Blog Comparisons 3 min read
Mem alternatives in 2026: local, encrypted and automatic options
Mem's plans now run from a free tier through Plus at $9 and Pro at $29 a month, and its notes are encrypted at rest but not end-to-end. If you want your notes on your own disk, Obsidian is free. If you want structure with a cloud, Capacities or Notion. If you want something that fills itself, Everpaper captures your day on a Mac.
Disclosure. Everpaper is our product, and it is in this article. We say where it falls short, and every competitor fact below carries the date we checked it.
Facts as of October 2026. Prices and features change. Each source is linked at the end.
Mem is a cloud notes app you chat with. It saves what you give it, and the assistant finds and connects it later. Reasons to look elsewhere are usually price tiers, where the data lives, or wanting something that captures without being fed.
What Mem costs and does
The pricing page lists plans by monthly price: Free, Plus at $9, Pro at $29, then Pro tiers at $49, $99, $149 and $199 with proportionally higher limits. Free allows 25 messages to Mem, 25 new notes a month, 15 open tasks and projects, and 3 hours of Voice Mode. Routines and connections start on Pro. An extra-usage add-on at $50 a month is offered to Pro 20x customers.
On privacy, Mem says data is encrypted at rest with AES-256 and in transit with TLS, and that it is not end-to-end encrypted. The page does not list supported platforms.
Quick comparison
| Mem | Obsidian | Capacities | Notion | Everpaper | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stores notes | Mem cloud | Local files | Capacities cloud, offline supported | Notion cloud, offline mode | Your Mac |
| AI | Mem agent chat | None built in | Not on Basic | Trial on Free and Plus; agent on Business | Ask, with a provider you set up |
| Price, October 2026 | Free; $9, $29 and up | Free; Sync $4 a month | Free; Pro $11.99 a month | Free plan; paid per member | Private beta |
| Platforms | Not listed | Local apps | Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android | Web, desktop, mobile | macOS 15+, Apple silicon |
The options
Obsidian. Free without limits, notes are local files, and Sync is $4 a month billed annually. No built-in AI, and you do the capture. See Obsidian alternatives.
Capacities. Typed objects and a daily note. Basic is free with unlimited spaces and objects and 5 GB of media. Pro is $11.99 a month or $119.88 a year. Basic has no AI assistant.
Notion. A shared workspace with a free plan. AI Meeting Notes and Notion Agent are on Business. Free and Plus have a limited trial of Notion AI.
Everpaper. Our product, and a different kind of tool. Screen history takes a screenshot of each display every 2 minutes by default, meetings are recorded and transcribed on the Mac, and Ask answers with the source. Recordings and screenshots stay on the Mac, and text reaches an AI provider only if you connect one that runs off it. It is not a place to write notes. It needs macOS 15 or later on Apple silicon, and it is in private beta with no public price.
Stay with Mem if
You want to toss things in and chat with them, the free or Plus limits fit, and cloud storage that is encrypted but not end-to-end is acceptable.
Apply for the Everpaper private beta.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Mem cost?
Mem lists Free, Plus at $9 a month, Pro at $29, and higher tiers up to $199 a month, with usage limits on messages, new notes, tasks and voice hours rising by tier. The page lists monthly prices only.
What are Mem's free plan limits?
25 messages to Mem, 25 new notes a month, 15 open tasks and projects, and 3 hours of Voice Mode. Routines and connections are not included.
Is Mem end-to-end encrypted?
No. Mem says data is encrypted at rest with AES-256 and in transit with TLS but is not end-to-end encrypted.
What is a free alternative to Mem?
Obsidian is free without limits and keeps notes as local files, though it has no built-in AI. Capacities and Notion have free plans with their own limits.
Is there a Mem alternative that captures notes automatically?
Everpaper captures your screen and meetings on a Mac and answers questions about them. It does not replace a place to write notes, and it needs macOS 15 on Apple silicon and a private beta invite.
Sources
Written by Marco Iannello Updated 21 October 2026 How we write comparisons