Memory (Reference) vs span
Memory (Reference) is an MCP server published by modelcontextprotocol. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Docker MCP Catalog). span is a plugin bundle for AI coding tools published by Span. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Community GitHub marketplaces). As of our marketplace pass on 2026-10-17. This pair was picked by a reader, not by our comparison rule, so search engines are asked not to index the page.
Where each is published
| Marketplace |  Memory (Reference) | |
|---|---|---|
| Docker MCP Catalog | Listed Version: sha256:db0c2db07a44 Forks (GitHub): 11 788 Pulls (Docker Hub): 557 433 Stars (Docker Hub): 26 Stars (GitHub): 91 289 Not marked · First seen |
Not listed |
| Community marketplace attuned-corp/skills | Not listed | Listed Version: 1.5.0 Forks (GitHub): 0 Stars (GitHub): 4 Not marked · First seen |
Each figure is the marketplace's own and is never added up across marketplaces. A marketplace that publishes no figure shows none: no number is not zero.
The facts side by side
| Fact | Memory (Reference) | span |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplaces that list it | 1 | 1 |
| Stars (GitHub) (differs) | 91 289 (better) | 4 (worse) |
| Pulls (Docker Hub) (differs) | 557 433 | No figure on Docker Hub |
| Forks (GitHub) (differs) | 11 788 (better) | 0 (worse) |
| Last release | Not published | Not published |
| Where it runs (differs) | On your machine (mcp/memory) | Installs as a plugin bundle |
| Transport (differs) | stdio | Not stated |
| Tools it declares (differs) | 9 | Not published |
| Environment variables it asks for | Not published | Not published |
| Parts of the bundle (differs) | Not a bundle | 1 |
| Licence (differs) | NOASSERTION | Not stated |
| Repository (differs) | github.com/modelcontextprotocol/servers | github.com/attuned-corp/skills |
| Changes in the last 7 days (differs) | 0 | 2 |
| First seen (differs) | 2026-10-11 | 2026-10-15 |
Lines where the two differ have a tinted background and bold values. Where the data itself says which value is better (more marketplaces, a larger figure of the same marketplace, a fresher release, a verified mark on a marketplace that lists both), the better one is also marked green with ▲ and the worse one red with ▼. Where it runs, the transport, the tools, the settings, hooks, the bundle's parts, the licence and the week's changes are marked only as different: more or fewer is not better in itself.
What each says it does
Memory (Reference)
Knowledge graph-based persistent memory system.
span
Query engineering, project management, investment, and AI agent trace data from the Span Knowledge Graph API
How to run each
Memory (Reference) As a local MCP server: Docker image
claude mcp add --transport stdio memory -- docker run -i --rm mcp/memoryspan As a Claude Code plugin
/plugin marketplace add attuned-corp/skills
/plugin install span@span-skillsCommands built only from what the marketplaces declare; the full set for every client is on each card.
Tools each declares
The marketplaces of span publish no list of tools, so we do not compare tools.
Settings each asks for
Neither one's marketplaces publish the settings it asks for.
What it can do: Memory (Reference) · What it can do: span · Compare two other plugins
Data comes from the Docker MCP Catalog (desktop.docker.com/mcp/catalog) and Docker Hub. Data comes from public marketplace files in GitHub repositories of their authors. Figures come from our own regular passes over the marketplaces, last read on . We publish no contact details for plugin publishers.