Compare
Endearist vs Capsule CRM
A fair, specific comparison — written so you'd be comfortable if a Capsule CRM engineer read it.
Fairness pledge
Capsule is the small-business CRM that got 'simple' right — a clean contact database, sales pipelines, tasks and 'tracks' (repeatable task sequences), project boards, and a free tier that's genuinely usable at 250 contacts for 2 users. It's been quietly excellent for over fifteen years, and for a freelancer or small agency that needs to manage clients, quotes, and follow-ups without enterprise bloat, Capsule is one of the best-value choices on the market — we say so gladly. But Capsule is still a business CRM: contacts sit next to opportunities, tasks drive toward outcomes, and the design assumes the people in it are clients or suppliers. Some solo users adopt it as a personal CRM because the free tier is friendly — and then find the sales scaffolding everywhere. Endearist drops the scaffolding entirely: no opportunities, no pipelines, just relationships — stored on your device first.
Where your data lives
Capsule: cloud-hosted with AWS in the United States — the company is UK-based and GDPR transfers are covered via sub-processor agreements, but there is no EU data-residency option. Endearist: your device first — sync optional via your own cloud (Google Drive, iCloud, WebDAV) or Endearist Cloud (EU-hosted).
How AI is accessed
Capsule keeps AI deliberately light — an AI content assistant for drafting sales emails on paid plans, processed on Capsule's cloud. That restraint suits its simplicity-first philosophy. Endearist's AI is opt-in: bring your own key (OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini — it stays on your device), or use Pro Cloud Light (~250 EU-routed actions/month, €4.99) or Pro Cloud (~600 actions/month plus voice-note transcription, €9.99). Without AI, the app works fully offline.
3-year total cost
Capsule Free: $0 — solid at 250 contacts and 2 users. Starter: $18/user/month billed annually — ~€650 over 3 years; Growth and Advanced tiers run higher. Endearist Pro Lifetime: €69 once. Endearist Pro Cloud Light: €4.99/month — ~€180 over 3 years.
What we don't do
We have no sales pipelines, no opportunities, no task tracks, no project boards, no team seats, no reporting, and no integrations marketplace — by design. Capsule does all of that with admirable restraint. If the people in your database are clients and suppliers, keep Capsule. Endearist is for the people who are neither.
Feature matrix
Side-by-side.
| Feature | Endearist | Capsule CRM |
|---|---|---|
| Local-first data storage | Yes — your device is the primary store. | No — hosted with AWS in the United States; no EU residency option. |
| End-to-end encrypted sync | Yes — AES-256-GCM, you hold the key. | Transport TLS + encryption at rest; Capsule holds the keys. |
| Mobile native apps (iOS / Android) | iOS, Android (native Flutter). | iOS, Android (companion apps to the web CRM). |
| Desktop native apps | macOS, Windows, Linux (native). | No — browser-based web app. |
| AI features | Opt-in: bring your own key (on-device) or Pro Cloud Light (~250 EU-routed actions/mo) or Pro Cloud (~600 actions/mo + voice). | Light AI email-drafting assistant on paid plans; runs on Capsule's cloud. |
| Self-host option | Not currently — the desktop app is the local store. | No. |
| Pricing | Free up to 25 contacts. Pro Lifetime €69 once, Pro Cloud Light €4.99/mo, or Pro Cloud €9.99/mo. | Free (250 contacts, 2 users). Starter $18/user/mo (annual) up to Advanced $60/user/mo. |
| Open source code | Source-release pledge on shutdown/acquisition. | No — proprietary. |
| Plain-Markdown export | Yes — readable without any app. | CSV / Excel / vCard export, plus a full-account ZIP export; no Markdown. |
| Voice-note transcription | Yes — on Pro Cloud (60 min/mo) or your own key. | No. |
| Family / multi-vault share | Family share on Pro Cloud (2 seats). Multi-vault on the roadmap. | No — multi-user means per-seat team accounts. |
| Journal / reflection | Built-in journal + weekly ritual + appreciation prompts. | No — notes hang off contacts and opportunities; no journal surface. |
| Relationship depth (how-we-met, pets) | How-we-met, pets, custom pronouns, life events, debts, attachments. | Business-shaped: opportunities, tracks, tags, custom fields. No pets / how-we-met / life events. |
| Calendar / messenger integrations | Read-only calendar (Google/Apple/Outlook); manual share-sheet capture for messenger context. | Calendar feeds + email drop box for filing mail onto contacts; no personal-messenger capture. |
When to pick Capsule CRM
When Capsule CRM is the better fit.
If you run a small business and want a CRM that respects your intelligence — clean, fast, fairly priced, and free up to 250 contacts — Capsule is one of the best choices available, and probably the gentlest of the sales CRMs on this page. Pick Capsule when you manage clients and suppliers, need a pipeline without enterprise complexity, and value a vendor that has shipped quietly and reliably for fifteen-plus years. The mismatch only appears when the database holds friends instead of clients: Capsule has no place for how you met someone or what their kids are called, because clients don't need one. That's the job we built Endearist for.
Switching
Coming from Capsule CRM?
Capsule's export is one of the cleanest in the category. For a quick move: open People & Organizations, tick the global checkbox top-left to select all (or select your filtered list), then hit Export top-right and choose CSV — note your user needs export permission if you're not the admin. For a complete backup, admins can use Account Settings → Export Data, which emails a ZIP containing CSVs of contacts, opportunities, and projects. Import the contacts CSV into Endearist via Settings → Import → CSV: names, emails, phones, tags, and notes carry over; opportunities and tracks won't map. If you use Capsule for business, keep it — export only the personal contacts and let Endearist hold those.
More comparisons
Comparing against another tool?
Prices and positioning verified 2026-06-10.
Ready to try Endearist?
Start free with 25 contacts. No credit card. Migrate from Capsule CRM anytime.
Start free