Hybrid search combines keyword matching (BM25-style) with semantic vector search in one retrieval pass, blending their scores. Keywords nail exact identifiers,
Combining keyword matching (BM25-style) with semantic vector search in one retrieval pass and blending their scores. Keywords nail exact identifiers, codes, and rare names; vectors capture meaning and paraphrase, and together they outperform either alone on most corpora.
On most enterprise corpora, yes. In 2026 hybrid retrieval plus a reranker is the default production recipe; a pure-vector pipeline is often a sign a system has not been evaluated seriously against real queries.