every tool below gets one page: where 3ngram wins, where it doesn't, and when the other tool is the right call.
| capability | 3ngram | mem0 | claude memory | CLAUDE.md | a notebook |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| shared work state | decisions · commitments · blockerstyped, status-aware | memory records | preferences + facts | repo notes | manual notes |
| cross-tool continuity | Claude + ChatGPT + Cursor + Codexsame context travels | via SDK integration | provider-local | repo-local | you carry it |
| source-backed answers | memory + docs + issues + reposcitations where sources exist | app-dependent | chat-local | file-local | manual lookup |
| commitments with lifecycle | deadlines + statusstale and overdue surfaced | no, unless you build it | no | no | manual tracking |
| briefings and stale work | top commitments + blockerswhere attention is needed | no, unless you build it | no | no | self-review |
| provider neutrality | MCP across toolskeep the tool that fits | inside your app | one provider | Claude-focused | outside AI |
| foundation-model training | not useddetails on /security | vendor-dependent | provider terms | local file | yes |
| effort to maintain | remember onceno prompt-file gardening | developer work | automatic, opaque | manual edits | manual writing |
The dividing line is whether you need shared work context across AI sessions and follow-through on decisions, commitments, and blockers. For migration guides, see replaces; for role-specific workflows, see use cases.
memory API for devs vs. shared memory and follow-through for people using AI. Mem0 is plumbing. 3ngram is the working layer.
see comparison →universal memory API vs. shared memory and follow-through for people using AI. Different audiences.
see comparison →open-source Claude Code plugin vs. shared memory and follow-through across AI tools. claude-mem auto-captures flat observations. 3ngram structures them.
see comparison →enterprise agent platform vs. MCP-native shared memory and follow-through. Dust builds agents in a separate workspace. 3ngram carries work inside your chat.
see comparison →enterprise search for large orgs vs. shared memory and follow-through for your AI work. Different scale, overlapping promise.
see comparison →company context graph delivered as files vs. shared memory and follow-through delivered over MCP. Shared thesis, different segment.
see comparison →workspace-locked AI vs. cross-platform shared memory and follow-through. Notion AI only works in Notion.
see comparison →native memory remembers preferences. 3ngram carries decisions, commitments, blockers, source context, and reusable workflows across tools.
see comparison →powerful notes app with AI plugins vs. shared memory and follow-through for AI work. Obsidian is your knowledge base. 3ngram carries decisions, commitments, blockers, and source context into your AI tools.
see comparison →if you are a developer building an agent and you want a drop-in memory SDK for your product, use Mem0. that is what it is for. 3ngram is end-user software for people whose work already happens across Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, Codex, and source systems. different shape, different buyer.
claude memory is great for "remember my stack" and "call me Olivia". it is not built to keep work state portable across providers, source systems, and open loops. better native memory validates the category; 3ngram handles the shared context around it.
if you are a solo dev with one repo, CLAUDE.md is fine. if you have three clients, eight projects, and you move between Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT, and Codex, it stops scaling. 3ngram keeps decisions, patterns, blockers, and commitments in a shared work state instead of asking you to maintain prompt files by hand.
a good bullet journal is extremely hard to beat for private, analog work. if your commitments and decisions do not touch AI sessions or source systems, a notebook may be the right answer. 3ngram's value appears when the work leaks across tools and the next AI session needs the thread.