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For the simplest way to carry information between Claude conversations, start with Claude’s built-in memory and import/export features. For a connected hosted service, Mem0 has a documented Claude connector; Zep offers a project-administered Context plugin and MCP service. Developers who need control over where memories live can use Anthropic’s API memory tool, but must build and secure the storage handler themselves. The eight options below are ordered by fit and evidence, not by benchmark performance: the available documentation does not establish an objective ranking.
What does “memory for Claude” mean?
Memory can refer to different things: Claude carrying useful information between chats, a service storing facts for a particular user or agent, a project connection that lets an assistant search or save durable information, or a developer framework for building stateful agents. Those are different jobs and do not share a single setup or storage model.
This guide distinguishes end-user features, hosted connections, administered services, and developer building blocks. It describes documented capabilities rather than hands-on test results. No common benchmark in the cited documentation supports claims that one option remembers more accurately or retrieves information faster than another.
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Which Claude memory option should you consider first?
| Option | Best fit | Setup and storage model |
|---|---|---|
| Claude memory and transfer | People who want memory within Claude with minimal setup | Built into Claude; import/export is documented for supported plans and platforms |
| Mem0 | People seeking a hosted Claude memory connection | Hosted MCP service; memories are stored in a Mem0 account |
| Zep Context | Technical users or teams that need project-level administration | Project configuration and identity sign-in; managed-cloud and BYOC deployments are documented |
| Anthropic API memory tool | Developers who want to choose and operate their own storage | Application implements a handler and storage backend |
| Letta | Developers exploring stateful-agent memory | Developer documentation covers stateful agents; a ready-made consumer Claude integration is not established in the cited page |
| Cognee | Developers evaluating memory tooling | AI memory developer product; Claude-specific consumer connection is not established in the cited landing page |
| claude-mem | Claude Code users exploring persistent project context | Project README describes capturing and reusing agent context; these are project claims, not independent test results |
| Supermemory | Developers looking for a memory API | Official documentation identifies a memory API; a ready-made Claude consumer integration is not established in the cited landing page |
The ordering reflects how directly the cited documentation supports use with Claude and how much implementation or administration is involved. It is not a quality score.
#1 Best Overall
1. Claude’s built-in memory and transfer
For people who want Claude to retain useful context without connecting another service, the built-in option is the natural baseline. Anthropic’s help page, dated September 2, 2026, says memory imports are available on Free, Pro, Max, and Team plans on the web and Claude Desktop. It also describes importing memories from other AI providers and exporting Claude memory for backup or migration. See Anthropic’s memory import and export instructions for the current flow.
Anthropic notes that a newer memory experience and a legacy experience coexist for some Team and Enterprise organizations, so menus and steps can differ by account. Check the help page and the controls shown in your Claude account rather than assuming every organization has the same interface.
2. Mem0 for Claude
Mem0 is a strong candidate if you want a hosted connection that exposes memory operations to Claude. Anthropic’s Mem0 connector listing describes persistent memory across sessions, with memories that can be stored, searched, updated, or forgotten and scoped per user, agent, or session.
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Mem0’s MCP documentation says its MCP server is hosted over HTTPS and that memories live in a Mem0 account, not on the local computer. It documents adding, searching, retrieving, updating, and deleting memories, and setup for Claude Code and Claude Desktop. This is a hosted-service choice: review the service’s current account and privacy details before connecting sensitive information.
3. Zep Context plugin and MCP
Zep suits technical users and organizations prepared to configure a project and sign-in flow. Its client setup guide documents a Context plugin for supported clients, including Claude. The plugin combines an MCP connection with a skill that guides the assistant on when to search for or save durable information.
The setup guide describes project configuration, enabling the connection, and work-email sign-in through Google Workspace or a custom identity provider. It distinguishes the plugin route from direct MCP setup; on the direct path, the skill is separate from the MCP endpoint. Zep says the agent skips ephemeral chat and writes durable facts through tools, rather than automatically ingesting every conversation.
Zep’s Context MCP documentation says users can search their own graph and add memories when project settings allow writes. It also documents managed-cloud and BYOC deployments. Project configuration therefore matters both for access and for whether memory writes are permitted.
4. Anthropic’s API memory tool
This is a developer building block, not a ready-to-use consumer memory service. Anthropic’s API documentation describes a persistent /memories file directory: Claude requests file operations, and the application runs a handler and returns the results. The application chooses the backing storage, which may be files, a database, cloud storage, or encrypted files.
That control also creates implementation responsibilities. The documentation says, “Your handler must reject paths outside /memories.” Developers must enforce this boundary and make their own decisions about access, retention, encryption, and data handling. Enabling the tool alone does not provision a managed memory database.
Rank #4
5–8. Developer tools to evaluate
These projects are relevant to developers exploring memory or stateful agents, but the cited pages do not provide equivalent evidence of Claude-specific consumer integrations or comparative performance. Treat them as a shortlist to investigate, not as proven alternatives to the first four options.
5. Letta
Letta’s documentation on stateful agents covers agent state and memory concepts. The cited page does not establish a ready-made consumer integration for Claude.
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6. Cognee
Cognee’s official documentation describes an AI memory developer product. Its cited landing page does not establish a Claude-specific end-user connector or a head-to-head result.
7. claude-mem
The claude-mem project README describes capturing agent activity, compressing it, and injecting relevant context into future sessions; the repository lists Claude Code among supported clients. These are the project’s own descriptions, not independent measurements of effectiveness.
8. Supermemory
Supermemory’s official documentation identifies a memory API. The cited landing page does not establish a ready-made Claude consumer integration or comparative performance.
How should you choose?
- Choose the built-in route if your goal is to carry context within Claude and you do not need an external memory service.
- Evaluate Mem0 if you want documented hosted memory operations connected to Claude and are comfortable storing memories in a service account.
- Evaluate Zep if project controls, identity configuration, and an administered deployment fit your environment.
- Use the API memory tool if you are building an application and want to determine where memory is stored, while accepting responsibility for the handler and data controls.
- Investigate the developer shortlist if you are building a stateful agent and can verify the current installation path and Claude compatibility for your own stack.
Before connecting any service to sensitive material, review its current data handling and account terms. Connector availability and plan entitlements can change; the Claude plan and platform availability above reflects Anthropic’s September 2, 2026 help page.
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