head to head · open source
claude-mem vs OpenWork
claude-mem has 94,125 GitHub stars, 8,305 forks, 186 open issues and last shipped yesterday. OpenWork has 23,614 stars, 2,369 forks, 504 open issues and last shipped yesterday. claude-mem leads on adoption by 299% (94,125 vs 23,614 stars). claude-mem is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; OpenWork is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence. claude-mem has attracted 9% as many forks as stars, OpenWork 10%. OpenWork was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| claude-mem | OpenWork | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 94K | ★ 24K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Custom / other |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 8.3K | ⑂ 2.4K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick claude-mem if
- You weight community size — 94K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick OpenWork if
- You want the OpenWork feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and OpenWork fits your workflow better
About claude-mem
claude mem is an Apache 2.0 TypeScript memory layer for AI coding agents that captures what an agent did during a session, compresses it with AI, and injects the relevant parts back into future sessions, built for developers running Claude Code, OpenClaw, Codex, Gemini, Hermes, Copilot, OpenCode and similar tools.
read the full claude-mem overview →
About OpenWork
OpenWork is a free, open source desktop app and agent connected workspace for sharing AI workflows. It is described as an open source alternative to Claude Cowork and Codex for macOS, Windows, and Linux. It lives in the AI development platform ecosystem and connects to agents through the Model Context Protocol, including Codex, Claude Code, Cursor, OpenCode, and other compatible MCP clients.
read the full OpenWork overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is claude-mem or OpenWork more popular?
claude-mem has 94,125 GitHub stars and OpenWork has 23,614. claude-mem has the larger community by that measure.
Are claude-mem and OpenWork free?
Both are open source. claude-mem is licensed under Apache-2.0, and OpenWork has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between claude-mem and OpenWork?
claude-mem is written in TypeScript and OpenWork in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, claude-mem or OpenWork?
Choose claude-mem if you want the larger community (94,125 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose OpenWork if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.