Capstone Outreach vs Dex: reminders, sync and drafted check-ins

By Shawn Gregoire, founder of Capstone Outreach · Facts about Dex checked on its website 2026-10-06

Dex is a digital rolodex that syncs with LinkedIn and sends keep-in-touch reminders; Capstone Outreach is a personal CRM that writes your check-ins. Pick Dex if you want LinkedIn sync with automatic job title updates, contact research briefings and a lower starting price. Pick Capstone Outreach if you want each check-in drafted from your history by email, text or WhatsApp, sequences that stop on reply, and a notetaker that drafts meeting follow-ups.

Side by side

Feature	Capstone Outreach	Dex
Positioning	A personal CRM for people whose network is their job: the personal CRM that writes your check-ins.	A digital rolodex, positioned as an alternative to sales CRMs for keeping in touch, for professionals such as founders and chiefs of staff.¹²³
Pricing	One plan: $25/month on the web; $24.99/month or $250/year on iPhone; $9/month Global plan in six countries.	Premium $12 per month, Professional $20 per month, Team $40 per user per month billed monthly; annual billing is discounted.⁴⁵⁶⁷
Free plan or trial	14-day free trial; a payment method is required to start. No free plan.	7-day free trial on Premium and Professional; a credit card is required, with no charge until the trial ends.⁹¹⁰
Platforms	Web, iPhone and Android, one account.	Mobile, browser extension, web and desktop on Premium; apps on the App Store and Google Play.¹¹¹²¹³
Keep-in-touch reminders	Rhythms from weekly to every three months by email draft, text, WhatsApp or call reminder; waits a full cycle if you have talked since.	Keep-in-touch reminders and birthday notifications; notes and reminders on each contact.¹⁴¹⁵
AI writing	AI drafts emails, texts and WhatsApp messages in your voice, and drafts each check-in from your history when it comes due.	Not listed on their site (checked Oct 6, 2026)
Sending	Emails send from your own Gmail or Outlook after you approve; texts and WhatsApp messages open on your phone already typed, sent from your own number.	Mail merge on the Professional plan.²³
Business card scanning	Scans paper business cards, QR digital cards and NFC tags.	Not listed on their site (checked Oct 6, 2026)
Contact sync	Imports the phone address book without duplicates, CSV files and WhatsApp chats; calendar meetings become contacts. LinkedIn and social network sync are not offered.	Two-way contact sync, WhatsApp and messaging sync, and LinkedIn sync that updates job titles (2,500 connections on Premium, 9,000 on Professional and Team).¹⁶¹⁷²⁰²¹
Contact research	Contact enrichment from databases is not offered; you can ask what you discussed or promised from your own history.	Dex Research builds briefings on contacts with monthly research credits: 10 on Premium, 20 on Professional, 50 on Team.¹⁸¹⁹
Meeting notes	AI notetaker for Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and Webex that drafts a follow-up per attendee.	Notetaker integrations on the Professional plan.²⁴
AI agents	Claude, ChatGPT or any MCP agent can connect; agents propose, a person approves.	Supports MCP, which lets AI tools such as Claude, ChatGPT and Gemini access your Dex data.²²

Choose Dex if

You want your LinkedIn connections synced, with job titles updated automatically.
You want a lower starting price: Dex lists Premium at $12 per month.
You want research briefings on contacts, using monthly research credits.
You want a desktop app and a browser extension that works with Facebook, Instagram, X and Gmail.
You need team features such as CRM integrations, SAML SSO and team billing on one invoice.

Choose Capstone Outreach if

You want each check-in drafted for you from your history with the person when it comes due.
You keep in touch by text and WhatsApp as well as email, and want messages typed and ready to send from your own number.
You want an AI notetaker that drafts a follow-up for every meeting attendee.
You want follow-up sequences that stop when someone replies by email and pause on out-of-office replies.
You meet people in person and want to scan paper business cards, QR digital cards and NFC tags.

The differences that matter

Reminders and drafted check-ins

Dex's site lists keep-in-touch reminders and birthday notifications, plus notes and reminders on each contact. Capstone Outreach is built around what happens when a check-in comes due: it drafts the message from your history with that person, as an email, a text or a WhatsApp message, or sets a call reminder. Rhythms run from weekly to every three months. If you have already talked since the last check-in, through a reply, a call or a meeting, it waits a full cycle instead of nudging you again. Nothing sends until you approve it.

