The best personal CRM apps in 2026: an honest comparison
Netly, Mesh (formerly Clay), Dex, Kinu, Persodex, Monica and the Notion template compared: platforms, AI, pricing and who each app is for.
Deutsche VersionA personal CRM helps you keep up with people without having to remember everything. Which app fits depends mostly on one question: does your contact information come from LinkedIn and email, or from conversations? Mesh and Dex are strong at the first. Netly is built for the second: you say in one sentence what you learned, and the AI creates the contact.
Key takeaways
- Netly is the right pick if you want to capture personal details from conversations, by sentence or voice, on iPhone and Android, and it is currently free.
- Mesh (formerly Clay) and Dex are strong if your network mostly lives in LinkedIn, email and calendar. Mesh has no Android app, Dex has no free plan.
- Kinu and Persodex focus on on-device privacy. Monica is open source and self-hostable, but has no app.
- A Notion or spreadsheet template is free and flexible, but often fails on upkeep because every detail is entered by hand.
Which personal CRM app is right for whom?
- You want to remember what people tell you (kids, hobbies, moves, plans) and capture it quickly on your phone: Netly.
- Your network lives in LinkedIn and email and you work a lot on desktop: Dex or Mesh.
- You use Android: Netly, Dex or Kinu. Mesh and Persodex are Apple-only.
- Your data should stay on your device: Kinu or Persodex.
- You want to self-host everything: Monica.
- You enjoy building your own systems: a Notion template.
Personal CRM apps in 2026 compared
| App | Platforms | How contacts get in | What the AI does | Free to use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Netly | iOS, Android | One sentence, typed or spoken → contact, note, tags. Import phone contacts in one step | Structures while you capture and creates new fields on its own | Yes, currently with all core features |
| Mesh (formerly Clay) | iOS, Mac, Windows, web, no Android | automatically from connected accounts, desktop-focused | searches and summarizes, drafts follow-ups ("Nexus") | up to 1,000 contacts; Pro from $10/month (web) |
| Dex | iOS, Android, web, desktop | sync from LinkedIn, email and calendar | briefings from public sources, 10–50 per month by plan | No, 7-day trial; from $12/month billed yearly |
| Kinu | iOS, Android, web | notes, typed or spoken | no AI feature advertised | up to 10 people; Plus €7.99/month |
| Persodex | iOS only | adds context to your existing iPhone contacts | on-device summaries (Apple Intelligence) | Yes, with in-app purchases |
| Monica | web (no native app) | by hand | no automatic AI | self-hosted yes; hosted version is paid |
| Notion / spreadsheet template | everywhere | by hand | – | Yes |
The biggest difference is in the "What the AI does" column: most apps use AI to summarize data you already have. Netly uses it at capture, exactly where you would otherwise be filling in forms.
Netly: the personal CRM that remembers what people tell you
Netly is a personal CRM app for iPhone and Android, built in Vienna. Instead of filling in fields, you say in one sentence what you learned after a meeting, for example: "Met Lisa at a breakfast meetup, she just had a baby girl, Emma." The AI creates the contact, the note and matching tags. You just confirm.
- Talk instead of type: one sentence is enough, typed or by voice
- Fields create themselves: mention "dog called Bello" or "favourite wine" and Netly adds the field
- Quick start: import your phone contacts in one step
- Two-way calendar sync: events from Netly show up in your phone's calendar and vice versa
- Briefings before meetings: the details are back when you need them
- iPhone and Android, app in English and German
- Hosted in the EU, GDPR-compliant
- Currently free with all core features
What Netly deliberately is not: a sales CRM. No pipelines, no team features, no LinkedIn or email integration. Netly is mobile only, there is no web app. And Netly is young, with few store ratings so far.
Try it with one sentence
Download Netly for free and tell it what you learned about someone today. The contact is ready in seconds.
Mesh (formerly Clay): strong on desktop, no Android
Mesh was called Clay until March 2026 and belongs to Automattic, the company behind WordPress. It builds your network from connected accounts, and its AI "Nexus" searches it, summarizes contacts and drafts follow-ups. Mesh runs on iPhone, Mac, Windows and the web, but not on Android. Free up to 1,000 contacts, Pro from $10 a month on the web (more expensive in the App Store).
Good for: people with a large, digitally maintained network who work mostly on a computer.
Dex: LinkedIn sync on every platform
Dex syncs contacts from LinkedIn, email and calendar and runs on iPhone, Android, web and desktop. Its AI feature "Dex Research" builds briefings from public sources, 10 to 50 per month depending on the plan. There is no free plan, only a 7-day trial, then from $12 a month billed yearly.
Good for: anyone whose network mostly lives in LinkedIn and who is happy to pay for it.
Kinu: private and stored locally
Kinu is a personal CRM for your private life: birthdays, stories and notes about the people you care about, typed or spoken. Data lives on your device first, sync is encrypted. Kinu runs on iPhone, Android and the web, free for up to 10 people, then €7.99 a month. Kinu does not advertise an AI feature.
Good for: a small circle of close people, if local storage matters more to you than automation.
Persodex: contacts with context, iPhone only
Persodex comes from a German-speaking developer and builds on your existing iPhone contacts instead of replacing them. Summaries are created on-device with Apple Intelligence. Free with in-app purchases, but iPhone only.
Good for: iPhone users who want to enrich their existing contacts and value on-device processing.
Monica: open source for self-hosting
Monica is an open-source personal CRM you can run for free on your own server. A hosted version is paid. There are no native iPhone or Android apps yet; on a phone, Monica runs in the browser. Monica deliberately does not use automatic AI.
Good for: technical users for whom full data ownership comes first.
Notion or a spreadsheet as a personal CRM
A Notion database or a spreadsheet is free and can be built exactly the way you like. The catch: you enter every piece of information and create every field yourself, which is tedious on a phone. That is why many self-built systems stop being maintained after a few weeks.
Good for: people who enjoy designing their own system and maintain it consistently.
What to look for when choosing
- Where does your information come from? Conversations (fast capture matters) or LinkedIn and email (integrations matter)?
- Which phone do you use? Several well-known apps are not available on Android.
- How much upkeep will you really do? An app that saves you the typing gets used more than a perfect system you have to maintain.
- Where is your data stored? On your device, on EU servers or with a US provider.
- What does it cost after the trial? Prices range from free to over $200 a year.
The best personal CRM app is the one you actually open after a meeting.
How we compared
This comparison was written by the Netly team, so we are not neutral. That is why it only contains information you can verify on the vendors' websites and app store listings (as of October 2026), and for every app what it is better at than Netly. Prices and features change. If something looks out of date, email us at office@netly-crm.com and we will correct it.
FAQ
What is the best personal CRM app?
Is there a free personal CRM?
Which personal CRM apps are available on Android?
Can I add contacts by voice?
Which personal CRM stores data in the EU?
Remember what people tell you
Netly is the personal CRM for iPhone and Android: one sentence in, contact out. Currently free.