OpenAI text-embedding-3-small vs BGE, E5, Voyage, Cohere, and Qwen3 Embedding for retrieval
In 2026, the main differentiators are not just benchmark averages but retrieval quality, multilingual coverage, dimensionality, and operational constraints — OpenAI text-embedding-3-small is the cost-effective default, Voyage is positioned for top retrieval accuracy, and BGE-M3 is the common self-hosted multilingual pick, but model choice is sticky because re-embedding an existing corpus is expensive.