Where the graph model leads
- Graphiti: open-source temporal knowledge graph with validity windows on facts
- Zep Cloud: managed path for production graph memory and governance
- Source-episode lineage designed for organizational audit workloads
Compare / vs Zep
Open-core coding continuityvs enterprise graph memory.
Zep and Graphiti build a powerful temporal graph for enterprise governance. Zephr builds portable, scoped continuity for coding agents. The overlap is provenance, and it is a genuine overlap — the divergence is deployment model, primary abstraction, and who the product is for.
Snapshot · August 2026ADR-Z-16re-checked 2026-08-12
Four axes
Shared ground, different primary product.
Graphiti is a real temporal graph engine. Zep Community Edition is no longer maintained — the live split is Graphiti OSS versus Zep Cloud. Zephr is partial on generic temporal graphs and managed cloud; strong on coding handoff and local-first private mode.
| Boundary | Temporal graph | Coding handoff | Local-first | Managed cloud |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zep / Graphiti | ●supported | ◐partial | ◐partial | ●supported |
| Zephrthis page | ◐partial | ●supported | ●supported | ◐partial |
Boundary lens · public positioning re-checked 2026-08-12 · Zep OSS strategy note · ADR-Z-16
● supported◐ partial○ absent
verdicts are testable and dated — no scores, no winners
Zep announced a new open-source direction concentrating on Graphiti and stopping Community Edition maintenance. Compare the products you can actually run today — not a retired CE install path.
Divergence
Enterprise graph vs coding continuity.
The two products diverge on deployment model, primary abstraction, and the workflows they were built to optimise. None of these rows is a defect on either side — they are different design centres.
| Dimension | Zep / Graphiti | Zephr |
|---|---|---|
| Primary model | Temporal knowledge graph | Evidence graph with worktree overlays |
| Deployment | Enterprise-focused offering | Local-first SQLite, managed cloud planned |
| Open-core | No — enterprise licensing | Yes — local SQLite, no account required |
| Coding continuity | General-purpose graph memory | Worktree and branch deltas, signed handoff packets |
| Cross-client | Closed enterprise integration | MCP-native across connected agents |
Public positioning snapshot, re-checked August 2026 — not live data. Rows will move as both products develop; Zep CE is historical, Graphiti is the live OSS engine.
Where Zep wins
Zep's graph model is more mature for enterprise governance.
Zephr does not claim to out-graph Zep. If your workload is enterprise RBAC, temporal facts, and governance audit across a large organization, Zep/Graphiti is the more mature choice today and we would rather say so here than have you find out later.
Where the continuity layer leads
- Coding-specific continuity: worktrees, branch overlays, signed handoff
- Local-first SQLite path with no account required for private mode
- Evidence receipts as durable, inspectable objects under Guard
Comparison reflects public positioning as of August 2026 (Graphiti OSS + Zep Cloud; CE sunset).
Decision framework
Choose Zep or Zephr?
Pick the product whose primary abstraction matches your primary workflow. A graph you do not query is overhead, and a continuity layer you never switch tools inside is too.
The overlap is provenance, so the decision is about the shape around it: who runs the deployment, which abstraction your queries speak, and how many tools you switch between.
Choose Zep / Graphiti if…
You need temporal graph queries, enterprise RBAC, and governance audit across a large organization — and an enterprise-focused deployment model is a fit rather than an obstacle.
Choose Zephr if…
You want portable coding continuity, local-first deployment, and evidence receipts that survive moving between Claude Code, Cursor, Copilot, and other agents mid-task.
See how continuity works.
The golden path covers install, scope admission, provenance-backed recall, and signed handoff — the parts of the story a graph model alone does not answer.