Ranking updated
Personal CRM apps: stay in touch with people you would otherwise lose
Friendships and professional contacts rarely end. They fade, one unanswered month at a time. A personal CRM is a contact list with a memory and a nudge: it reminds you who you have not spoken to in a while and what you talked about last time. Garden does only the reminders, Dex adds notes, tags and integrations, and Covve starts from a scanned business card.
How we chose: established personal relationship apps compared on reminders, notes and how contacts get in. Features from each App Store listing, read in October 2026.
New apps for staying in touch
Younger apps from independent developers in the Censuus catalogue.
Whoo.wtfApp Storea personal CRM named for exactly what you say a week after the conference, when you look at a contact and cannot place them.
BirthdayBridgeApp Storeworks out when the person is actually having their birthday in their own time zone and finds the right moment to reach out, instead of midnight in yours.- Your app hereFree, foreverList my app
For friends and family: Garden
Garden asks one question per person: how often do you want to be in touch? Monthly, quarterly, whatever fits. Then it reminds you when that time is up, and you can keep a note of the last conversation. It is the lightest option here, and that is the point.
For a growing network: Dex
Dex combines keep-in-touch reminders with a fuller memory: details like the name of a colleague’s daughter, groups, custom tags and searchable notes across everyone you know. It suits people whose network is part of their work but who still want it to feel personal.
For events and sales: Covve and Contacts Journal
Covve starts where most new contacts begin, a business card, which it scans and saves, then sets follow-up reminders and tracks your networking activity. Contacts Journal leans towards freelancers and account managers: last interaction, follow-ups, files and email templates per contact, in a private address book.
Which one to pick
Reminders only, for the people you love: Garden. Notes and tags for a wider network: Dex. Business cards and conferences: Covve. Client relationships as a freelancer: Contacts Journal. For birthdays specifically, see birthday reminder apps.
| App | Reminders | Memory |
|---|---|---|
| GardenApp Store | you set how often to reach out to each person | notes per contact |
| DexApp Store | regular keep-in-touch reminders | notes, groups, custom tags, search |
| CovveApp Store | automatic follow-up reminders | business card scan, notes, contact news |
| Contacts JournalApp Store | follow-ups, reminders and tasks | last interaction, notes, files |
Frequently asked questions
What is a personal CRM?
An app that keeps notes on the people you know and reminds you to get back in touch, like a sales CRM but for friends, family and your network.
What is the simplest app to remind me to call friends?
Garden: you set how often you want to reach out to each person and it reminds you when the time comes.
Which personal CRM scans business cards?
Covve scans and saves business cards and sets follow-up reminders.