Comparison
Dex alternatives
Prices read 17 October 2026 · Last updated 17 October 2026
The main alternatives to Dex are Mesh (formerly Clay), which is free for up to 1,000 contacts; Monica, which is open source and USD 9 a month hosted; and Habitus Mind, which is free for up to 25 contacts and built for the people you meet in person. If LinkedIn sync for thousands of connections is why you use Dex, Mesh is the closest match; Habitus Mind does not sync anything yet.
We make Habitus Mind, so weigh our view of it accordingly. Every fact about another product comes from that product's own pages, listed under Sources and read on 17 October 2026. Prices are in US dollars as those pages show them, before tax; they change, so check before you buy.
1. Why people look for a Dex alternative
Dex has no free plan. The cheapest way in is Premium at USD 12 a month billed yearly, or USD 20 billed monthly, after a 6-day trial that needs a card. For a large network that lives on LinkedIn, that buys a lot: sync for up to 2,500 connections, email and calendar integrations, and apps on every platform. People who look elsewhere usually want one of three things: a free plan, data they host themselves, or a tool for the people they meet face to face rather than online.
2. Compared side by side
| Feature | Dex | Mesh (formerly Clay) | Monica | Habitus Mind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | None. Premium and Professional start with a 6-day free trial; a card is needed to start it. | Personal: free up to 1,000 contacts; a card is needed at sign-up. Pro has a 14-day trial. | Free to self-host (open source, on your own server). Hosted Monica has a 30-day trial with no card. | Free: up to 25 contacts, 5 new a day, no card. 10 AI Credits when you confirm your email. |
| Paid price (USD) | Premium 20 a month, or 12 a month billed yearly. Professional 34, or 20 billed yearly. Team 40 per user a month. | Pro 20 a month, or 10 a month billed yearly. Team 49 per seat a month, or 40 billed yearly. | Hosted 9 a month, or 90 a year. | No paid plan on sale while we test. AI features (card scan, voice notes, research) use AI Credits. |
| Platforms | Web, mobile, desktop and a browser extension. | Web, iOS, macOS and Windows. Android is not listed. | Web app that works in a phone browser. Native iOS and Android apps are planned after version 3. | Web app that works in a phone browser, in English and Chinese. No native app or extension. |
| Getting contacts in | LinkedIn sync (up to 2,500 connections on Premium, 9,000 on Professional), email and calendar integrations, two-way contact sync, contact import. | Email, calendar, X, LinkedIn, Facebook and iMessage on the free plan; CSV and spreadsheet import on Pro. | vCard and CSV files, with duplicates shown before any merge. | CSV and vCard import (exports from Google Contacts, Outlook, a phone, Dex or Mesh), with people already saved flagged first. Or add by hand, or scan a business card, which AI reads into the fields. |
| Getting your data out | CSV of contacts and timeline entries. | CSV, sent to you by email. | Full export at any time. | CSV of your contacts, from the contacts list. |
| Reminders | Reminders, and a keep-in-touch frequency per contact. | Reconnect, reminders and birthday notifications. | Reminders. | No per-contact reminders yet; a weekly in-app nudge to plan your network. |
| Best fit | Large online networks, LinkedIn first. | A big free start, with life updates on the people you know. | People who want to own their data and can run a server, or want a low flat price. | People you meet in person, at events in Malaysia, that you want to remember. |
Prices in USD, read on 17 October 2026 from each product's own pricing page.
3. Which one to choose
- Dex: Large online networks, LinkedIn first.
- Mesh (formerly Clay): A big free start, with life updates on the people you know.
- Monica: People who want to own their data and can run a server, or want a low flat price.
- Habitus Mind: People you meet in person, at events in Malaysia, that you want to remember.
4. What Habitus Mind does, and does not do
Habitus Mind's Network Tracker is built for the moment you meet someone. Quick Add takes a business card photo, which AI reads into name, title, company, phone and email (about 1 AI Credit; how to digitize business cards), or a voice or typed note, or a photo of what you want to remember about them. Event Mode logs everyone from one event together. Each meeting is kept as an encounter with where you met and what you talked about, and Recall finds a person from a description when the name is gone. It runs in English and Chinese, on Malaysia time.
What it does not do, today: it does not sync with LinkedIn, email, calendar or your phone (it imports CSV and vCard files instead); it has no per-contact reminders (a weekly in-app nudge only); it has no native app, though it works in a phone browser; and the free plan holds 25 contacts. Your contacts leave the same way they would anywhere: Export CSV on the contacts list.
Create a free account to try it, with no card, or see pricing for what the free plan includes. New to the idea? Start with what a personal CRM is.
5. Moving from Dex to Habitus Mind
- In Dex, open Settings, then Workflow, then Import / Export, and use Export Contacts on the Export tab. You get a CSV. Keep it: it is your backup, whatever you move to.
- In Habitus Mind, open Contacts, choose Import and pick that file. It reads names, companies, titles, phones, emails and notes, flags anyone already saved, and lets you untick the rest. The free plan holds 25 contacts and adds 5 new a day, so start with the people you actually see.
- Log your next meeting with each of them as an encounter: where you met and what you talked about. That context is what Recall searches later.
- When you want your data out, use Export CSV on the contacts list.
Moving to Mesh instead: CSV import is on Mesh Pro, not the free plan. Moving to Monica: it imports CSV and vCard files and shows duplicates before it merges anything.
FAQ
Is there a free alternative to Dex?
Yes. Mesh (formerly Clay) is free for up to 1,000 contacts, though it asks for a card at sign-up. Monica is free if you host it on your own server. Habitus Mind is free for up to 25 contacts with no card.
Can I import my Dex contacts into Habitus Mind?
Yes. Export a CSV from Dex, then choose Import on the Habitus Mind contacts list: it reads Dex's columns, flags anyone already saved and lets you untick the rest. The free plan holds 25 contacts and adds 5 new a day.
How much does Dex cost?
On 17 October 2026, Dex Premium was USD 20 a month, or USD 12 a month billed yearly, and Professional USD 34, or USD 20 billed yearly, with a 6-day free trial that needs a card.
Sources
- Dex pricing, 17 October 2026
- Dex help: export, 17 October 2026
- Mesh pricing, 17 October 2026
- Mesh: Clay is now Mesh (26 March 2026), 17 October 2026
- Mesh help: export to CSV, 17 October 2026
- Monica pricing, 17 October 2026
- Monica home page (import, apps, export), 17 October 2026
- Habitus Mind pricing
Other comparisons: Clay alternatives, Monica CRM alternatives, Best personal CRM for networking.