Zep vs RelataDB
TL;DR – Zep (with Graphiti) is the closest analog to RelataDB in this list: both track fact-level temporal validity rather than latest-wins. They differ on governance, provenance, deterministic identity, scale, and whether you can keep your existing clients.
What each one is
Zep is a long-term memory service for AI assistants. Its Graphiti engine maintains a temporal knowledge graph: facts have validity intervals, are extracted from conversations, and can be retired/contradicted over time. It is the one alternative here that takes time seriously at the fact level.
RelataDB is a governed temporal knowledge database. Bi-temporality is on every row of every type — not just facts, but identities, links, events, and audit entries carry [valid_from, valid_to) and [system_from, system_to). Time travel (AS OF, AS OF SYSTEM TIME) is a first-class query mode across the whole store, not a fact-store feature.
Feature matrix
| Zep / Graphiti | RelataDB | |
|---|---|---|
| Temporal model | Fact-level validity intervals | Bi-temporal on every row (valid + system time) |
| "What did we know on Tuesday?" | Partial (fact store) | Yes, across the entire store (AS OF SYSTEM TIME) |
| Identity resolution | LLM/graph-extracted | Deterministic checksum parsers (76 canonical kinds) |
| Provenance / audit chain | Limited | Hash-chained, tamper-evident per write; court-grade replay |
| Access control | App-enforced | Cell-level ACL in the scan predicate; per-tenant encryption |
| Scale target | Assistant-scale memory | 1B+ entities → 1T+ edges (cluster profile) |
| Query languages | Zep SDK / Cypher-ish | SQL, Cypher, GQL, SPARQL, MCP |
| Talk to existing clients? | Zep SDK | Postgres / S3 / Mongo / Redis / ClickHouse / Neo4j-Bolt / Flight |
| Self-host | Yes | Yes (single binary, three profiles) |
| Hosted cloud | Yes | License-based self-host |
When to pick Zep
- You want assistant memory with fact-level temporality and the Graphiti mental model fits your team.
- You want a hosted memory service and don't need cell-level governance or a multi-protocol database.
When to pick RelataDB
- Temporality must apply to everything — identities, links, events, audit — not just extracted facts.
- You need governance: cell-level ACL, multi-tenant isolation, a tamper-evident audit chain, reproducible recall.
- You're past assistant-scale into enterprise/intelligence territory (1B+ entities, multi-region, multi-tenant).
- You want to keep your existing Postgres/Mongo/Redis/Neo4j clients.
FAQ
Is RelataDB a Zep replacement? For governed, enterprise-scale, time-aware knowledge — yes. For "temporal memory for my assistant, hosted, done" — Zep is lighter.
What does "bi-temporal" add over Zep's fact validity? Two time axes, not one. Valid time = when the fact was true in the world. System time = when the database recorded it. That distinction is what lets you answer "given what we knew on Tuesday, what should we have reported for Monday?" — the question auditors actually ask.
Graphiti vs RelataDB? Graphiti is Zep's temporal knowledge graph engine. The comparison above is the same — Graphiti brings fact-level temporality; RelataDB brings bi-temporality + governance + provenance + deterministic identity + multi-protocol access.
See also: RelataDB vs the field and Bi-Temporal Model.