A private, open-source Dex alternative for your personal CRM
Looking for a Dex (getdex.com) alternative? Elos is an open-source personal CRM with end-to-end encrypted notes and no AI. Keep birthdays, notes and people organized — privately, in 10 languages, self-hostable.
Dex is a popular personal CRM built around LinkedIn and keep-in-touch reminders, syncing your network into one place. It's handy, but it's a closed, cloud-only product that pulls in your social graph. If you'd rather keep your relationships in something open, private and under your control, Elos is a strong alternative: open source, end-to-end encrypted notes, no AI, and self-hostable.
Open source and self-hostable
Dex is proprietary and cloud-only. Elos is AGPL-3.0 — run it on your own server, or use the hosted app; the code is public either way.
End-to-end encrypted notes
What you write about people is encrypted in your browser. Not even the server can read it.
No AI, no social scraping
Elos doesn't mine your LinkedIn or feed your contacts to a model. You decide exactly what to add.
The essentials, done well
People and groups, important dates with reminders, an interaction timeline, events — the core of staying close, without the bloat.
10 languages, Nostr login
Fully translated in 10 languages, and you can sign in with a Nostr key instead of an email.
How Elos compares
| Elos | Monica | Clay | Dex | Cloze | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open source (AGPL-3.0) | ✓ | ✓ | — | — | — |
| End-to-end encrypted notes | ✓ | — | — | — | — |
| No AI reading your data | ✓ | ✓ | — | — | — |
| Self-hostable | ✓ | ✓ | — | — | — |
| Interface in 10 languages | ✓ | ~ | — | — | — |
| Log in without an email (Nostr) | ✓ | — | — | — | — |
Based on publicly available information; features change over time. Spotted something out of date? Let us know.
Frequently asked questions
Is Elos a good alternative to Dex?
If you want an open-source, private personal CRM with encrypted notes and no AI, yes. Dex leans on LinkedIn sync; Elos keeps your data self-contained and under your control.
Can I import my contacts into Elos?
Yes — from a .vcf (vCard) file or your phone's contact picker, choosing exactly who to bring in.
Does Elos have keep-in-touch reminders like Dex?
Yes. Elos reminds you about birthdays and important dates, and flags people you haven't talked to in a while.