Dex vs Mesh (formerly Clay) (2026)
Two ways to keep the people you know. What decides it is what an AI assistant may change once it is connected.
Quick verdict
These solve opposite halves of the same problem. Dex is for acting on relationships: cadences, reminders, notes you write, plus the widest agent tooling in the category. Mesh is for keeping contact data fresh with almost no effort, in the best-looking app here. The money is close, $12 against $10 a month annual. Both let an AI assistant write to your contacts, and neither documents a step between that write and your data.
Side by side
| Dimension | Dex | Mesh (formerly Clay) |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A mature personal CRM built on keep-in-touch reminders and a timeline per contact, with the widest agent surface here: 47 MCP tools, a ChatGPT app, a CLI, an agent skill and a public API. | The design-forward personal-network app formerly known as Clay, which keeps contact details current automatically and ships a read-and-write MCP server. Automattic acquired it in June 2025. |
| Pricing | $12/mo billed annually, $20/mo monthly (checked 2026-08-06) | Free for 1,000 contacts with a credit card required, Pro $10/mo billed annually (checked 2026-08-06) |
| Free tier | None. Removed in March 2023. A 7-day trial, then a wall | Yes, 1,000 contacts, credit card required |
| Availability | Shipping: web, mobile, browser extension, plus a separate Mac sync utility | Shipping: web, iOS, Mac (244 MB Electron). No Android |
| Core idea | Act on people: reminders, cadences, notes you write | Know who people are: contact details maintained automatically |
| Data entry | You write the notes; the extension saves profiles | Mostly automatic from connected accounts |
| Agent tooling | 47 MCP tools, a ChatGPT app, a CLI, an agent skill, a 98-endpoint API | Read-and-write MCP server |
| Agent write safety | Direct commits. Two tools annotated destructive and irreversible | No approval or review step documented (checked 2026-08-06) |
| Free plan | None since March 2023. 7-day trial, then a wall | 1,000 contacts, credit card required |
| Sign in inside their app; session retained server-side; syncs every 3 to 5 days. Capped at 2,500 or 9,000 connections | On-device webview against LinkedIn's internal API. Omitted from their public integration list; the help article is a dead link | |
| Local Mac data | iMessage and calls via a separate sync utility | iMessage and call log with Full Disk Access. The App Store build has neither |
| Platforms | Web, mobile, extension | Web, iOS, Mac. No Android |
| Ownership | Independent (Dana HQ, Inc., YC S19) | Automattic, since June 2025 |
| Price | $12/mo annual, $20/mo monthly | $10/mo annual, roughly $20 monthly |
Competitor facts and pricing last checked August 2026, from published vendor material. Verify on each vendor’s site.
Who should pick which
Pick Dex if…
- Follow-up discipline is the actual problem, so cadences and reminders are what you are buying.
- You want the widest possible agent and API surface.
- You will write notes to get a richer record.
Pick Mesh (formerly Clay) if…
- You want contact details maintained for you with no journaling at all.
- Design quality decides whether you keep using a tool.
- You are on iOS and Mac and want native apps.
There's also Wend
Disclosure: this page is published by Wend, which competes with both. We built it because of the row above about agent writes. Neither of these two documents a step between the agent's write and your data, which is fine until a model mishears a name and quietly rewrites a person. Wend does the same job with the write arbitrated: your agent shows you what it found, you correct it by talking, one approval commits the batch, and every fact still points at the email it came from. $29/mo, flat at any network size.
Dex vs Mesh (formerly Clay): FAQ
Which is better, Dex or Mesh?
It depends which half of the problem you have. Dex is stronger at follow-up and agent tooling: reminders, cadences, notes, 47 MCP tools, a public API. Mesh is stronger at keeping contact data fresh automatically. On price they are close, $12/mo against $10/mo annual as of August 2026.
Is Mesh still Clay?
Yes. Automattic acquired Clay (clay.earth) in June 2025 and rebranded it to Mesh at me.sh in March 2026. Anything written about Clay describes this product.
Do Dex or Mesh let an AI assistant change my contacts?
Both do. Dex exposes 47 MCP tools that commit directly, two annotated irreversible. Mesh's server reads and writes. Neither documents an approval step between the agent's call and your data, as of 2026-08-06.
Which one has a free plan?
Mesh, for 1,000 contacts, with a credit card required, which they say filters out illegitimate users. Dex removed its free tier in March 2023 and now offers a 7-day trial with no card.
A digital brain for the people in your life.
It installs on your Mac, builds the graph out of what is already there, and answers from the AI you already use. Every fact keeps its source. $29 a month, flat at any network size.
Access is invite only right now.