Free guide · Oct 5, 2026
Memex: set up a private AI journal on your phone
A step-by-step setup guide with requirements, checks and common problems.
The short version
Memex is a free, open source AI journal for iPhone and Android. You don't write polished entries. You drop in fragments (a line of text, a photo, a voice note) and its AI agents turn them into cards on a timeline, file them into a knowledge base and point out patterns over time.
•What you need: an iPhone on iOS 15.5 or newer, or an Android phone. Plus an AI model: an API key from a provider like OpenAI, Anthropic, Google or DeepSeek, a sign-in option, Memex's own optional AI service, or Ollama.
•What you get: cards for todos, events, expenses, people, places and more, a Projects, Areas, Resources and Archives knowledge base, insight charts and optional AI companion characters. Everything can be exported as Markdown files.
What's in the full guide
- 01Pick your AI model
- 02Step 1: Install it
- 03Step 2: Connect a model
- 04Step 3: Make your first entry
- 05Step 4: Set up storage and backup
- 06What stays on your phone, and what doesn't
- 07Optional: build it from source
- 08Honest limits
- 09Where to go next