Comparison
claude-mem vs cognee
Verdict
Pick claude-mem if claude-mem provides persistent context across sessions, leveraging AI to capture and compress agent activity; 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.
Markdown twin · claude-mem alternatives · cognee alternatives
GraphCanon updated 1d
vs
Trust & integrity
| Signal | claude-mem | cognee |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance | Very active (0d since push) As of 3d · github_public_v1 | Very active (0d since push) As of 1d · github_public_v1 |
| Provenance | Not a fork · Personal account As of 3d · github_public_v1 | Not a fork · Organization account As of 1d · github_public_v1 |
| OSV dependency advisories | No lockfile (source not queried) As of 1mo · osv@v1 | No lockfile (source not queried) 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
- claude-mem
- Persistent Context Across Sessions for Every Agent
- cognee
- Cognee is the open-source AI memory platform for agents.
Stars
- claude-mem
- 91k
- cognee
- 30k
Forks
- claude-mem
- 8.0k
- cognee
- 2.9k
Open issues
- claude-mem
- 200
- cognee
- 359
Language
- claude-mem
- JavaScript
- cognee
- Python
Adopt for
- claude-mem
- claude-mem provides persistent context across sessions, leveraging AI to capture and compress agent activity.
- cognee
- 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
- claude-mem
- -
- cognee
- -
Runtime
- claude-mem
- -
- cognee
- -
License
- claude-mem
- 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.
- cognee
- Apache-2.0
Last pushed
- claude-mem
- Aug 17, 2026
- cognee
- Aug 19, 2026
Categories
- claude-mem
- AI Agents, Inference & Serving
- cognee
- AI Agents, Vector Databases
Trust and health
Open issues (now)
- claude-mem
- 200
- cognee
- 359
Stars delta
- claude-mem
- +3.3k (30d)
- cognee
- +1.5k (30d)
Open issues delta
- claude-mem
- -116 (30d)
- cognee
- -265 (30d)
Owner type
- claude-mem
- User
- cognee
- Organization
Full report
- claude-mem
- Trust report
- cognee
- Trust report
Typed relationship
claude-mem alternative cogneeBoth tools provide persistent memory solutions for AI agents, making them alternatives in solving the same problem.
Shared compatibility
- Node.js · claude-mem: Node.js runtime · cognee: Node.js runtime
- Python · claude-mem: Python runtime · cognee: Python runtime
Choose claude-mem if…
- claude-mem is primarily JavaScript; cognee 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..
- Both tools provide persistent memory solutions for AI agents, making them alternatives in solving the same problem.
- Tags unique to claude-mem: ai-memory, chromadb, claude, long-term-memory.
- Also covers Inference & Serving.
- claude-mem ships an MCP server manifest.
- When you require seamless and persistent context continuity between different session interactions with Claude Code or other supported agents.
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.
Choose cognee if…
- cognee is primarily Python; claude-mem is JavaScript.
- Both tools provide persistent memory solutions for AI agents, making them alternatives in solving the same problem.
- Tags unique to cognee: agent-memory, docker, knowledge-graph, open-source.
- Also covers Vector Databases.
- - You are developing AI agents that require persistent long-term memory across different sessions.
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.
Explore
Sources
Every stat on this page traces to a dated GitHub sync, license file, enrichment field, or trust scan.
- GitHub stars (thedotmack/claude-mem) · observed Aug 18, 2026
- GitHub forks (thedotmack/claude-mem) · observed Aug 18, 2026
- Last push (thedotmack/claude-mem) · observed Aug 17, 2026
- License file (Apache-2.0) · observed Aug 18, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- GitHub stars (topoteretes/cognee) · observed Aug 19, 2026
- GitHub forks (topoteretes/cognee) · observed Aug 19, 2026
- Last push (topoteretes/cognee) · observed Aug 19, 2026
- License file (Apache-2.0) · observed Aug 19, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 11, 2026
GitHub stars on cards: claude-mem 91k · cognee 30k (synced Aug 18, 2026).
Common questions
- What is the difference between claude-mem and cognee?
- claude-mem: Persistent Context Across Sessions for Every Agent. 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 claude-mem over cognee?
- Choose claude-mem over cognee when claude-mem is primarily JavaScript; cognee 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.; Both tools provide persistent memory solutions for AI agents, making them alternatives in solving the same problem; Tags unique to claude-mem: ai-memory, chromadb, claude, long-term-memory; Also covers Inference & Serving; claude-mem ships an MCP server manifest; When you require seamless and persistent context continuity between different session interactions with Claude Code or other supported agents.
- When should I choose cognee over claude-mem?
- Choose cognee over claude-mem when cognee is primarily Python; claude-mem is JavaScript; Both tools provide persistent memory solutions for AI agents, making them alternatives in solving the same problem; Tags unique to cognee: agent-memory, docker, knowledge-graph, open-source; Also covers Vector Databases; - You are developing AI agents that require persistent long-term memory across different sessions.
- 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.
- 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 claude-mem or cognee more popular on GitHub?
- claude-mem has more GitHub stars (91,018 vs 30,121). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints.
- Are claude-mem and cognee open source?
- Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (claude-mem: Apache-2.0, cognee: Apache-2.0).
- Where can I find alternatives to claude-mem or cognee?
- GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at claude-mem alternatives and cognee alternatives (claude-mem markdown twin, cognee 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, claude-mem or cognee?
- claude-mem: 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 claude-mem and cognee?
- GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: claude-mem trust report; cognee trust report.