Comparison
surf vs cortex-memory
Verdict
Pick surf if surf is an open-source tool for managing personal notes by integrating local or remote AI models to process files and webpages; pick cortex-memory if cortex-memory is a TypeScript-based tool with an MIT license that provides persistent memory capabilities for Claude Code, Cursor & Cline through a VSCode extension and CLI.
Markdown twin · surf alternatives · cortex-memory alternatives
GraphCanon updated 1w
vs
Trust & integrity
| Signal | surf | cortex-memory |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance | Very active (2d since push) As of 1w · github_public_v1 | Slowing (128d since push) As of 3w · github_public_v1 |
| Provenance | Not a fork · Organization account As of 1w · github_public_v1 | Not a fork · Personal account As of 3w · github_public_v1 |
| OSV dependency advisories | No lockfile (source not queried) As of 1mo · osv@v1 | Published findings As of 1mo · osv@v1 |
| deps.dev advisories | Not queried deps.dev@v1 | Not queried deps.dev@v1 |
| OpenSSF Scorecard | Not queried openssf-scorecard@v1 | Not queried openssf-scorecard@v1 |
Tagline
- surf
- Tools for organizing files and webpages locally to generate notes using personal AI notebooks.
- cortex-memory
- Persistent AI memory for Claude Code, Cursor & Cline with a VSCode extension and CLI.
Stars
- surf
- 3.5k
- cortex-memory
- 7
Forks
- surf
- 251
- cortex-memory
- 1
Open issues
- surf
- 32
- cortex-memory
- 0
Language
- surf
- TypeScript
- cortex-memory
- TypeScript
Adopt for
- surf
- surf is an open-source tool for managing personal notes by integrating local or remote AI models to process files and webpages.
- cortex-memory
- cortex-memory is a TypeScript-based tool with an MIT license that provides persistent memory capabilities for Claude Code, Cursor & Cline through a VSCode extension and CLI.
Persona
- surf
- -
- cortex-memory
- -
Runtime
- surf
- -
- cortex-memory
- -
License
- surf
- Apache-2.0
- cortex-memory
- MIT
Last pushed
- surf
- Aug 10, 2026
- cortex-memory
- Mar 25, 2026
Categories
- surf
- Data & Retrieval, Developer Tools, LLM Frameworks
- cortex-memory
- Data & Retrieval, Developer Tools
Trust and health
Maintenance
- surf
- Very active (96%)
- cortex-memory
- Slowing (36%)
Days since push
- surf
- 2d
- cortex-memory
- 128d
Open issues (now)
- surf
- 32
- cortex-memory
- 0
Owner type
- surf
- Organization
- cortex-memory
- User
OSV dependency advisories
- surf
- No lockfile (source not queried)
- cortex-memory
- Published findings
Full report
- surf
- Trust report
- cortex-memory
- Trust report
Choose surf if…
- License: surf is Apache-2.0, cortex-memory is MIT.
- Tags unique to surf: claude, deepseek, gemma, knowledge-base.
- Also covers LLM Frameworks.
- Need a robust integration with both local and remote language models for comprehensive note creation
When NOT to use surf
- Prefer using proprietary, closed-source tools that do not allow open model choices
- Require extensive cloud-based collaboration features among multiple users
Choose cortex-memory if…
- License: cortex-memory is MIT, surf is Apache-2.0.
- Pricing: Being open-source under the MIT license, cortex-memory is free for use, although specific pricing around value-added services or enterprise support are not detailed in the provided repository content..
- Tags unique to cortex-memory: ai, ai-coding-assistant, ai-memory, claude-code.
- If you are working extensively with Claude Code, Cursor & Cline and want to automatically capture decisions, patterns, and context across sessions without configuration.
When NOT to use cortex-memory
- If you prefer not using tools that integrate deeply with specific AI platforms like Claude Code, which may limit its usefulness in environments where multiple or different platforms are used.
- In scenarios where custom configuration is required, as cortex-memory emphasizes zero-config setup which might not be adaptable to highly customized workflows.
Explore
Sources
Every stat on this page traces to a dated GitHub sync, license file, enrichment field, or trust scan.
- GitHub stars (deta/surf) · observed Aug 12, 2026
- GitHub forks (deta/surf) · observed Aug 12, 2026
- Last push (deta/surf) · observed Aug 10, 2026
- License file (Apache-2.0) · observed Aug 12, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Jul 17, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 15, 2026
- GitHub stars (SKULLFIRE07/cortex-memory) · observed Aug 1, 2026
- GitHub forks (SKULLFIRE07/cortex-memory) · observed Aug 1, 2026
- Last push (SKULLFIRE07/cortex-memory) · observed Mar 25, 2026
- License file (MIT) · observed Aug 1, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Jul 12, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 11, 2026
GitHub stars on cards: surf 3.5k · cortex-memory 7 (synced Aug 12, 2026).
Common questions
- What is the difference between surf and cortex-memory?
- surf: Tools for organizing files and webpages locally to generate notes using personal AI notebooks.. cortex-memory: Persistent AI memory for Claude Code, Cursor & Cline with a VSCode extension and CLI.. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories.
- When should I choose surf over cortex-memory?
- Choose surf over cortex-memory when License: surf is Apache-2.0, cortex-memory is MIT; Tags unique to surf: claude, deepseek, gemma, knowledge-base; Also covers LLM Frameworks; Need a robust integration with both local and remote language models for comprehensive note creation.
- When should I choose cortex-memory over surf?
- Choose cortex-memory over surf when License: cortex-memory is MIT, surf is Apache-2.0; Pricing: Being open-source under the MIT license, cortex-memory is free for use, although specific pricing around value-added services or enterprise support are not detailed in the provided repository content.; Tags unique to cortex-memory: ai, ai-coding-assistant, ai-memory, claude-code; If you are working extensively with Claude Code, Cursor & Cline and want to automatically capture decisions, patterns, and context across sessions without configuration.
- When should I avoid surf?
- Prefer using proprietary, closed-source tools that do not allow open model choices Require extensive cloud-based collaboration features among multiple users
- When should I avoid cortex-memory?
- If you prefer not using tools that integrate deeply with specific AI platforms like Claude Code, which may limit its usefulness in environments where multiple or different platforms are used. In scenarios where custom configuration is required, as cortex-memory emphasizes zero-config setup which might not be adaptable to highly customized workflows.
- Is surf or cortex-memory more popular on GitHub?
- surf has more GitHub stars (3,522 vs 7). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints.
- Are surf and cortex-memory open source?
- Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (surf: Apache-2.0, cortex-memory: MIT).
- Where can I find alternatives to surf or cortex-memory?
- GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at surf alternatives and cortex-memory alternatives (surf markdown twin, cortex-memory markdown twin), 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 mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers.
- Which is better maintained, surf or cortex-memory?
- surf: Very active. cortex-memory: Slowing. 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 surf and cortex-memory?
- GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: surf trust report; cortex-memory trust report.