AI / MLMarch 18, 20265 min read

Choosing Between RAG and GraphRAG in Production

Practical guidance on when classic RAG is enough and when GraphRAG's knowledge graph approach adds value.

Decision framework

RAG retrieves relevant documents for LLMs. GraphRAG is advanced RAG using knowledge graphs. The choice depends on query type, not hype.

retrieval_decision.txtGuide

Use RAG when:
  - Point lookups (hotel details, FAQ, policy)
  - Fast response time required
  - Document chunks are self-contained

Use GraphRAG when:
  - Global summaries across large corpora
  - Entity relationships matter
  - Cross-document synthesis required

For a booking platform, RAG and hybrid search handle most queries. GraphRAG adds value when users ask broad questions like "what are the best neighborhoods for food lovers in Tokyo" where relationships between places, cuisines, and districts matter.