--- title: "claude-mem vs unstract" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/thedotmack-claude-mem-vs-zipstack-unstract" tools: ["thedotmack-claude-mem", "zipstack-unstract"] --- # claude-mem vs unstract *GraphCanon updated Jul 11, 2026* ## Verdict Pick claude-mem when claude-mem is primarily JavaScript; unstract is Python; pick unstract when unstract is primarily Python; claude-mem is JavaScript. [claude-mem](https://claude-mem.ai) reports 87k GitHub stars, 7.5k forks, and 252 open issues, last pushed Jul 9, 2026. [unstract](https://unstract.com) has 6.7k stars, 633 forks, and 84 open issues, last pushed Jul 11, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [claude-mem's repository](https://github.com/thedotmack/claude-mem) and [unstract's repository](https://github.com/Zipstack/unstract). | | [claude-mem](/tools/thedotmack-claude-mem.md) | [unstract](/tools/zipstack-unstract.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | Persistent Context Across Sessions for Every Agent | LLM-Driven Extraction of Unstructured Data — Built for API Deployments & ETL Pipeline Workflows | | Stars | 86,816 | 6,696 | | Forks | 7,500 | 633 | | Open issues | 252 | 84 | | Language | JavaScript | Python | | Adopt for | claude-mem provides persistent context across sessions, leveraging AI to capture and compress agent activity. | - | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | 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. | AGPL-3.0 | | Categories | AI Agents, Inference & Serving | LLM Frameworks, AI Agents, Inference & Serving | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [claude-mem](/tools/thedotmack-claude-mem.md) | [unstract](/tools/zipstack-unstract.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Days since push | 1d | 0d | | Open issues (now) | 252 | 84 | | Owner type | User | Organization | | Security scan | No lockfile | No MCP manifest | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/thedotmack-claude-mem/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/zipstack-unstract/trust.md) | ## 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 claude-mem if… - claude-mem is primarily JavaScript; unstract is Python. - License: claude-mem is Apache-2.0, unstract is AGPL-3.0. - 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: chromadb, ai-memory, claude, long-term-memory. - When you require seamless and persistent context continuity between different session interactions with Claude Code or other supported agents. ### Choose unstract if… - unstract is primarily Python; claude-mem is JavaScript. - License: unstract is AGPL-3.0, claude-mem is Apache-2.0. - Tags unique to unstract: mcp-server, data-engineering, llm, json-extraction. - Also covers LLM Frameworks. ## 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. ## When NOT to use unstract - LLM Frameworks: Avoid a framework for a single prompt-and-retrieve call; the abstraction can cost more than it saves. - AI Agents: Don't use an agent loop when a deterministic workflow would do; agents add latency, cost, and non-determinism. - Inference & Serving: Self-hosting rarely beats a hosted API on cost until you have steady, high-volume traffic. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between claude-mem and unstract? claude-mem: Persistent Context Across Sessions for Every Agent. unstract: LLM-Driven Extraction of Unstructured Data — Built for API Deployments & ETL Pipeline Workflows. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose claude-mem over unstract? Choose claude-mem over unstract when claude-mem is primarily JavaScript; unstract is Python; License: claude-mem is Apache-2.0, unstract is AGPL-3.0; 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: chromadb, ai-memory, claude, long-term-memory; When you require seamless and persistent context continuity between different session interactions with Claude Code or other supported agents. ### When should I choose unstract over claude-mem? Choose unstract over claude-mem when unstract is primarily Python; claude-mem is JavaScript; License: unstract is AGPL-3.0, claude-mem is Apache-2.0; Tags unique to unstract: mcp-server, data-engineering, llm, json-extraction; Also covers LLM Frameworks. ### 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 unstract? LLM Frameworks: Avoid a framework for a single prompt-and-retrieve call; the abstraction can cost more than it saves. AI Agents: Don't use an agent loop when a deterministic workflow would do; agents add latency, cost, and non-determinism. Inference & Serving: Self-hosting rarely beats a hosted API on cost until you have steady, high-volume traffic. ### Is claude-mem or unstract more popular on GitHub? claude-mem has more GitHub stars (86,816 vs 6,696). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are claude-mem and unstract open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (claude-mem: Apache-2.0, unstract: AGPL-3.0). ### Where can I find alternatives to claude-mem or unstract? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [claude-mem alternatives](/tools/thedotmack-claude-mem/alternatives) and [unstract alternatives](/tools/zipstack-unstract/alternatives) ([claude-mem markdown twin](/tools/thedotmack-claude-mem/alternatives.md), [unstract markdown twin](/tools/zipstack-unstract/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/thedotmack-claude-mem-vs-zipstack-unstract.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, claude-mem or unstract? claude-mem: Very active. unstract: 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 unstract? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [claude-mem trust report](/tools/thedotmack-claude-mem/trust); [unstract trust report](/tools/zipstack-unstract/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=thedotmack-claude-mem`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=thedotmack-claude-mem) - 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/_