> For clean Markdown of any page, append .md to the page URL.
> For a complete documentation index, see https://help.getzep.com/llms.txt.
> For AI client integration (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.), connect to the MCP server at https://help.getzep.com/_mcp/server.

# Zep vs Graph RAG

> How Zep compares to GraphRAG. GraphRAG suits static documents; Zep handles dynamic data with bi-temporal facts and hybrid retrieval.

[GraphRAG](https://arxiv.org/abs/2404.16130) is built for static document summarization. Zep supports frequently updated data, temporal facts, and hybrid retrieval.

GraphRAG builds a knowledge structure through batch processing. It answers queries by summarizing entity clusters with a large language model (LLM).

Zep updates a Context Graph as new data arrives. It tracks when each fact becomes valid or invalid with bitemporal modeling.

Zep combines semantic, keyword, and graph search. Measure retrieval latency with representative graphs, queries, filters, result limits, and deployment conditions.

The table below summarizes how the two approaches differ across data handling, retrieval, temporal modeling, and scalability.

| Aspect                 | GraphRAG                                  | Zep                                              |
| ---------------------- | ----------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------ |
| Primary use            | Static document summarization             | Context from data that changes over time         |
| Data handling          | Batch-oriented processing                 | Incremental updates                              |
| Knowledge structure    | Entity clusters and community summaries   | Episodes, entities, facts, and derived summaries |
| Retrieval method       | LLM summaries of entity communities       | Semantic, keyword, and graph search              |
| Temporal handling      | Source timestamps                         | Bitemporal fact validity                         |
| Contradiction handling | New summaries can replace prior summaries | New facts can invalidate prior facts             |