Checked 13 October 2026
Apps for remembering what people tell you
The right app depends on how you want notes to get in. If you would rather say it than type it, Kept (Android) and Coleva (iPhone) turn a spoken line into notes filed under each person. If you type, Kinu, Revere and Memorio keep a page per person; Dex and Mesh keep contacts current from your accounts; and Monica is the open-source option you can host yourself.
The job here is narrow. Someone tells you their mother is having surgery on Thursday, or that they have a second interview, and three weeks later you want to remember to ask. A contact list does not hold that, and a calendar only holds it if you thought to put it there.
We make Kept, so read its entry with that in mind. It sits under the same headings as everything else, including what it does not do, and several of the others are the better choice for some people.
The short version
- Talk instead of type, on Android: Kept.
- Talk instead of type, on a recent iPhone, with everything on the device: Coleva.
- The same journal on iPhone, Android and a computer: Kinu.
- A generous free tier on iPhone, typing: Revere.
- Mostly work contacts, kept current from your accounts: Dex or Mesh.
- Own the data outright, on your own server: Monica.
Talk, and it files it for you
You say a sentence after seeing someone, and the app works out who it was about and what the details were. The lowest effort way in, which matters most in the doorway on the way out of a café.
Keptours
A private voice journal for the people closest to you. Talk for about nine seconds after you see someone and it files the details under each person.
- How notes get in
- Talk, or type. The people and details it finds are shown for you to confirm before anything is filed.
- Where it lives
- On your phone, with no account. Audio goes out to be transcribed, and only the text of a note reaches the AI that files it.
- What comes back
- A one-page briefing before you talk to someone, and details back before a birthday, after a long gap and when a plan has come and gone.
- Platforms
- Android. iPhone in App Store review.
- Trying it
- 14 days of everything with no card, then a free plan (unlimited typed notes, five voice notes a month) or Kept+. The proactive reminders are part of the trial and Kept+.
Pick it if: You are on Android, would rather talk than type, and want the detail handed back on the day it matters.
Coleva
A private relationship journal for iPhone that turns a typed or spoken line into people, dates and details, on the device.
- How notes get in
- Type a line or tap the mic. It shows each filed detail with a one-tap undo.
- Where it lives
- On the iPhone, with no account; transcription and filing run on the device. An optional Plus setting sends unclear sentences to OpenAI on phones without Apple Intelligence.
- What comes back
- Birthdays and check-in nudges for free; important dates and a calendar-linked nudge an hour before you meet on Plus. Ask Coleva answers questions from your notes.
- Platforms
- iPhone, on iOS 26 or later. English only.
- Trying it
- Free for your closest twenty people; Coleva Plus is a subscription.
Pick it if: You have a recent iPhone and want nothing to leave it.
Kept vs Coleva, side by side →Type it, filed by person
A page per person that you write into. More deliberate than talking, and fine if writing a line after you see someone is a habit you already have.
Kinu
A private personal CRM for friends and family, with a page per person.
- How notes get in
- A typed or spoken line, or a voice note when typing is too slow.
- Where it lives
- On the device by default, with optional encrypted backup and sync to their servers. A free account is required.
- What comes back
- Birthdays and dates ahead of time, and a reach-out nudge at a rhythm you set per person. It says it has no streaks.
- Platforms
- iPhone, Android and the web.
- Trying it
- Free for your first ten people; Kinu Plus is a subscription or a one-time purchase.
Pick it if: You want the same journal on iPhone, Android and a computer.
Revere
A people-focused notes app for remembering details about the people you know.
- How notes get in
- Typed notes. Voice dictation, AI clean-up and AI search are part of Premium.
- Where it lives
- Synced and backed up in their cloud; sync needs an email account.
- What comes back
- Check-in reminders you can snooze; birthday and important-date reminders on Premium.
- Platforms
- iPhone and iPad.
- Trying it
- Free with unlimited people, notes and reminders; Premium is a subscription.
Pick it if: You are on iPhone, happy to type, and want a generous free tier.
Memorio
A people-centred photo journal and calendar, with one page per person.
- How notes get in
- Typed notes and photos on each person’s page, with tags.
- Where it lives
- Backed up to your Google or Apple account; its App Store label lists an email and user ID as linked to you.
- What comes back
- Birthdays and anniversaries on a calendar.
- Platforms
- iPhone, iPad and Vision Pro, with an Android version from the same developer.
- Trying it
- Free, with Premium as a subscription or a lifetime purchase.
Pick it if: Photos matter as much as words in how you remember people.
Personal CRMs that sync your accounts
These start from the contacts you already have elsewhere and keep them current. Strong on coverage and work contacts; what someone told you over coffee is still yours to type in.
Dex
A personal CRM built mainly for professional networking, which pulls contacts in from your accounts.
- How notes get in
- Sync from LinkedIn, email, calendar, WhatsApp and more, plus typed notes and a voice mode on its Professional plan.
- Where it lives
- On Dex’s servers in the US; an account is required.
