Zep vs Graphiti | Zep Documentation

Graphiti is the open-source temporal knowledge graph framework that turns data into a temporal Context Graph. It builds graphs for subjects such as users, customers, teams, and topics.

Zep is the unified context layer for enterprise data. It uses Graphiti inside a managed system for extraction and retrieval. The Context Lake manages millions of Context Graphs on Konig, Zep’s graph database service.

Graphiti provides the graph framework. Zep operates Context Graphs as a managed, governed service.

Aspect	Graphiti (open source)	Zep (managed, enterprise scale)
What it is	A temporal knowledge graph framework that you operate	A managed Context Lake for unified enterprise context
Extraction & graph	Entity and edge extraction, bi-temporal model, fact invalidation	Adds Observations, graph analysis, and proprietary extraction LLMs, reranker, and embedding models
Graph storage	Pluggable backends, including Neo4j, FalkorDB, and Amazon Neptune	Konig, Zep’s graph database service, with a managed runtime
Retrieval	Hybrid retrieval with vector, full-text, and graph methods	Managed graph search and Context Block assembly
Users & storage	Build your own	Managed users, threads, and message storage
Developer tools	Build your own; MCP server for Claude, Cursor, and other clients	Dashboard with graph visualization, debug logs, and API logs; SDKs for Python, TypeScript, and Go
Governance	Self-managed	Team access, policy-based context access, source traceability, Audit Logs, API Logs, and customer-key encryption
Compliance	Self-managed	SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA
Deployment	Self-hosted	Cloud / BYOK / BYOC

When to choose which

Choose Graphiti if you want a flexible OSS core and you are comfortable building and operating the surrounding system.

Choose Zep if you want managed enterprise context graphs, agent memory, or customer and account context with governance and support.