AI Memory Comparison 2025: Shodh vs Mem0 vs Zep — Which Should You Use?

Every AI agent needs memory. But which system? Here's an honest comparison of Mem0, Zep, and Shodh—where each shines and where each falls short.

The Core Difference

All three store memories and retrieve them semantically. The difference is where and how:

• Mem0 runs in the cloud (or self-hosted Docker), uses external vector DBs, and requires API keys
• Zep runs in the cloud (or self-hosted), specializes in temporal knowledge graphs
• Shodh runs entirely on-device as a single binary—no network, no containers, no dependencies

Quick Comparison

What Makes Each Unique

Mem0: Enterprise Cloud Memory

Backed by $24M from AWS, Mem0 is building the "memory layer for AI" with deep cloud integration. If you're on AWS and want a managed service with enterprise support, Mem0 is the safe choice.

Zep: Temporal Knowledge Graphs

Zep's killer feature is temporal reasoning. It tracks when facts were learned, how they've changed, and can answer questions like "What did the user believe last week?" Official LangChain partner with deep framework integration.

Shodh: Edge-Native Cognitive Memory

Shodh is the only option that runs fully offline on constrained hardware. A single 15MB binary with embedded vector search, no external dependencies. Uses cognitive science principles (Hebbian learning, memory decay) for human-like memory behavior.

Feature Deep-Dive

Here's where they differ on specific capabilities:

Code Examples

All three have clean Python APIs. Here's the same task in each:

# Mem0 - Cloud API
from mem0 import Memory

m = Memory()  # Requires API key
m.add("User prefers dark mode", user_id="alice")
results = m.search("UI preferences", user_id="alice")

# Zep - Cloud API
from zep_cloud.client import Zep

client = Zep(api_key="your-key")
client.memory.add(session_id="123", messages=[...])
results = client.memory.search(session_id="123", text="UI preferences")

# Shodh - Local, no API key
from shodh_memory import Memory

m = Memory()  # Runs entirely on device
m.remember("User prefers dark mode", memory_type="Decision")
results = m.recall("UI preferences")

The Honest Trade-offs

Decision Guide

Get Started

# Mem0 (requires API key)
pip install mem0ai

# Zep (requires API key)
pip install zep-cloud

# Shodh (no API key, runs locally)
pip install shodh-memory

# Or add to Claude Code:
claude mcp add @shodh/memory-mcp

Bottom Line

The AI memory market is big enough for different approaches. Mem0 owns enterprise cloud. Zep owns temporal reasoning. Shodh owns edge and offline.

Pick based on where your code runs, not marketing. If it runs in the cloud, Mem0 or Zep. If it runs on a device, Shodh.