Where your contacts come from

Dex syncs with LinkedIn and updates job titles automatically, and says it organizes connections from phone and email contacts, Facebook, LinkedIn and 15+ other sources. Its browser extension works with Facebook, Instagram, X and Gmail. Capstone Outreach does not offer LinkedIn or social network sync. It captures the people you meet: it scans paper business cards, QR digital cards and NFC tags, imports your phone address book without duplicates, CSV files and WhatsApp chats, and turns meetings from Google Calendar, Outlook and Calendly into contacts. If your network lives on LinkedIn, Dex is built for that. If it lives in your phone and calendar, Capstone is.

Sending, sequences and meetings

With Capstone Outreach, emails send from your own Gmail or Outlook after you approve them, and texts and WhatsApp messages open on your phone already typed so you send them from your own number. Sequences run 2 to 5 steps by email, text, WhatsApp or a mix; email replies stop them, out-of-office replies pause them, and departures hand off to a named replacement. Its AI notetaker joins Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and Webex and drafts a follow-up per attendee. Dex's Professional plan lists mail merge, notetaker integrations, voice mode, and API and Zapier access.

AI agents and research

Both connect to AI tools. Dex supports MCP, which lets tools such as Claude, ChatGPT and Gemini access your Dex data, and Dex Research builds briefings on contacts using monthly research credits. Capstone Outreach lets Claude, ChatGPT or any MCP agent connect, with one rule: agents propose and a person approves. Capstone does not offer contact enrichment from databases. Its AI works from your own history with each person: you can ask what you discussed or promised, and private notes are never sent to the AI.

Pricing

Capstone Outreach has one plan: $25/month on the web after a 14-day free trial that requires a payment method, or $24.99/month or $250/year on iPhone through the App Store, with Android billed through Google Play. A $9/month Global plan is available in India, the Philippines, Malaysia, the UAE, South Africa and Nigeria. There is no free plan, and you can cancel anytime. Dex lists Premium at $12 per month, Professional at $20 per month and Team at $40 per user per month billed monthly, with a discount for annual billing and non-profit discounts on request. Premium and Professional include a 7-day free trial; a credit card is required, but no charge applies until the trial ends.

Switching to Capstone Outreach

To move to Capstone Outreach, import your phone address book (duplicates are skipped) or upload a CSV file of your contacts. You can also import WhatsApp chats, and meetings from Google Calendar, Outlook and Calendly become contacts. Then set a keep-in-touch rhythm for the people who matter most, from weekly to every three months, and review the first drafted check-ins as they come due. The 14-day free trial gives you time to set this up before your first charge.

Keep them warm without the busywork. Capstone Outreach is the personal CRM that writes your check-ins. Put each person on a rhythm (weekly to every three months), and when they're due, the next message is already written from your history with them. If you've talked since, it waits a full cycle. You approve every message, and it goes out from your own email or phone.

Start 14 days free, then $25/mo iPhone: 14 days free, then $24.99/mo

A study of 20 million LinkedIn members found that acquaintances, more than close friends, led to new jobs (Science, 2022). Capstone keeps those people warm. You approve every message, and it goes from your own email or phone.

Also on Android. Cancel anytime in the first 14 days and you pay nothing.

Frequently asked questions

Is Capstone Outreach cheaper than Dex?

No. Dex's listed prices start lower: Premium is $12 per month and Professional is $20 per month. Capstone Outreach is one plan at $25/month on the web or $24.99/month on iPhone, with a $9/month Global plan in six countries. Compare what each plan includes for the way you actually keep in touch before deciding on price alone.

Does Capstone Outreach sync with LinkedIn like Dex?

No. Capstone Outreach does not offer LinkedIn or social network sync. Dex lists LinkedIn sync that updates job titles automatically. Capstone builds your contact list from paper business cards, QR digital cards, NFC tags, your phone address book, CSV files, WhatsApp chats and calendar meetings, which suits people who meet most of their network in person or on calls.

Do Capstone Outreach and Dex both have a free trial?

