The best personal CRM is the one you will still open three weeks after a conference. We compared five options on price, free plans, platforms and how you get people into them.
We make ConnectMachine, so it is on this list and we put it first. Every price for the other apps comes from their own pricing page, linked below and checked in October 2026. If a vendor changes a price, their page wins.
What a personal CRM does for one person
A personal CRM keeps the people you know in one place, with the context your phone's contacts app leaves out: where you met, what you talked about, and when you should get back in touch. Sales CRMs track deals and pipelines for a team. A personal CRM tracks relationships for you, so most of them focus on fast capture, notes and reminders rather than forecasts.
For how this works in ConnectMachine, see the personal CRM app page.
How we compared the personal CRM tools
- Price for one person, from each vendor's own pricing page, checked in October 2026.
- Whether there is a free plan, a free trial, or neither.
- Where it runs: web, iPhone, Android, desktop, browser extension.
- How people get in: scanning a business card, syncing LinkedIn or email, or typing.
- Whether you can export your contacts if you leave.
Personal CRM apps compared
| App | Best for | Free option | Paid from (one person) | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. ConnectMachine | People you meet in person | Free plan | $5/mo billed annually ($59.99/yr), or $5.99 month to month | Web, iOS, Android |
| 2. Dex | Keeping up with a LinkedIn network | 6-day free trial | $12/mo (Premium) | Web, desktop, mobile, browser extension |
| 3. folk | Relationships you run from your inbox | 2-week free trial | $24/member/mo billed yearly, or $30 monthly | Web, desktop, mobile, Chrome extension |
| 4. Monica | Privacy and self-hosting | Free plan with limitations; free to self-host | See Monica's pricing page | Hosted or your own server |
| 5. Spreadsheet or Notion template | Small networks, full control | Free | Free | Wherever you use the sheet |
The best personal CRM apps, one by one
1. ConnectMachine
ConnectMachine starts from the moment you meet someone. You share your digital business card by QR code or link, scan their paper card, and the contact lands with your notes attached. AI Note Taker can record a conversation and give you a transcript and summary, and AI Concierge answers questions like who you met at a given event. Follow-up reminders tell you when to get back in touch.
- Price: Free plan (up to 4 cards and 3 paper card scans). Individual is $5 a month billed annually ($59.99 a year), or $5.99 month to month. See pricing
- Runs on: Web (app.connectmachine.ai), iPhone and Android
- Getting people in: Card scanning, contacts who share their details back through your card, or typing
- Leaving: Export contacts to CSV. CRM sync runs through Zapier, Make, n8n, Pabbly or webhooks; there is no native HubSpot or Salesforce connector.
- Pick it if: Most of your network comes from events, meetings and introductions, and you want the card and the CRM in one app.
2. Dex
Dex is built around keeping in touch with a network you already have online. LinkedIn sync is part of every plan, and it runs on the web, desktop, mobile and as a browser extension.
- Price: Premium $12 a month, Professional $20 a month, Team $40 per user a month. Annual and quarterly billing are discounted. No free plan; 6-day free trial. Dex pricing
- Runs on: Web, desktop, mobile and browser extension
- Getting people in: LinkedIn sync (up to 2,500 connections on Premium, 9,000 on Professional and Team)
- Pick it if: Your network lives mostly on LinkedIn and you want reminders to stay in touch with it.
3. folk
folk is priced per member and connects to where you already talk to people: email, calendar and WhatsApp sync come with the Standard plan, along with a LinkedIn extension. It also has an API on Premium and above.
- Price: Standard $24 per member a month billed yearly ($288), or $30 billed monthly. Premium $48 billed yearly or $60 monthly. 2-week free trial, no card needed. folk pricing
- Runs on: Web, desktop, mobile and Chrome extension
- Getting people in: Email, calendar and WhatsApp sync, LinkedIn extension
- Pick it if: You manage relationships from your inbox, or a small team needs to share contacts.
4. Monica
Monica is an open-source personal CRM. The code is public on GitHub, and you can install it on your own server for free if you want your contact data to stay with you.
- Price: The hosted version has a free plan with limitations; paid hosted plans are listed on Monica's pricing page. Self-hosting is free.
- Getting people in: Typing
- Pick it if: Privacy matters most to you and you are comfortable running your own server.
5. A spreadsheet or Notion template
A personal CRM template is the cheapest place to start. Make one row per person in Google Sheets, Excel or Notion, with columns for name, how you met, last conversation, next step and follow-up date. Sort by the follow-up date each week.
- Price: Free if you already use the tool
- Getting people in: Typing, or importing a CSV. The free business card scanner turns a stack of paper cards into a CSV you can paste in.
- Pick it if: You keep up with fewer than a few hundred people and do not need reminders on your phone.
The best free personal CRM options
Three options on this list cost nothing to keep using: ConnectMachine's free plan, Monica (hosted free plan or self-hosted), and a spreadsheet or Notion template. Dex and folk offer free trials, then need a paid plan.
- ConnectMachine free plan: up to 4 cards and 3 paper card scans, with your contacts on web, iPhone and Android. See what the free plan includes.
- Monica: a hosted free plan with limitations, or free if you host it yourself.
- Template: free and fully yours, but every reminder and note is manual.
Using a CRM for personal life, not just work
Some people use a personal CRM for friends and family as well: birthdays, how someone's new job is going, the name of a friend's partner. Any app on this list can hold that. The difference is how you add people. Apps that sync LinkedIn or email fill up with work contacts. Apps built around meeting people, or a plain template, suit a mixed list better because you choose who goes in.
Which personal CRM fits how you meet people
- You meet most people at events, meetings and conferences: ConnectMachine, because it starts from sharing your card and scanning theirs.
- Your network is mostly on LinkedIn: Dex.
- You work from email and WhatsApp, or share contacts with a small team: folk.
- You want your data on your own server: Monica, self-hosted.
- You have a small network and want to spend nothing: a spreadsheet or Notion template.
