← ReadmeDB
Compare · Updated July 2026

ReadmeDB vs Zep: markdown project brain vs temporal knowledge graph

Zep (via Graphiti) models how facts change over time — validity windows, entity graphs, sub-200ms hybrid retrieval for production agents. ReadmeDB models what your team decided — versioned markdown files plus optional distilled memories, reachable from any MCP coding agent.

Feature comparison

DimensionReadmeDBZep / Graphiti
Primary storagePostgres-backed markdown files + memory rowsTemporal knowledge graph + vector retrieval
Best jobEngineering project brain across IDE agentsEnterprise agents needing fact consistency over time
Temporal reasoningFile version history + timestampsBi-temporal edges (valid_from / valid_to)
Human audit trailGit-style diffs on .md filesGraph queries + episode history
Coding-agent MCP30 tools — read/write/search/patchREST/SDK — not IDE-native
Auto entity extractionAgents write explicitlyCore ingestion pipeline
Graph traversalNot builtFirst-class (Graphiti)
Self-hostHosted SaaSGraphiti OSS + own graph DB
Typical buyerIndie hackers & small eng teams on Cursor/ClaudeB2B agents, CRM, compliance-heavy workflows

When Zep wins

You need to answer “what did we believe about this customer on March 3?” with graph-backed provenance. Sales copilots, support agents with long histories, regulated industries — Zep’s temporal model is genuinely differentiated.

When ReadmeDB wins

Your pain is re-explaining the repo when switching from Cursor to Claude Code. You want CLAUDE.md, decisions.md, and tasks.md as living files — not a graph DB you operate. Setup is one MCP block; humans can read the brain in the dashboard.

Hybrid recall on ReadmeDB

We added hybrid_recall (files + memories in one search) and promote_memory_to_file so scratch facts graduate into durable markdown — a lightweight answer to “facts vs documents” without running Neo4j.

Try the project-brain path

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "readmedb": {
      "url": "https://app.readmedb.com/api/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer rdb_your_key"
      }
    }
  }
}
Start free project brain →
vs HackMD / GitHubvs Mem0vs LettaProject brainMCP