Yes. Capstone Outreach has a 14-day free trial and requires a payment method to start it. Dex lists a 7-day free trial on Premium and Professional and requires a credit card, with no charge until the trial ends. Capstone Outreach has no free plan. Either way, cancel before the trial ends if it is not a fit.

Can I use Claude or ChatGPT with either one?

Yes. Dex supports MCP, which lets AI tools such as Claude, ChatGPT and Gemini access your Dex data. Capstone Outreach lets Claude, ChatGPT or any MCP agent connect, and agents can propose actions such as drafts, but a person approves before anything goes out.

Which is better for keeping in touch by text and WhatsApp?

It depends on what you need. Dex lists WhatsApp and messaging sync on Premium. Capstone Outreach drafts texts and WhatsApp messages in your voice, opens them on your phone already typed, and you send them from your own number. Its keep-in-touch rhythms and sequences can use text, WhatsApp, email or a mix.

Sources

Everything about Dex on this page comes from its own website, checked 2026-10-06. If something has changed, tell us and we'll update it.

Dex positions itself as a digital rolodex. Source: https://getdex.com/pricing ("a digital rolodex for the 21st century")
Dex positions itself as an alternative to sales CRMs for keeping in touch. Source: https://getdex.com ("Your relationships don't belong in a sales CRM.")
Dex targets professionals, including founders and chiefs of staff. Source: https://getdex.com ("From founders with 12k contacts to chiefs of staff juggling board calendars")
The Premium plan is listed at $12 per month. Source: https://getdex.com/pricing ("$12 / month")
The Professional plan is listed at $20 per month. Source: https://getdex.com/pricing ("$20 / month")
The Team plan costs $40 per user per month, billed monthly. Source: https://getdex.com/pricing ("Team is $40 per user per month, billed monthly.")
Annual billing saves up to 40% compared with monthly billing. Source: https://getdex.com/pricing ("you save up to 40% by switching from monthly to annual billing")
Non-profit discounts are available on request. Source: https://getdex.com/pricing ("We also offer non-profit discounts")
Premium and Professional include a 7-day free trial. Source: https://getdex.com/pricing ("Premium and Professional start with a 7-day free trial.")
A credit card is required to start the trial, but no charge applies until the trial ends. Source: https://getdex.com/pricing ("A credit card is required to start it, but you won’t be charged until the trial ends")
Premium includes mobile, browser extension, web, and desktop access. Source: https://getdex.com/pricing ("Mobile, extension, web, desktop")
Dex is available on the iPhone App Store. Source: https://getdex.com/pricing ("Download on the App Store")
Dex is available on Google Play (Android). Source: https://getdex.com/pricing ("Get it on Google Play")
Dex sends keep-in-touch reminders and birthday notifications. Source: https://getdex.com/pricing ("reminds you to keep-in-touch, notifies you of upcoming birthdays")
Users can add notes and set reminders on contacts. Source: https://getdex.com/pricing ("you can add notes, set reminders, and keep relationships warm without the spreadsheet")
Dex syncs with LinkedIn and updates job titles automatically. Source: https://getdex.com ("New job titles will be synced automatically.")
LinkedIn sync limits are 2,500 connections for Premium and 9,000 for Professional and Team. Source: https://getdex.com/pricing ("Premium covers up to 2,500 connections, Professional 9,000, and Team 9,000.")
Dex Research builds briefings on contacts using research credits. Source: https://getdex.com/pricing ("They power Dex Research, which builds a briefing on a contact")
Monthly research credits are 10 for Premium, 20 for Professional, and 50 for Team. Source: https://getdex.com/pricing ("Premium includes 10 credits a month, Professional 20, and Team 50.")
Premium includes two-way contact sync. Source: https://getdex.com/pricing ("Two-way Contact Sync")
Premium includes WhatsApp and messaging sync. Source: https://getdex.com/pricing ("WhatsApp and Messaging sync")
Dex supports MCP, which lets AI tools such as Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini access the user's Dex data. Source: https://getdex.com ("Point Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, or any MCP-compatible tool at your Dex account")
Professional includes mail merge. Source: https://getdex.com/pricing ("Mail merge")
Professional includes notetaker integrations. Source: https://getdex.com/pricing ("Notetaker Integrations")

App Store: Dex - Rolodex and Personal CRM, 4.4 stars from 259 ratings (checked 2026-10-06). Listing

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