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Endearist vs Hippo
A fair, specific comparison — written so you'd be comfortable if a Hippo engineer read it.
Fairness pledge
Hippo is the most minimalist personal CRM in the category — it's iOS-only, single-developer, focused on life events (birthdays, anniversaries, last-contact), and priced at €2.99/month. If you live on iOS, value a small focused tool over a feature-rich one, and want to support a solo developer, Hippo is a delightful choice and we say so. It's also genuinely small in scope: no Android, no desktop, no journal, no AI — just reminders and a clean iOS interface. Endearist is for people who want the same calm aesthetic across all their devices.
Where your data lives
Hippo: iCloud-synced via Apple's CloudKit — your data sits in your own iCloud account, which Apple stores in their global infrastructure. Endearist: your device first — sync optional via your own cloud (Google Drive, iCloud, WebDAV) or Endearist Cloud (EU-hosted).
How AI is accessed
Hippo doesn't ship AI features — it's deliberately scoped to reminders + life-events. Endearist's Magic Buttons run client-side with no AI by default. If you bring your own AI key (OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini), it stays on your device. If you'd rather not manage a key, Endearist Pro Cloud Light bundles ~250 EU-routed actions/month for €4.99/month, and Pro Cloud upgrades to ~600 actions/month plus voice-note transcription for €9.99/month.
3-year total cost
Hippo Pro: €2.99/month over 3 years = ~€108. Endearist Pro Lifetime: €69 once — beats Hippo's TCO after ~23 months. Endearist Pro Cloud Light: €4.99/month = ~€180.
What we don't do
We don't match Hippo's radical simplicity — Endearist has a journal layer, AI assist on the paid tiers, voice notes, and more relationship-depth fields than Hippo carries. If your explicit preference is "as few features as humanly possible", Hippo wins on that axis. Endearist is for the user who wants calm without giving up depth.
Feature matrix
Side-by-side.
| Feature | Endearist | Hippo |
|---|---|---|
| Local-first data storage | Yes — your device is the primary store. | Local on device + iCloud sync (CloudKit). |
| End-to-end encrypted sync | Yes — AES-256-GCM, you hold the key. | iCloud sync inherits Apple's Advanced Data Protection if you enable it; no Hippo-managed E2EE layer. |
| Mobile native apps (iOS / Android) | iOS, Android (native Flutter). | iOS only — no Android. |
| Desktop native apps | macOS, Windows, Linux (native). | No — iOS-only product. |
| 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). | No — deliberately AI-free. |
| 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 tier. Pro €2.99/month. |
| Open source code | Source-release pledge on shutdown/acquisition. | No — proprietary. |
| Plain-Markdown export | Yes — readable without any app. | CSV / vCard 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 — single-user design. |
| Journal / reflection | Built-in journal + weekly ritual + appreciation prompts. | No — note field per contact, no journal surface. |
| Relationship depth (how-we-met, pets) | How-we-met, pets, custom pronouns, life events, debts, attachments. | Shallow by design — name, birthday/anniversary, last-contact, notes. |
| Calendar / messenger integrations | Read-only calendar (Google/Apple/Outlook); manual share-sheet capture for messenger context. | Apple Calendar + Reminders integration; no messenger. |
When to pick Hippo
When Hippo is the better fit.
If you live entirely on iOS, want the smallest possible feature surface, and value supporting a single indie developer, Hippo is the most thoughtful minimalist app in this space. The life-events focus is well-executed and the UI is genuinely calm. Pick Hippo when iOS-only is fine and you actively want fewer features, not more. We're cross-platform with more depth (journal, AI assist, voice notes, family share) — different trade-off, not a better one.
Switching
Coming from Hippo?
If you're on Hippo and want to switch: export your contacts via Hippo's Settings → Export (vCard or CSV). Import into Endearist via Settings → Import → vCard or CSV — names, birthdays, anniversaries, and notes carry over. Hippo's per-contact last-contact dates map to Endearist's last-interaction field. If you're happy with Hippo's reminders but want a journal layer for deeper notes, you can also run both side-by-side without conflicts.
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Prices and positioning verified 2026-05-20.
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