Inner Circle
The best free personal CRM in 2026
"Free" gets used loosely in this category. Some tools mean a genuine free plan you can stay on forever. Others mean a 14-day trial before the wall comes down. Here's how to tell them apart, and which free options are worth your time.
The two kinds of "free"
Before you sign up for anything, work out which kind of free you're being offered.
A real free plan lets you keep using the core product without paying, usually with caps on how many contacts or features you get. A free trial gives you everything for a couple of weeks, then asks for a card. Both are fine. They're just not the same thing, and the marketing rarely makes it obvious.
Free personal CRM options, compared
| App | Free plan or trial? | What you get free |
|---|---|---|
| Inner Circle | Free plan | 10 contacts, 50 AI queries/month, voice and chat |
| Monica | Free if self-hosted | Everything, but you run the server yourself |
| Dex | Trial | Full features for a limited time |
| Clay (Mesh) | Trial | Full features for a limited time |
| Covve | Limited free | Basic contact features, capped reminders |
If you want free with zero setup: Inner Circle
Inner Circle's free plan covers up to 10 contacts and 50 AI queries a month. That sounds small, and for a work network it is. But for the people you'd actually call your inner circle, ten is usually about right. You get the AI assistant, voice and chat, warmth tracking, and reminders without paying anything.
When you outgrow it, paid starts at $4.99/month for 300 contacts. No card needed to begin.
If you want free and you're technical: Monica
Monica is free in the open-source sense. You can host it yourself and pay nothing, ever. The catch is the word "host." You'll need to run it on a server and keep it updated. If that sentence excites you, Monica is a great deal. If it makes you tired, it isn't.
Watch out for trials dressed as free plans
Dex and Clay are both strong tools, but their free option is a trial. There's nothing wrong with that, as long as you go in knowing you'll be asked to pay to keep your data accessible. If "free forever" is a hard requirement for you, those two won't fit.
Try a free personal CRM right now
Inner Circle's free plan takes a minute to set up, no credit card. Add your closest people by voice or chat.
Get started freeCommon questions
Is Inner Circle free?
Yes. The free plan gives you 10 contacts and 50 AI queries a month, with no time limit and no card required. Paid plans are there if you need more room.
What's the catch with free personal CRMs?
Usually a contact cap, a feature cap, or a trial clock. The honest ones tell you upfront. Read whether it's a "free plan" or a "free trial" before you put your data in.
Which free personal CRM is best for friends and family?
Inner Circle, since its free tier is built around staying in touch rather than networking. More on that in our guide for friends and family, or see the full comparison.