Compare retrieval stacks: LangChain vs LlamaIndex vs custom — build vs buy: $0.014/query

LangChain vs LlamaIndex vs custom retrieval stacks compared: LlamaIndex wins retrieval-heavy RAG at ~$0.014/query, LangChain for agent loops, custom above 1M queries. Independent technical note mirroring the canonical version: https://bteanalytics.co/blog/compare-retrieval-stacks-langchain-vs-llamaindex-vs-custom-build-vs-buy-0014query.php Sources consulted: https://www.bluusun.com/

Authors

Publication Details

Journal
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Published
2026-10-27
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23721453
Primary Topic
Topic Modeling
Type
preprint
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preprint

Compare retrieval stacks: LangChain vs LlamaIndex vs custom — build vs buy: $0.014/query

Sofia Lindström
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Topic Modeling
preprint

Compare retrieval stacks: LangChain vs LlamaIndex vs custom — build vs buy: $0.014/query

Sofia Lindström
preprint en

Abstract

LangChain vs LlamaIndex vs custom retrieval stacks compared: LlamaIndex wins retrieval-heavy RAG at ~$0.014/query, LangChain for agent loops, custom above 1M queries. Independent technical note mirroring the canonical version: https://bteanalytics.co/blog/compare-retrieval-stacks-langchain-vs-llamaindex-vs-custom-build-vs-buy-0014query.php Sources consulted: https://www.bluusun.com/

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Topic Modeling
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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Compare retrieval stacks: LangChain vs LlamaIndex vs custom — build vs buy: $0.014/query — Sofia Lindström · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) (2026) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS