Paperclip vs 
Letta
Paperclip vs Letta compared for 2026 — features, license, ease of use, performance and which one to choose. Run a company of AI agents from one dashboard vs Stateful agents with long-term memory.
Updated regularly · curated by OpenSourceAI.tech
Paperclip vs Letta at a glance
| Spec | Paperclip | Letta |
|---|---|---|
| Category | AI agent framework | AI agent framework |
| Type | Agent orchestration platform | Agent runtime (memory) |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Runs locally | Yes | Self-hosted |
| Primary language | TypeScript | Python |
| Ease of use | Intermediate | Advanced |
| Best for | coordinating many agents toward one business goal | agents that remember across sessions |
| GitHub stars | 75.1k | 24k |
How Paperclip and Letta score
| Criterion | Paperclip | Letta |
|---|---|---|
| Popularity | 4.5 | 3.5 |
| Maintenance | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| Ease of use | 3.5 | 2.5 |
| Privacy | 5.0 | 4.5 |
| License freedom | 5.0 | 5.0 |
Scores are computed automatically from public signals — GitHub stars (popularity), recent commit activity (maintenance), license type (freedom), local-first design (privacy) and onboarding complexity (ease of use). Indicative, not a verdict.
What each one is
Paperclip
Paperclip is a self-hosted server and web UI that orchestrates teams of AI agents like a company: org charts, goals, budgets, approval gates and a full audit trail. Any agent that can receive a heartbeat can be plugged in — Claude Code, Codex, OpenClaw and more.
- Bring any agent: Claude Code, Codex, OpenClaw
- Per-agent budgets with hard cost stops
- Org chart, approvals and immutable audit log
Letta
Letta (formerly MemGPT) is a framework and server for building stateful agents with long-term memory that persists across sessions, with a visual agent editor.
- Persistent long-term agent memory
- Server with REST API and visual editor
- Model-agnostic and self-hostable
Key differences
Paperclip is agent orchestration platform, while Letta is agent runtime (memory). Their licenses differ (MIT vs Apache-2.0), which matters if you ship a commercial product. Paperclip leans more intermediate-friendly, whereas Letta is more suited to advanced users. They also differ in how they run (Yes vs Self-hosted). In short, Paperclip fits coordinating many agents toward one business goal, and Letta fits agents that remember across sessions.
Which should you choose?
Choose Paperclip for coordinating many agents toward one business goal. Choose Letta for agents that remember across sessions.
There is rarely one winner — many setups use both. The right pick depends on your hardware, your team's skills, and whether you value simplicity or control.
Frequently asked questions
Is Paperclip or Letta easier to use?
Paperclip is generally the easier of the two to get started with, while Letta rewards more setup with more control.
Are Paperclip and Letta free?
Paperclip is free and open source (MIT), and Letta is free and open source (Apache-2.0). Neither charges for the core software.
Can I run Paperclip and Letta locally?
Paperclip: yes · Letta: self-hosted. Both can be used without sending your data to a third-party cloud where their setup allows.
Paperclip vs Letta — which should I pick in 2026?
Choose Paperclip for coordinating many agents toward one business goal. Choose Letta for agents that remember across sessions.
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