--- title: "budgetml vs claude-mem" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/ebhy-budgetml-vs-thedotmack-claude-mem" tools: ["ebhy-budgetml", "thedotmack-claude-mem"] --- # budgetml vs claude-mem *GraphCanon updated Jul 11, 2026* ## Verdict Pick budgetml when budgetml is primarily Python; claude-mem is JavaScript; pick claude-mem when claude-mem is primarily JavaScript; budgetml is Python. [budgetml](https://github.com/ebhy/budgetml) reports 1.3k GitHub stars, 65 forks, and 4 open issues, last pushed Feb 12, 2024. [claude-mem](https://claude-mem.ai) has 87k stars, 7.5k forks, and 252 open issues, last pushed Jul 9, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [budgetml's repository](https://github.com/ebhy/budgetml) and [claude-mem's repository](https://github.com/thedotmack/claude-mem). | | [budgetml](/tools/ebhy-budgetml.md) | [claude-mem](/tools/thedotmack-claude-mem.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | Deploy a ML inference service on a budget in less than 10 lines of code. | Persistent Context Across Sessions for Every Agent | | Stars | 1,343 | 86,816 | | Forks | 65 | 7,500 | | Open issues | 4 | 252 | | Language | Python | JavaScript | | Adopt for | - | claude-mem provides persistent context across sessions, leveraging AI to capture and compress agent activity. | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | Apache-2.0 | Claude-Mem is distributed under the Apache License 2.0, allowing it to be freely used in a variety of development and production environments while maintaining clear licensing terms. | | Categories | Inference & Serving | AI Agents, Inference & Serving | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [budgetml](/tools/ebhy-budgetml.md) | [claude-mem](/tools/thedotmack-claude-mem.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance | Dormant (18%) | Very active (96%) | | Days since push | 880d | 1d | | Open issues (now) | 4 | 252 | | Owner type | Organization | User | | Security scan | No criticals | No lockfile | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/ebhy-budgetml/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/thedotmack-claude-mem/trust.md) | ## Shared compatibility - **Python**: [budgetml](/tools/ebhy-budgetml.md) - Python runtime; [claude-mem](/tools/thedotmack-claude-mem.md) - Python runtime ## Decision facts: claude-mem - **Requirements:** Requires Node.js v20.0.0 or higher.; Must have the latest version of Claude Code with plugin support.; Auto-installs Bun (JavaScript runtime and process manager) if not already present.; Requires uv (Python package for vector search), auto-installation supported. - **Adopt for:** claude-mem provides persistent context across sessions, leveraging AI to capture and compress agent activity. - **License detail:** Claude-Mem is distributed under the Apache License 2.0, allowing it to be freely used in a variety of development and production environments while maintaining clear licensing terms. ## Choose when ### Choose budgetml if… - budgetml is primarily Python; claude-mem is JavaScript. - Tags unique to budgetml: api, data-science, deployment, fastapi. - Leaner open-issue backlog (4). ### Choose claude-mem if… - claude-mem is primarily JavaScript; budgetml is Python. - Requirements: Requires Node.js v20.0.0 or higher.; Must have the latest version of Claude Code with plugin support.; Auto-installs Bun (JavaScript runtime and process manager) if not already present.; Requires uv (Python package for vector search), auto-installation supported.. - Tags unique to claude-mem: ai-agents, ai-memory, chromadb, claude. - Also covers AI Agents. - When you require seamless and persistent context continuity between different session interactions with Claude Code or other supported agents. ## When NOT to use budgetml - Last GitHub push was 880 days ago (dormant maintenance, Feb 12, 2024). Validate activity before betting a new project on budgetml. - Inference & Serving: Self-hosting rarely beats a hosted API on cost until you have steady, high-volume traffic. ## When NOT to use claude-mem - When working in environments where Node.js v20.0.0 or higher cannot be installed, as claude-mem requires this version to operate. - If your specific AI agent or tool does not integrate with the supported frameworks listed (e.g., Claude Code, OpenClaw), making context persistence ineffective for your workflow. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between budgetml and claude-mem? budgetml: Deploy a ML inference service on a budget in less than 10 lines of code.. claude-mem: Persistent Context Across Sessions for Every Agent. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose budgetml over claude-mem? Choose budgetml over claude-mem when budgetml is primarily Python; claude-mem is JavaScript; Tags unique to budgetml: api, data-science, deployment, fastapi; Leaner open-issue backlog (4). ### When should I choose claude-mem over budgetml? Choose claude-mem over budgetml when claude-mem is primarily JavaScript; budgetml is Python; Requirements: Requires Node.js v20.0.0 or higher.; Must have the latest version of Claude Code with plugin support.; Auto-installs Bun (JavaScript runtime and process manager) if not already present.; Requires uv (Python package for vector search), auto-installation supported.; Tags unique to claude-mem: ai-agents, ai-memory, chromadb, claude; Also covers AI Agents; When you require seamless and persistent context continuity between different session interactions with Claude Code or other supported agents. ### When should I avoid budgetml? Last GitHub push was 880 days ago (dormant maintenance, Feb 12, 2024). Validate activity before betting a new project on budgetml. Inference & Serving: Self-hosting rarely beats a hosted API on cost until you have steady, high-volume traffic. ### When should I avoid claude-mem? When working in environments where Node.js v20.0.0 or higher cannot be installed, as claude-mem requires this version to operate. If your specific AI agent or tool does not integrate with the supported frameworks listed (e.g., Claude Code, OpenClaw), making context persistence ineffective for your workflow. ### Is budgetml or claude-mem more popular on GitHub? claude-mem has more GitHub stars (86,816 vs 1,343). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are budgetml and claude-mem open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (budgetml: Apache-2.0, claude-mem: Apache-2.0). ### Where can I find alternatives to budgetml or claude-mem? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [budgetml alternatives](/tools/ebhy-budgetml/alternatives) and [claude-mem alternatives](/tools/thedotmack-claude-mem/alternatives) ([budgetml markdown twin](/tools/ebhy-budgetml/alternatives.md), [claude-mem markdown twin](/tools/thedotmack-claude-mem/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/ebhy-budgetml-vs-thedotmack-claude-mem.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, budgetml or claude-mem? budgetml: Dormant. claude-mem: 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 budgetml and claude-mem? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [budgetml trust report](/tools/ebhy-budgetml/trust); [claude-mem trust report](/tools/thedotmack-claude-mem/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=ebhy-budgetml`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=ebhy-budgetml) - 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/_