- What comes back
- Keep-in-touch reminders, birthdays, a push before important meetings, and alerts when a LinkedIn connection changes job. AI Assist drafts messages.
- Platforms
- Web, iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows and a browser extension.
- Trying it
- A 7-day trial that needs a card, then a subscription; no permanent free plan.
Pick it if: Your network is mostly work and you want it kept current without typing.
Kept vs Dex, side by side →Mesh
Formerly Clay. A relationship platform that builds a searchable network from your accounts.
- How notes get in
- Sync from Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Notion, WhatsApp and X, plus email, meetings and business-card scans.
- Where it lives
- Cloud-synced across your devices.
- What comes back
- Reconnect reminders and a feed of birthdays, job changes and news about your contacts. Its AI, Nexus, searches the network for you.
- Platforms
- macOS, Windows, web, Android and iPhone.
- Trying it
- A free tier and paid plans.
Pick it if: You want to know who you know, across everyone you have ever been in contact with.
Kept vs Mesh, side by side →Open source, on your own server
For people who want to own the data outright and do not mind a web app instead of a phone app.
Monica
The open-source personal CRM, around since 2017, for the people in your life rather than work contacts.
- How notes get in
- Typed notes, journal entries and activities in a web app; contacts import from vCard or CSV.
- Where it lives
- On Monica’s servers, or on your own if you self-host.
- What comes back
- Important dates and reminders to get back in touch.
- Platforms
- Web, which works in a phone browser. Native apps are planned after version 3.
- Trying it
- Free to self-host; the hosted plan has a 30-day trial with no card.
Pick it if: You want to own the data and are comfortable with a web app.
Kept vs Monica, side by side →Build it yourself
No new app at all. These work for exactly as long as you keep them up, which is the whole question.
Apple Notes
Already on every iPhone. A note or a folder per person works well for a handful of people.
- How notes get in
- Typing or dictation, filed wherever you put it.
- Where it lives
- On the device, or in iCloud if you sync Notes.
- What comes back
- None of its own; you add a reminder or calendar event yourself.
- Platforms
- iPhone, iPad, Mac and iCloud on the web.
- Trying it
- Free and built in.
Pick it if: You keep notes on a few people and really do reread them before you see them.
Kept vs Apple Notes, side by side →A Notion template
A people database you design yourself, starting from one of many free and paid templates.
- How notes get in
- Typed into the rows and fields you set up.
- Where it lives
- Notion’s cloud.
- What comes back
- Whatever you build, such as a formula that flags anyone you have not spoken to in a while; a view you have to remember to open.
- Platforms
- Web, desktop and mobile.
- Trying it
- Free and paid templates; Notion itself has free and paid plans.
Pick it if: You enjoy building systems and actually keep them up.
Kept vs A Notion template, side by side →How to choose
Start with how the note will get in, because that is where every one of these succeeds or fails. The moment to record something is just after you have seen someone, when you are walking away and half thinking about the next thing. If typing a line then is a habit you will keep, any app here works. If it is not, pick one you can talk to.
Then decide what you want back. Some apps count time: it has been six weeks, reach out. Others give back what was said: her interview was Thursday, ask how it went. The first tells you that you are overdue; the second tells you what to say. Deciding in advance when and where you will do something has a medium-to-large effect on whether you do it, and a reminder that names the moment and the thing to say is closer to that than one that reports an interval.
Check where the notes live. These are notes about other people, sometimes about their health or their worries. On the phone with no account, on the device with optional encrypted sync, in a company’s cloud, or on a server you run: each is a fair choice, and every entry above says which it is.
Last, the platform, which often decides it for you. Coleva and Revere are iPhone only, Kept is Android until its App Store review finishes, Monica is a web app, and Kinu, Dex and Mesh run nearly everywhere.
Questions people ask
Is there an app to remember what people tell you?
Yes. Relationship journals and personal CRMs keep a page per person for exactly this. Kept and Coleva let you say it rather than type it; Kinu, Revere and Memorio are typed journals filed by person; Monica is the open-source option.
What is the best personal CRM for friends and family rather than work?
Kept, Coleva, Kinu and Monica are built around personal life rather than professional networks. Dex and Mesh lean towards work: they sync from LinkedIn and email and track job changes, which matters less for family.
Which apps for remembering people work on Android?
Kept, Kinu, Dex and Mesh have Android apps, and Memorio’s developer offers one too. Coleva and Revere are iPhone only, and Monica runs in a phone’s browser.
Are there private apps that keep notes about people on your phone?
Kept and Coleva keep the journal on the phone with no account; Coleva also transcribes and files on the device, while Kept sends audio out to be transcribed and keeps the result on the phone. Kinu stores on the device by default with optional encrypted sync, and Monica can run on your own server.
We make Kept. Every app was checked against its own site or store listing on 13 October 2026. We don’t list prices, because they change and a stale one would be misleading.
If Kept is the one you want
Nine seconds of talking after you see someone. Kept files it against the right person and hands it back the day before it matters. Free for 14 days, no card needed.