memU vs Zep
A side-by-side comparison of memU and Zep, two Memory tools, drawn from Ignaite's continuously-verified listings.
Compared from listings verified as of
At a glance
| Attribute | memU | Zep |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Memory | Memory |
| Pricing | FREEMIUM | FREEMIUM |
| License (differs) | Open core | Proprietary |
| Deployment (differs) | Hybrid | Cloud |
| Platforms (differs) | API, Web | API |
| Model support (differs) | Model-agnostic | Multi-model |
| Vendor (differs) | NevaMind AI | Zep |
| Capabilities (differs) |
|
|
The honest brief
memU
Stores memories as a hierarchical file system rather than only vector embeddings, cutting context tokens roughly 10x for always-on agents.
- Built for proactive, always-on agents
- Semantic recall via vector indexing
- Self-host or hosted cloud API
- Multimodal memory ingestion
- Younger project, evolving API
- Smaller ecosystem than vector DBs
- Hosted pricing details limited
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 memU if you need Vector search.
- Vector search (secondary capability)
Pick Zep if you need Knowledge graph.
- Knowledge graph (secondary capability)
They also differ on:
- License
- Open core · Proprietary
- Deployment
- Hybrid · Cloud
- Platforms
- API, Web · API