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Mem vs Stacks

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. Mem starts at $12, Stacks at $9. Only Mem has a free tier. Only Mem ships a public API.

MemNotes app with an agent that files captures, tracks commitments and briefs you before meetingsStacksOne place for notes, bookmarks, links and files, with search that works on meaning rather than filenames.

Side by side

FactMemStacks
CategoryNote-taking & Second BrainNote-taking & Second Brain
Pricing modelFreemiumPaid
Starts at$12 month$9 month
Public APIYesNo
PlatformsWeb, macOS, Windows, iOSWeb, Chrome Ext, iOS, Android
Company—BetterStacks India Pvt Ltd
Last verifiedSep 6, 2026Sep 6, 2026

What our research says

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

Stacks

The pitch is consolidation, and it is aimed at the real problem: the thing you saved is in one of six apps and you cannot remember which. Capture surfaces are covered properly — Chrome extension, iOS, Android, web — which is where most second-brain tools fall down. What you are betting on is the search actually finding things, and there is no free tier to test that with, only a refund window.

Pros

  • Notes, bookmarks, links and files in one index rather than four tools
  • Capture from Chrome extension, iOS, Android and web
  • Shared workspaces with unlimited users from the $29 tier
  • 30-day money-back guarantee on every plan
  • Named Indian legal entity behind it

Cons

  • No free tier — the cheapest way in is $9 a month or a refund request
  • No public API, so getting data out programmatically is unclear
  • Storage caps of 50GB and 500GB matter if you file large documents
  • Search quality is the whole product and cannot be judged before paying

Which one fits

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

Choose Stacks if you need

  • Researchers and writers whose sources are scattered across apps
  • Teams wanting shared collections of links and files
  • People who clip constantly from the browser and from mobile

More comparisons

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