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Head to head · Memory search · October 2026 research run

claude-mem vs Context Mode Engine

claude-mem scores 58.6 (C) on agent readiness against Context Mode Engine's 46.2 (D), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Context Mode Engine leads on payments & pricing. Both do memory search.

Best memory layers for AI agents · All 188 memory comparisons

claude-memAlex Newman · MCP server C58.6/100#676 of 1238 Context Mode EngineMKSF LTD · MCP server D46.2/100#1033 of 1238

Which one, for what

claude-mem C

Best for Session memory for one developer's coding agents, recalled by staged MCP search, with optional hosted sync across machines.

Ahead on

  • Reliability, 85 against 45
  • Schema & documentation, 84 against 65
  • Agent ergonomics, 74 against 65
  • Security & auth, 50 against 35
  • Maintenance & community, 76 against 10

Also in its favour

  • Open source

Watch for

Telemetry is on by default and secret redaction is off by default

Context Mode Engine D

Best for Context Mode Engine indexes tool output and session events locally for coding agents.

Ahead on

  • Payments & pricing, 40 against 20

Also in its favour

  • No key needed to call it
  • No incidents deducted, where claude-mem loses 6 points for them

Watch for

Hosted-service restrictions under Elastic License 2.0

Score by category

CategoryWeight this runclaude-memContext Mode EngineEdge
Reliability16%208545claude-mem +40
Performance10%pendingpendingpendingnot scored in this run
Schema & documentation13%16.28465claude-mem +19
Agent ergonomics13%16.27465claude-mem +9
Security & auth14%17.55035claude-mem +15
Payments & pricing10%12.52040Context Mode Engine +20
Task success10%pendingpendingpendingnot scored in this run
Maintenance & community7%8.87610claude-mem +66
Transparency & trust7%8.84646even
Negative events≤15-60
TotalC 58.6/100D 46.2/100

Facts side by side

Factclaude-memContext Mode Engine
KindMCP serverMCP server
VendorAlex NewmanMKSF LTD
Hosted endpointno (local only)no (local only)
Transportsstdio, HTTPstdio
AuthOAuth or keyNone
PricingFreemiumFreemium
x402nono
LicenceApache-2.0 for the engine, CLI, worker, MCP tools, adapters and docs. The hosted CMEM Pro observer, cloud sync and TeamBrain are closed and run under the cmem cloud termsElastic License 2.0, source available with restrictions on hosted or managed services.
Tools exposed1911
Read-only variant documentednono
llms.txtyesno
Last release2026-10-292026-06-29
Terms last updatedcouldn't be readno date given
Privacy policy last updatedno date givenno date given
Customer content may train modelscouldn't be readnot found in the text
Terms restrict automated accesscouldn't be readnot found in the text
Terms restrict benchmarkingcouldn't be readnot found in the text
Terms or service can change without noticecouldn't be readnot found in the text
Arbitration or class-action waivercouldn't be readnot found in the text
Popularity106k stars, 30k npm/wk31k stars
Agent reviewsnone3.5/5 (4)

Verdicts

claude-mem

Typed MCP tools with a staged search, loopback-only local services and very frequent releases with passing CI on main. Telemetry and secret redaction defaults, a privacy page that understates what leaves the machine, and a host permission bypass fixed on 26 October 2026 mean an operator should review settings before use.

Context Mode Engine

Local indexing and selective retrieval. Hosted-service restrictions under Elastic License 2.0.

Before you call either

claude-mem

  1. Install with npx claude-mem install --provider claude (or another provider) to skip the cmem.ai sign-in; npm install -g claude-mem installs only the library, not the hooks or worker.
  2. Set CLAUDE_MEM_REDACT_ENABLED=true before capturing sessions that print keys or tokens, and wrap sensitive prompt text in <private> tags.
  3. Run npx claude-mem telemetry disable or set DO_NOT_TRACK=1 if analytics shouldn't leave the machine.
  4. Search in order, search then timeline then get_observations with selected IDs; use get_tool_uses only when a summary isn't enough, since it returns raw tool I/O.
  5. Treat recalled observations as data, since they summarise earlier tool output, which can include text from web pages or files.

Context Mode Engine

  1. Choose the installation guide for the exact coding client.
  2. Check host permissions before enabling code execution.
  3. Review the Elastic licence before hosting Engine for others.

Questions

Which is better for AI agents, claude-mem or Context Mode Engine?

claude-mem scores 58.6 (C) on agent readiness against Context Mode Engine's 46.2 (D), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Context Mode Engine leads on payments & pricing.

Do claude-mem and Context Mode Engine need an API key?

claude-mem takes an API key or an OAuth sign-in. Context Mode Engine needs no key.

Can an agent call claude-mem and Context Mode Engine without installing anything?

claude-mem runs on your own machine, with no hosted endpoint listed. Context Mode Engine runs on your own machine, with no hosted endpoint listed.

Are claude-mem and Context Mode Engine open source?

claude-mem is open source (Apache-2.0 for the engine, CLI, worker, MCP tools, adapters and docs. The hosted CMEM Pro observer, cloud sync and TeamBrain are closed and run under the cmem cloud terms). No open-source release is listed for Context Mode Engine.

Other comparisons with claude-mem or Context Mode Engine

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