Compare/Dex
Handshake vs Dex
Updated
Dex is a cloud personal CRM built around keep-in-touch reminders – a browser extension, mobile apps, LinkedIn sync, and AI pre-meeting briefs, from $12/month (July 2026). Handshake is a free, local-first desktop app that maps your network as plain markdown files you own.
Dex is probably the most complete keep-in-touch machine in the category: set a cadence per person (“every two months”), and it nags you, drafts context from your history, and syncs LinkedIn connections through its extension. Free plan; Premium at $12/month, Professional at $20/month with email integrations and API access.
Handshake doesn't nag. Instead, the board itself shows neglect – cards can fade as ties go stale, so you see the drift instead of being pinged about it. It's a calmer contract: the map informs you; you decide who to reach out to.
At a glance
| Dex | Handshake | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free plan; Premium $12/mo, Professional $20/mo (July 2026) | Free, open source (MIT) |
| Where your data lives | Their cloud | Plain markdown files on your device |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android, browser extension | macOS, Windows & Linux desktop |
| Works offline | No | Fully offline – no account |
| Data format | Proprietary; CSV export | Already plain text; nothing to export |
| Seeing your network | Lists, timelines, reminders | A spatial board of your whole network |
| Auto-sync / enrichment | LinkedIn sync, calendar, email (paid); AI briefs | None – you decide who's on the map |
| Open source | No | Yes (MIT) |
Competitor details checked July 2026 – check their site for current pricing.
Where Dex wins
Keep-in-touch cadences
Per-person reminder schedules with notifications. If you want a system that actively pushes you to reach out, Dex is built for exactly that and Handshake isn't.
LinkedIn sync
The browser extension pulls your connections in – no retyping. Handshake has no integrations by design.
Phone-first workflows
Real mobile apps for capturing a note right after coffee. Handshake is desktop-only during the beta.
Where Handshake wins
No subscription, ever
Dex's useful tier costs $144–240/year. Handshake is MIT-licensed and free – the entire feature set, no limits.
Your data is a folder
Markdown files you can read in any editor or open as an Obsidian vault, versus a cloud database with CSV export.
The board
Dex tells you who to contact; Handshake shows you the whole shape – ties by warmth, introduction chains, backlinks between notes drawn as lines.
Offline and private
No account, no server, nothing to breach. A personal CRM is a map of your relationships – arguably the last thing that belongs in someone else's cloud.
The honest verdict
Choose Dex if…
- Automated keep-in-touch reminders are the main thing you want
- You need LinkedIn sync and mobile capture
- You'll happily pay ~$12/month for less manual work
Choose Handshake if…
- You want free, open source, and no account
- You think in maps, not task lists
- Your relationship notes should live in files you control
- You'd rather decide who's on the map than have an algorithm decide for you
Questions
- Is Dex free?
- Dex has a free plan; the paid tiers are Premium at $12/month and Professional at $20/month (July 2026). Handshake is entirely free and open source.
- Does Handshake have keep-in-touch reminders like Dex?
- No automated reminders. Instead, the board can fade cards as ties go stale, so neglected relationships become visible at a glance – you act on what you see rather than what pings you.
- Can I move from Dex to Handshake?
- Dex exports CSV; Handshake's vault is plain markdown with a simple frontmatter format, so contacts can be migrated by hand or with a small script. There's no automated importer yet.
Try the local-first way
Handshake is free, open source, and takes about two minutes to meet your network. If it's not for you, your notes are plain markdown – nothing lost.