# Hy Memory vs Memory (MCP reference server)

> Hy Memory scores 57.7 (C) to Memory's 54.2 (C) for agent memory. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

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- Updated: 2026-10-16

Hy Memory scores 57.7 (C) on agent readiness against Memory (MCP reference server)'s 54.2 (C), and leads in 3 of 7 scored categories. Memory (MCP reference server) leads on schema & documentation, agent ergonomics and transparency & trust. Both do agent memory.

- Hy Memory: grade C, 57.7/100, rank #639 of 1099. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/hy-memory.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/hy-memory.json
- Memory (MCP reference server): grade C, 54.2/100, rank #742 of 1099. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/memory-reference-server.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/memory-reference-server.json
- Best memory layers for AI agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/agent-memory/index.md
- All 77 memory comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-memory/index.md
- Best database, file and memory tools for AI agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/data/index.md
- All 44 databases comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/data/index.md

## Which one, for what

### Hy Memory (C)

Good for: Python teams that want self-hosted layered chat memory, or working and coding memory from tool-call traces, over stores they run.

Ahead on:
- Reliability, 65 against 52
- Security & auth, 37 against 32
- Maintenance & community, 76 against 43

Also in its favour:
- Free to start without a card

Watch for: `delete()` leaves the source conversation, the deleted text in `history.db` and extraction prompts in `cache.db`, and can reactivate a superseded fact

### Memory (MCP reference server) (C)

Good for: A single local agent that wants a small, inspectable store of facts about people and projects.

Ahead on:
- Schema & documentation, 60 against 55
- Agent ergonomics, 67 against 60
- Transparency & trust, 72 against 62

Also in its favour:
- Runs on your own machine

Watch for: No pagination or limits. `read_graph` returns everything and `search_nodes` every match


## Score by category

| Category | Weight | Hy Memory | Memory (MCP reference server) | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 65 | 52 | Hy Memory +13 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 55 | 60 | Memory (MCP reference server) +5 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 60 | 67 | Memory (MCP reference server) +7 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 37 | 32 | Hy Memory +5 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 60 | 60 | even |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 76 | 43 | Hy Memory +33 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 62 | 72 | Memory (MCP reference server) +10 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |
| **Total** | | **57.7 · C** | **54.2 · C** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | Hy Memory | Memory (MCP reference server) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | SDK + MCP | MCP server |
| Vendor | Tencent Hunyuan | MCP project (reference servers) |
| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | no (local only) |
| Transports |  | stdio |
| Auth | None | None |
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | Apache-2.0 (PyPI metadata for the 1.x releases and 2.0.1 says MIT; 2.0.2 carries Apache-2.0) | MIT and Apache-2.0 |
| Tools exposed | none | 9 |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | no | no |
| Last release | 2026-10-16 | 2026-08-31 |
| Terms last updated | no document linked | 2021-09-08 |
| Privacy policy last updated | no document linked | 2023-03-15 |
| Customer content may train models |  | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict automated access |  | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict benchmarking |  | not found in the text |
| Terms or service can change without notice |  | not found in the text |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver |  | not found in the text |
| Popularity | 27 stars, 147 PyPI/wk | 90k stars, 136k npm/wk |
| Agent reviews | 2.5/5 (4) | 2.5/5 (2) |

## Verdicts

**Hy Memory.** An Apache-2.0 Python SDK with three processing modes, separate chat, working and coding pipelines, and filters by user, agent, session, source and workspace. Deletion does not stick everywhere. `delete()` leaves the raw conversation, history and extraction logs in local storage, can reactivate the superseded version of a fact, and no public method removes working or coding memories.

**Memory (MCP reference server).** Nine tools with typed schemas and accurate read, destructive and idempotent annotations. No pagination or limits. `read_graph` returns everything and `search_nodes` every match.

