We compared 12 AI coding agents on one dimension that matters most: do they remember your codebase between sessions?
★ agent-memory — Only MIT-licensed universal MCP memoryCursor, Claude Code, OpenHands, Cline, Goose — they're all powerful within a session. But between sessions? Complete amnesia. Every new conversation starts from zero. Every bug fix forgotten. Every architectural decision re-debated.
This comparison looks at AI coding agents through one lens: how well do they remember your project?
| Agent | Memory Type | Persistent? | Encryption | TTL | Local-First | License | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cursor | Tab awareness | No | No | No | Yes | Proprietary | Inline editing |
| Claude Code | CLAUDE.md (manual) | Partial | No | No | Yes | Proprietary | Complex reasoning |
| OpenHands | None built-in | No | No | No | Yes | MIT | 65K GitHub stars, general coding |
| Cline | Memory bank (manual) | Partial | No | No | Yes | MIT | VS Code extension users |
| Goose (Block) | None built-in | No | No | No | Yes | MIT | Block ecosystem users |
| Roo (Cline) | Memory bank (manual) | Partial | No | No | Yes | MIT | Autonomous coding |
| Continue (VS Code/JetBrains) | Context files | Partial | No | No | Yes | MIT | JetBrains users |
| Aider | Chat history | No | No | No | Yes | MIT | Terminal-first developers |
| Mem0 (OpenMemory) | MCP Memory Server | Yes | No | Limited | Cloud | Proprietary | Teams, cloud-first |
| Zep | Memory API | Yes | Yes | Yes | Cloud | Proprietary | Production AI apps |
| Letta | Memory API | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | MIT | Stateful LLM apps |
| ★ agent-memory | MCP Memory Server | Yes | AES-256 | Yes | 100% Local | MIT | Open-source + privacy |
No persistent memory. Tab awareness helps within a session. Between sessions: starts fresh. Combine with agent-memory for persistent context.
Uses CLAUDE.md file manually. Reads at session start. But: /compact destroys context, and manual updates required. See: Claude Code Memory Guide
65K GitHub stars, zero built-in project memory. Every session re-discovers your codebase. See: OpenHands Memory Guide
Supports memory bank files manually. Requires discipline to maintain. agent-memory adds automated memory with TTL and search.
Rust-based extensible agent. MCP-capable. No built-in memory. Connect via agent-memory MCP for persistent storage.
Universal MCP server for ANY AI coding agent. AES-256 encryption. TTL expiration. JSON/SQLite/Redis. MIT license. Works with Cursor, Claude Code, OpenHands, Cline, Goose, Continue.
Every other agent in this comparison either has no memory, manual memory (CLAUDE.md/memory bank), or cloud-only memory (Mem0, Zep).
agent-memory is the only option that gives you:
# Works with Cursor, Claude Code, OpenHands, Cline, Goose, Continue
# Install once, use with any agent
pip install agent-memory
# Run the MCP server
python -m agent_memory.mcp_server
# Then connect your agent via MCP config
# Each agent has slightly different MCP setup steps
# See the guides below for agent-specific instructions
| Priority | Best Agent + Memory | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Privacy / Local-First | OpenHands + agent-memory | 65K stars + 100% local + MIT = maximum flexibility |
| Inline Editing Speed | Cursor + agent-memory | Best inline editing + persistent memory |
| Complex Reasoning | Claude Code + agent-memory | Best reasoning model + memory that survives /compact |
| VS Code Ecosystem | Cline + agent-memory | Open-source VS Code extension + MCP memory |
| JetBrains IDE | Continue + agent-memory | JetBrains support + persistent memory |
| Enterprise / Teams | Zep or Mem0 | Cloud management, team sharing, audit logs |
agent-memory works with the agents you already use. Install once, connect to any MCP-compatible agent.
agent-memory on GitHub Try Live Demo