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ParadeDB vs Alopex DB
ParadeDB (pg_search), the PostgreSQL search extension: BM25 full-text search, vector search, and aggregations. Also explains how it differs from Alopex DB.
Updated: Oct 12, 2026
What ParadeDB is
ParadeDB is a PostgreSQL extension (pg_search) that adds a custom index for full-text and vector search. BM25 scoring, filters, facets, aggregations, and joins run with standard SQL and ACID transactions.
How it works
- Index: one wide index serves lexical search, vector retrieval, ranking, filtering, and aggregations. The index is updated with your writes.
- Implementation: Tantivy powers full-text and vector search, and Apache DataFusion handles analytical processing. pgrx bridges PostgreSQL and Rust.
- Runtime: it runs inside standard PostgreSQL, with no fork or sidecar process.
Main features
BM25 full-text search, highlighting, tokenizers, vector search, hybrid search, aggregates and facets, and columnar indexing are available through SQL.
Limits
- Only one ParadeDB index can exist per table.
- Vector search is a beta feature from 0.25.0.
- ParadeDB Community is AGPL-3.0 and runs on a single node. High availability and read replicas are features of the commercially licensed Enterprise edition.
How it differs from Alopex DB
Both give full-text and vector search inside SQL.
Alopex DB is an embedded database with full-text and vector search in the core. Data lives in a single .alopex file, and the source code is published under Apache-2.0.
Alopex DB combines full-text and vector search in SQL. Why not give it a try too? Get hands-on with the quickstart.