Memobase vs Zep
A side-by-side comparison of Memobase and Zep, two Memory tools, drawn from Ignaite's continuously-verified listings.
Compared from listings verified as of
At a glance
| Attribute | Memobase | Zep |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Memory | Memory |
| Pricing | FREEMIUM | FREEMIUM |
| License (differs) | Open core | Proprietary |
| Deployment (differs) | Hybrid | Cloud |
| Platforms | API | API |
| Model support (differs) | BYO key / model | Multi-model |
| Vendor (differs) | Memobase | Zep |
| Capabilities (differs) |
|
|
The honest brief
Memobase
Models memory as a structured user profile plus timestamped event timeline — tops LOCOMO temporal-reasoning (~85%).
- Distills chats, not raw embeddings
- Strong temporal-reasoning benchmark
- Low-latency on FastAPI/Postgres/Redis
- Python/Node/Go SDKs + MCP server
- Smaller community than mem0/Zep
- Profile schema needs upfront design
- Less production-server tooling than Zep
- Newer, less battle-tested
Zep
Stores a temporal knowledge graph (via OSS Graphiti) that versions how facts change over time, not flat snapshots.
- Open-source Graphiti engine (Apache-2.0)
- Managed Zep Cloud option
- Pulls in chat + business data
- Long-term context for agents
- Graph approach has learning curve
- Cloud is credit-based pricing
- Heavier than simple vector memory
- Newer ecosystem
When to pick which
Both cover Agent memory.
Pick Memobase if you need MCP server.
- MCP server (secondary capability)
Pick Zep if you need Knowledge graph.
- Knowledge graph (secondary capability)
They also differ on:
- License
- Open core · Proprietary
- Deployment
- Hybrid · Cloud
- Model support
- BYO key / model · Multi-model