What should I use if I already have PostgreSQL and want semantic search?

If you already have PostgreSQL, the simplest strong choice is pgvector.

Why pgvector

• Adds vector embeddings support directly inside PostgreSQL
• Lets you do semantic similarity search with SQL
• Avoids running a separate vector database
• Easy to combine with your existing relational data, filters, and transactions

When it’s a good fit

• You want one database for app data + embeddings
• Your scale is moderate to fairly large
• You want to add semantic search quickly without much operational overhead

Basic alternatives

• Postgres full-text search: good for keyword search, not true semantic search
• Dedicated vector DBs like Pinecone, Weaviate, Milvus, Qdrant: better if you need very large-scale vector search or specialized features
• Elastic/OpenSearch: useful if you also need classic search plus some vector capabilities

Recommendation

If you already use PostgreSQL, start with pgvector unless you already know you need a separate search system.

If you want, I can also show:

1. a simple pgvector setup, or
2. how to compare pgvector vs Qdrant/Pinecone for your use case.