--- title: "OpenMemory vs cognee" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/caviraoss-openmemory-vs-topoteretes-cognee" tools: ["caviraoss-openmemory", "topoteretes-cognee"] --- # OpenMemory vs cognee *GraphCanon updated Aug 21, 2026* ## Verdict Pick OpenMemory if openMemory offers local storage tailored for AI agents like Claude Desktop and GitHub Copilot; pick cognee if when evaluating Cognee, consider its self-hosted persistence capability and the extensive support it offers through multiple programming languages (Python, Rust, TypeScript). It uses vector databases to provide efficient. [OpenMemory](https://openmemory.cavira.app) reports 4.5k GitHub stars, 501 forks, and 18 open issues, last pushed Aug 20, 2026. [cognee](https://www.cognee.ai) has 30k stars, 2.9k forks, and 359 open issues, last pushed Aug 19, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [OpenMemory's repository](https://github.com/CaviraOSS/OpenMemory) and [cognee's repository](https://github.com/topoteretes/cognee). | | [OpenMemory](/tools/caviraoss-openmemory.md) | [cognee](/tools/topoteretes-cognee.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | Local persistent memory store for LLM applications | Cognee is the open-source AI memory platform for agents. | | Stars | 4,457 | 30,121 | | Forks | 501 | 2,937 | | Open issues | 18 | 359 | | Language | TypeScript | Python | | Adopt for | OpenMemory offers local storage tailored for AI agents like Claude Desktop and GitHub Copilot. | When evaluating Cognee, consider its self-hosted persistence capability and the extensive support it offers through multiple programming languages (Python, Rust, TypeScript). It uses vector databases to provide efficient | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 | | Categories | Data & Retrieval, Vector Databases | AI Agents, Vector Databases | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [OpenMemory](/tools/caviraoss-openmemory.md) | [cognee](/tools/topoteretes-cognee.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Open issues (now) | 18 | 359 | | Stars delta | +100 (30d) | +1.5k (30d) | | Open issues delta | +5 (30d) | -265 (30d) | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/caviraoss-openmemory/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/topoteretes-cognee/trust.md) | ## Shared compatibility - **Node.js**: [OpenMemory](/tools/caviraoss-openmemory.md) - Node.js runtime; [cognee](/tools/topoteretes-cognee.md) - Node.js runtime ## Decision facts: OpenMemory - **Adopt for:** OpenMemory offers local storage tailored for AI agents like Claude Desktop and GitHub Copilot. ## Decision facts: cognee - **Adopt for:** When evaluating Cognee, consider its self-hosted persistence capability and the extensive support it offers through multiple programming languages (Python, Rust, TypeScript). It uses vector databases to provide efficient ## Choose when ### Choose OpenMemory if… - OpenMemory is primarily TypeScript; cognee is Python. - Tags unique to OpenMemory: embeddings, long-term-memory, memory-engine. - Also covers Data & Retrieval. - Need to integrate persistent memory support for specific LLMs like Claude. ### Choose cognee if… - cognee is primarily Python; OpenMemory is TypeScript. - Tags unique to cognee: agent-memory, docker, knowledge-graph, open-source. - Also covers AI Agents. - - You are developing AI agents that require persistent long-term memory across different sessions. ## When NOT to use OpenMemory - Require cloud-based memory storage services. - Your project must use languages other than TypeScript. - Seek a generic vector database without specific LLM integrations. ## When NOT to use cognee - - Your project does not require persistent memory storage, or your agents operate fully within short-lived sessions without the need for past context. - - You are aiming for minimal setup overhead and prefer a cloud-based solution that requires less maintenance on your infrastructure side. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between OpenMemory and cognee? OpenMemory: Local persistent memory store for LLM applications. cognee: Cognee is the open-source AI memory platform for agents.. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose OpenMemory over cognee? Choose OpenMemory over cognee when OpenMemory is primarily TypeScript; cognee is Python; Tags unique to OpenMemory: embeddings, long-term-memory, memory-engine; Also covers Data & Retrieval; Need to integrate persistent memory support for specific LLMs like Claude. ### When should I choose cognee over OpenMemory? Choose cognee over OpenMemory when cognee is primarily Python; OpenMemory is TypeScript; Tags unique to cognee: agent-memory, docker, knowledge-graph, open-source; Also covers AI Agents; - You are developing AI agents that require persistent long-term memory across different sessions. ### When should I avoid OpenMemory? Require cloud-based memory storage services. Your project must use languages other than TypeScript. Seek a generic vector database without specific LLM integrations. ### When should I avoid cognee? - Your project does not require persistent memory storage, or your agents operate fully within short-lived sessions without the need for past context. - You are aiming for minimal setup overhead and prefer a cloud-based solution that requires less maintenance on your infrastructure side. ### Is OpenMemory or cognee more popular on GitHub? cognee has more GitHub stars (30,121 vs 4,457). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are OpenMemory and cognee open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (OpenMemory: Apache-2.0, cognee: Apache-2.0). ### Where can I find alternatives to OpenMemory or cognee? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [OpenMemory alternatives](/tools/caviraoss-openmemory/alternatives) and [cognee alternatives](/tools/topoteretes-cognee/alternatives) ([OpenMemory markdown twin](/tools/caviraoss-openmemory/alternatives.md), [cognee markdown twin](/tools/topoteretes-cognee/alternatives.md)), ranked by typed relationship edges rather than popularity votes. ### Is there a machine-readable version of this comparison? Yes. The markdown twin at [this comparison](/compare/caviraoss-openmemory-vs-topoteretes-cognee.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, OpenMemory or cognee? OpenMemory: Very active. cognee: Very active. Compare maintenance labels, days since push, and release cadence in the trust section below - stars alone do not measure maintenance. ### Where are the full trust reports for OpenMemory and cognee? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [OpenMemory trust report](/tools/caviraoss-openmemory/trust); [cognee trust report](/tools/topoteretes-cognee/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=caviraoss-openmemory`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=caviraoss-openmemory) - LLM index: [/llms.txt](/llms.txt) - Full corpus: [/llms-full.txt](/llms-full.txt) _GraphCanon - The knowledge graph for AI development. https://www.graphcanon.com/_