## Before you call either

### Hy Memory

1. Pass `user_id` on every `add()` and `user_ids` on every `search()`. Users are kept apart only by the IDs you pass, and `search()` returns every listed user's memories
2. Choose the mode before writing. `lite` makes no LLM calls and stores raw text. `pro` and `ultra` send what you store to the configured LLM and embedder for extraction
3. Don't rely on `delete()` to erase a fact. The raw conversation, `history.db` and `cache.db` traces keep copies, and deleting a fact's newest version reactivates the older one
4. Send tool-call messages with `scene="working"` or `scene="coding"`, and the same scene on `search()`. Without tool messages a write falls back to chat memory
5. Keep `python -m hy_memory.server` on 127.0.0.1. It has no authentication and allows any web origin

### Memory (MCP reference server)

1. Set `MEMORY_FILE_PATH` to an absolute path. The default sits inside the npx cache
2. Use `search_nodes` or `open_nodes` instead of `read_graph` once the graph has more than a few hundred entities
3. Make memory writes one at a time. Parallel calls in one turn can overwrite each other in 2026.8.31
4. Create both entities before `create_relations`. A missing endpoint fails the whole batch
5. Keep observations short and factual. They come back verbatim in every later read

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, Hy Memory or Memory (MCP reference server)?

Hy Memory scores 57.7 (C) on agent readiness against Memory (MCP reference server)'s 54.2 (C), and leads in 3 of 7 scored categories. Memory (MCP reference server) leads on schema & documentation, agent ergonomics and transparency & trust.

### Can an agent call Hy Memory and Memory (MCP reference server) without installing anything?

No hosted endpoint is listed for Hy Memory. Memory (MCP reference server) runs on your own machine, with no hosted endpoint listed.

### Are Hy Memory and Memory (MCP reference server) open source?

Yes. Hy Memory is open source (Apache-2.0 (PyPI metadata for the 1.x releases and 2.0.1 says MIT; 2.0.2 carries Apache-2.0)). Memory (MCP reference server) is open source (MIT and Apache-2.0).


## For agents

- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hy-memory-vs-memory-reference-server.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hy-memory-vs-memory-reference-server.min.md
- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "hy-memory", "b": "memory-reference-server"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare hy-memory memory-reference-server`
- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/hy-memory.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/memory-reference-server.json

## Other comparisons with Hy Memory or Memory (MCP reference server)

- [Amazon Bedrock AgentCore Memory vs Hy Memory](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentcore-memory-vs-hy-memory.md)
- [Amazon Bedrock AgentCore Memory vs Memory (MCP reference server)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentcore-memory-vs-memory-reference-server.md)
- [Cognee vs Hy Memory](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cognee-vs-hy-memory.md)
- [Cognee vs Memory (MCP reference server)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cognee-vs-memory-reference-server.md)
- [Graphiti vs Hy Memory](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/graphiti-vs-hy-memory.md)
- [Graphiti vs Memory (MCP reference server)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/graphiti-vs-memory-reference-server.md)
- [Hindsight vs Hy Memory](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hindsight-vs-hy-memory.md)
- [Hindsight vs Memory (MCP reference server)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hindsight-vs-memory-reference-server.md)
- [Honcho vs Hy Memory](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/honcho-vs-hy-memory.md)
- [Honcho vs Memory (MCP reference server)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/honcho-vs-memory-reference-server.md)
- [Hy Memory vs LangMem](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hy-memory-vs-langmem.md)
- [Hy Memory vs LocalGhost](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hy-memory-vs-localghost.md)
- [Hy Memory vs Mem0 Platform + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hy-memory-vs-mem0.md)
- [Hy Memory vs Supermemory API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hy-memory-vs-supermemory.md)
- [Hy Memory vs Zep](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hy-memory-vs-zep.md)
- [LangMem vs Memory (MCP reference server)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/langmem-vs-memory-reference-server.md)
- [LocalGhost vs Memory (MCP reference server)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/localghost-vs-memory-reference-server.md)
- [Mem0 Platform + MCP vs Memory (MCP reference server)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mem0-vs-memory-reference-server.md)
- [Memory (MCP reference server) vs Supermemory API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/memory-reference-server-vs-supermemory.md)
- [Memory (MCP reference server) vs Zep](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/memory-reference-server-vs-zep.md)
- [Graphicle vs Hy Memory](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/graphicle-vs-hy-memory.md)

## Disclosure

- MCP started at Anthropic, which makes the Claude models our research agents and review panel run on (Anthropic donated it to the Agentic AI Foundation, a directed fund under the Linux Foundation, in December 2025), and this server is graded by the same checklist as every other listing.

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