OpenMemory MCP vs Memory (Knowledge Graph)

A side-by-side comparison of two AI, Data & Knowledge servers — tools, transport, auth, maintenance, and copy-paste config for each.

	OpenMemory MCP Mem0's local-first memory layer: a Dockerized MCP server plus dashboard that keeps agent memories on your machine. Unverified SSE (remote) API key Python	Memory (Knowledge Graph) Official MCP server providing persistent, file-backed knowledge-graph memory across sessions. Verified stdio (local) No auth TypeScript
Category	AI, Data & Knowledge	AI, Data & Knowledge
Language	Python	TypeScript
Transport	SSE (remote)	stdio (local)
Auth	API key	None
GitHub stars	60k	74k
Last commit	1 day ago	5 months ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`curl -sL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mem0ai/mem0/main/openmemory/run.sh \| OPENAI_API_KEY=your_api_key bash`	`npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-memory`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick OpenMemory MCP if you want a hosted/remote server with nothing to install.

Pick Memory (Knowledge Graph) if you want a local (stdio) server that keeps data on your machine, and you want zero-setup with no API key.

Add OpenMemory MCP

Install / run

curl -sL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mem0ai/mem0/main/openmemory/run.sh | OPENAI_API_KEY=your_api_key bash

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "openmemory-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "http://localhost:8765/mcp/<client-name>/sse/<user-id>"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop connects to remote servers through the `mcp-remote` proxy (installed on first run via npx). Restart Claude Desktop after saving.

Add Memory (Knowledge Graph)

Install / run

npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-memory

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "memory-knowledge-graph": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-memory"
      ],
      "env": {
        "MEMORY_FILE_PATH": "/absolute/path/to/memory.jsonl"
      }
    }
  }
}

FAQ

OpenMemory MCP or Memory (Knowledge Graph) — which is better?

Pick OpenMemory MCP if you want a hosted/remote server with nothing to install. Pick Memory (Knowledge Graph) if you want a local (stdio) server that keeps data on your machine, and you want zero-setup with no API key.

Can I use both OpenMemory MCP and Memory (Knowledge Graph)?

Yes — MCP clients let you enable multiple servers at once. Add both configs to your client's mcpServers and use whichever tool fits the task.

Do OpenMemory MCP and Memory (Knowledge Graph) work with Claude, Cursor and Windsurf?

Both do. Copy the per-client config below into Claude Desktop, Cursor, or Windsurf.

View OpenMemory MCP →View Memory (Knowledge Graph) →More comparisons →