Open alternatives to closed embedding APIs
Teams look for an open embedding model when they want to run retrieval on-device, avoid a metered API, or keep text inside their own hardware. This hub is editorial: “closed embedding APIs” is a category of products, not a single SKU.
- EmbeddingGemma 2 — Google DeepMind open multimodal embedding model (~0.74B, Apache-2.0).
- BGE-M3 — BAAI multilingual multi-function embedding model (MIT).
How we pick
- Official Hugging Face card we could open.
- License string copied from that card (dated).
- No benchmark numbers unless a public source is cited on the model page.
Comparison
| Name | License | Developer | Type / modalities | Parameters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EmbeddingGemma 2 | Apache-2.0 | Google DeepMind | text, code, image, video, audio | ~0.74B |
| BGE-M3 | MIT | BAAI | text | Not yet verified |
Listed models
- EmbeddingGemma 2 — Google DeepMind, about 0.74B parameters, Apache-2.0, released 2026-09-14 on Hugging Face (1,889 likes as of 2026-10-13).
- BGE-M3 — BAAI, MIT, listed 2024-01-27, 3,866 likes as of 2026-10-13.
See EmbeddingGemma 2 vs BGE-M3 for a comparison that stays inside those facts. DigUp, a Mac on-device semantic file search app built on EmbeddingGemma 2, is noted on the EmbeddingGemma 2 page (1,712 GitHub stars, MIT, Swift, created 2026-10-08) and is not a separate seed URL.
Listed options
EmbeddingGemma 2
Google DeepMind open multimodal embedding model (~0.74B, Apache-2.0).
BGE-M3
BAAI multilingual multi-function embedding model (MIT).
FAQ
Can these replace OpenAI embeddings?
They are open models in the same job family (vector embeddings). We have not run a side-by-side quality evaluation. Check the model cards and your own eval set.
Which one is multimodal?
EmbeddingGemma 2 is described on its Hugging Face card as a multimodal embedding model covering text, code, image, video, and audio (verified 2026-10-13). BGE-M3 is described as a multilingual multi-function embedding model.
Are they free for commercial use?
EmbeddingGemma 2 is listed as Apache-2.0 and BGE-M3 as MIT on Hugging Face as of 2026-10-13. That is not legal advice; read each LICENSE.
Related comparisons
Guides
Other alternative lists in this category
Sources & verification
License notes are not legal advice. Read the original LICENSE. Trademark & disclaimer.