.	Embedded to cloud-scale with built-in serving.
Best for	Research, benchmarks, custom infra teams.	Production vector search without DIY infrastructure.

The Power of the Lance Format

Vector Search

Fast scans and random access from the same table — no tradeoff
Zero-copy access for high throughput without serialization overhead

Multi-Modal

Raw data, embeddings, and metadata in one table — not pointers to blob storage
No separate metadata store to keep in sync

Enterprise-Grade Requirements

Security

Granular RBAC, SSO integration, and VPC deployment options.

Governance

Data versioning and time-travel capabilities for auditability.

Support

Dedicated technical account management and guaranteed SLAs.