Two tools. Two different jobs. Here is how to know which one you need.
A vector database is like a search engine for your documents. Great for questions like:
"Find me emails about the Henderson project."
It finds the documents most relevant to your question. Fast, simple, and good at what it does.
A knowledge graph is like a map of your entire business. Built for questions like:
"Who do we know at Henderson's company, and when did we last interact with them?"
It follows the thread - person to company to contacts to recent activity. It understands connections, not just keywords.
Both are useful. The right answer depends on the question you are asking.
| Feature | Vector Database | Knowledge Graph |
|---|---|---|
| What it stores | Text converted to numbers | People, companies, and how they connect |
| Best for | Finding similar documents | Understanding how things relate |
| "Find emails about this project" | Yes | No |
| "Who introduced us to this client?" | No | Yes |
| Knows when things happened | No | Yes (with Graphory) |
| Follows chains of connections | No | Yes |
| Works with AI assistants | Yes (document retrieval) | Yes (relationship context) |
Gmail, QuickBooks, Slack, your CRM - none of them talk to each other. A knowledge graph connects the people and companies across all of them. A vector database only searches one document at a time.
"Who introduced us to that vendor?" "Which clients has Sarah worked with?" These need connected data, not search results.
"When did we last talk to Acme Corp?" "What changed on the Henderson deal this quarter?" A knowledge graph remembers when everything happened. Vector search does not.
Where did this information come from? When was it recorded? A knowledge graph tracks the source of every fact. Vector search gives you a document - you figure out the rest.
If you just need to find the right document - the right PDF, the right support ticket, the right knowledge base article - a vector database is the simpler choice.
If your questions are "which documents are relevant?" rather than "how is this all connected?" - vectors are simpler and cheaper.
Not every problem needs a graph. Use the right tool for the job.
Graphory connects your tools - Gmail, QuickBooks, Slack, your CRM - and maps every person, company, and conversation into a living network.
Need to find a document? Search works. Need to understand how your business fits together? The graph handles that.
Connect once. Get both.
Free to start. No credit card.