Zen MCP Server (now PAL) vs OpenMemory MCP

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

	Zen MCP Server (now PAL) The renamed zen-mcp-server: routes Claude Code, Codex or Cursor to Gemini, GPT, Grok and local models in one context. Unverified stdio (local) API key Python	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
Category	AI, Data & Knowledge	AI, Data & Knowledge
Language	Python	Python
Transport	stdio (local)	SSE (remote)
Auth	API key	API key
GitHub stars	12k	60k
Last commit	6 months ago	1 day ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`git clone https://github.com/BeehiveInnovations/pal-mcp-server.git && cd pal-mcp-server && ./run-server.sh`	`curl -sL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mem0ai/mem0/main/openmemory/run.sh \| OPENAI_API_KEY=your_api_key bash`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick Zen MCP Server (now PAL) if you want a local (stdio) server that keeps data on your machine, and you need the broadest set of tools.

Pick OpenMemory MCP if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option.

Add Zen MCP Server (now PAL)

Install / run

git clone https://github.com/BeehiveInnovations/pal-mcp-server.git && cd pal-mcp-server && ./run-server.sh

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "zen-mcp-server-now-pal": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "--from",
        "git+https://github.com/BeehiveInnovations/pal-mcp-server.git",
        "pal-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GEMINI_API_KEY": "<your-gemini-key>",
        "DEFAULT_MODEL": "auto",
        "DISABLED_TOOLS": "analyze,refactor,testgen,secaudit,docgen,tracer"
      }
    }
  }
}

Requires `uv` (the Python package runner). Install it from https://docs.astral.sh/uv/ if `uvx` is not found.

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.

FAQ

Zen MCP Server (now PAL) or OpenMemory MCP — which is better?

Pick Zen MCP Server (now PAL) if you want a local (stdio) server that keeps data on your machine, and you need the broadest set of tools. Pick OpenMemory MCP if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option.

Can I use both Zen MCP Server (now PAL) and OpenMemory MCP?

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 Zen MCP Server (now PAL) and OpenMemory MCP work with Claude, Cursor and Windsurf?

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

View Zen MCP Server (now PAL) →View OpenMemory MCP →More comparisons →