Comparison

Monica CRM alternatives

Prices read 17 October 2026 · Last updated 17 October 2026

The main alternatives to Monica, the open-source personal CRM, are Dex, which syncs LinkedIn, email and calendar and has apps on every platform from USD 12 a month; Mesh (formerly Clay), which is free for up to 1,000 contacts; and Habitus Mind, which is free for up to 25 contacts and built for the people you meet in person. None of them can be self-hosted, which is the one thing only Monica offers here.

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 Monica alternative

Monica is open source, free on your own server, and USD 9 a month if they host it, with full export at any time. What it leaves to you is the gathering: contacts come in from vCard and CSV files rather than live sync, and the native iOS and Android apps are planned for after version 3, so today it is a web app that works in a phone browser. People who look elsewhere usually want sync with LinkedIn or email, a phone app now, or a faster way to capture people at an event.

2. Compared side by side

FeatureMonicaDexMesh (formerly Clay)Habitus Mind
Free planFree to self-host (open source, on your own server). Hosted Monica has a 30-day trial with no card.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: up to 25 contacts, 5 new a day, no card. 10 AI Credits when you confirm your email.
Paid price (USD)Hosted 9 a month, or 90 a year.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.No paid plan on sale while we test. AI features (card scan, voice notes, research) use AI Credits.
PlatformsWeb app that works in a phone browser. Native iOS and Android apps are planned after version 3.Web, mobile, desktop and a browser extension.Web, iOS, macOS and Windows. Android is not listed.Web app that works in a phone browser, in English and Chinese. No native app or extension.
Getting contacts invCard and CSV files, with duplicates shown before any merge.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.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 outFull export at any time.CSV of contacts and timeline entries.CSV, sent to you by email.CSV of your contacts, from the contacts list.
RemindersReminders.Reminders, and a keep-in-touch frequency per contact.Reconnect, reminders and birthday notifications.No per-contact reminders yet; a weekly in-app nudge to plan your network.
Best fitPeople who want to own their data and can run a server, or want a low flat price.Large online networks, LinkedIn first.A big free start, with life updates on the people you know.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

  • Monica: People who want to own their data and can run a server, or want a low flat price.
  • Dex: Large online networks, LinkedIn first.
  • Mesh (formerly Clay): A big free start, with life updates on the people you know.
  • 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 Monica to Habitus Mind

  1. Monica lets you export all your data at any time, including your custom fields. Do that first and keep the file: it is your backup, whatever you move to.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. When you want your data out, use Export CSV on the contacts list.

Moving to Dex instead: Dex lists contact import on every paid plan. Moving to Mesh: CSV import is on Mesh Pro, not the free plan.

FAQ

Is there a free alternative to Monica?

Monica itself is free if you host it. Without a server, Mesh (formerly Clay) is free for up to 1,000 contacts with a card at sign-up, and Habitus Mind is free for up to 25 contacts with no card.

Is there a Monica alternative with a phone app?

Dex lists mobile, desktop, web and a browser extension, and Mesh lists iOS, macOS, Windows and web. Habitus Mind, like Monica today, is a web app that works in a phone browser.

Can I import my Monica contacts into Habitus Mind?

From a CSV or vCard file, yes: choose Import on the contacts list. It does not read Monica's other export formats. The free plan holds 25 contacts and adds 5 new a day.

Sources

Other comparisons: Dex alternatives, Clay alternatives, Best personal CRM for networking.