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Knowbase vs Mem

Two fact sheets from our own research, side by side — pricing, platforms, API access and status re-checked by us rather than quoted from the vendors. Knowbase starts at $19, Mem at $12. Both have a free tier. Both ship a public API.

Side by side

FactKnowbaseMem
CategoryChat with Documents & PDFNote-taking & Second Brain
Pricing modelFreemiumFreemium
Starts at$19 month$12 month
Public APIYesYes
PlatformsWeb, APIWeb, macOS, Windows, iOS
Last verifiedSep 6, 2026Sep 6, 2026

What our research says

Knowbase

Stronger than the usual chat-with-PDF tool because audio and video are first-class: transcription with speaker labels means meeting recordings join the same searchable pool as the documents. The limits are storage and query counts, and they bite early - 500 queries a month is a fortnight of real use.

Pros

  • Transcribes audio and video with speaker identification, then makes it searchable alongside documents
  • Queries either a single file or the whole library in one go
  • Connectors for Google Drive, Notion and Dropbox rather than upload-only
  • Shareable links and an embeddable chatbot widget, plus a documented API

Cons

  • Query caps are low - 500 a month on the $19 tier - and count against everyone in a shared workspace
  • No company name, address or jurisdiction is published on the site or in the terms PDF
  • Storage on the entry tier is 2 GB, which a handful of video files will exhaust

Mem

Mem has moved past 'self-organizing notes' into an agent that actually nags you about commitments, which is the part most note apps never deliver. The catch is the ladder: the free tier is tiny, the useful proactive behavior is fenced into a $99/month plan, and sign-in is currently Google-only.

Pros

  • Agent tracks tasks and commitments across notes, not just search
  • Native apps on web, Mac, Windows and iOS with voice capture
  • Pro at $12/month includes API and email-in access
  • Proactive tier reaches you on Slack, iMessage and WhatsApp

Cons

  • Free plan (25 notes/month) is too small to evaluate the agent seriously
  • The headline proactive features cost $99/month
  • Google-only authentication; no Android app listed

Which one fits

Choose Knowbase if you need

  • Anyone whose reference material is a mix of documents, recordings and video
  • Small teams wanting an embeddable support chatbot fed from their own files
  • Researchers who need answers with citations back to the source file

Choose Mem if you need

  • Founders and consultants juggling many threads without an assistant
  • People who capture by voice and want automatic filing
  • Users who want reminders pushed into Slack or iMessage rather than another app

All Knowbase alternatives →Browse all Chat with Documents & PDF