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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 Apple-only, single-developer, focused on life events (birthdays, anniversaries, last-contact), and priced at $1.99/month, $14.99/year, or $29.99 once for lifetime access. If you live on Apple hardware, 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 Windows, no web, no journal, no AI — just reminders and a clean Apple-native interface. Endearist is being built for people who want the same calm aesthetic beyond Apple hardware — and, unlike Hippo, it is not released yet.
Where does my data live with Hippo versus Endearist?
Hippo: on-device by default, with optional sync through your own iCloud Drive — Hippo runs no server of its own, so your data sits in your Apple account, not theirs. Endearist: not publicly available yet. The primary copy is intended to stay on your device. End-to-end encrypted sync over storage you run yourself — a local or shared folder, or a WebDAV server — is planned for v1. Google Drive as a destination is not decided yet. Managed sync on Endearist Cloud is planned for after v1, as part of the Pro Cloud subscription only.
How does each tool access AI?
Hippo doesn't ship AI features — it's deliberately scoped to reminders + life-events. Endearist is planned to use no AI by default. If you bring your own AI key (OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini), the key is meant to stay on your device, and only what you choose to send goes to that provider. Managed AI without your own key is proposed only as part of a Pro Cloud subscription. AI with your own key: not publicly available yet. Status: planned for v1. Proposed plan, not purchasable yet: managed AI (planned for after v1, as part of the Pro Cloud subscription only) and Endearist Cloud (planned for after v1, as part of the Pro Cloud subscription only). Specific budgets, routing and prices require approval. Family sharing: not decided yet; no included family seat is promised.
What do Hippo and Endearist cost over three years?
Hippo: $1.99/month, $14.99/year, or $29.99 once for lifetime access. Over 3 years that is ~€40 on the yearly plan, or ~€27 for the lifetime unlock — cheaper outright than Endearist's proposed Pro Lifetime price of €69, which cannot be bought yet. Proposed Endearist Free: €0. Proposed Endearist Pro Cloud Light: €4.99/month = ~€180. Hippo wins this price comparison and we are not going to pretend otherwise; what you give up is Android, Windows and web, any AI, and relationship depth beyond reminders. Proposed plan, not purchasable yet: local core and data export. The proposed 25-contact limit is not a confirmed entitlement. Proposed plan, not purchasable yet: local app and AI with your own key (planned for v1). Sync over your own storage is planned for v1. Managed cloud services are not a lifetime feature. Proposed plan, not purchasable yet: managed AI (planned for after v1, as part of the Pro Cloud subscription only) and Endearist Cloud (planned for after v1, as part of the Pro Cloud subscription only). Specific budgets, routing and prices require approval. Family sharing: not decided yet; no included family seat is promised.
What doesn't Endearist do?
We don't match Hippo's radical simplicity — Endearist is being designed with a journal layer, opt-in AI assist, 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 being built for the user who wants calm without giving up depth.
Feature matrix
Side-by-side.
| Feature | Endearist | Hippo |
|---|---|---|
| Local-first data storage | Designed so the primary copy lives on your device, not on a server. Local-first vault, fully offline: not publicly available yet. Status: planned for v1. | Local on device + iCloud sync (CloudKit). |
| End-to-end encrypted sync | End-to-end encrypted sync over storage you run yourself — a local or shared folder, or a WebDAV server — is planned for v1. Google Drive as a destination is not decided yet. Managed sync on Endearist Cloud is planned for after v1, as part of the Pro Cloud subscription only. | iCloud sync inherits Apple's Advanced Data Protection if you enable it; no Hippo-managed E2EE layer. |
| Mobile native apps (iOS / Android) | Flutter apps in development; nothing to install yet. Native Android app: planned for v1. The first release is intended for Android and Windows. Native Windows app: planned for v1. The first release is intended for Android and Windows. Native iPhone and iPad app: planned for later. The first release is intended for Android and Windows only. Native macOS app: planned for later. The first release is intended for Android and Windows only. Native Linux app: planned for later. The first release is intended for Android and Windows only. | Source check for Hippo (2026-09-30): Listed platforms: iOS, macOS. Native availability for Android, Windows, Web, Linux is unverified. App Store listing includes a Mac app; Apple Vision/iPad compatibility does not establish Android or Windows availability. Check current availability and account/region limits with the vendor. We have not tested the apps ourselves. |
| Desktop native apps | Native desktop apps in development; nothing to install yet. Native Android app: planned for v1. The first release is intended for Android and Windows. Native Windows app: planned for v1. The first release is intended for Android and Windows. Native iPhone and iPad app: planned for later. The first release is intended for Android and Windows only. Native macOS app: planned for later. The first release is intended for Android and Windows only. Native Linux app: planned for later. The first release is intended for Android and Windows only. | Source check for Hippo (2026-09-30): Listed platforms: iOS, macOS. Native availability for Android, Windows, Web, Linux is unverified. App Store listing includes a Mac app; Apple Vision/iPad compatibility does not establish Android or Windows availability. Check current availability and account/region limits with the vendor. We have not tested the apps ourselves. |
| AI features | Planned as strictly opt-in — your own key, or managed AI in a proposed Pro Cloud subscription. AI with your own key: not publicly available yet. Status: planned for v1. Proposed plan, not purchasable yet: managed AI (planned for after v1, as part of the Pro Cloud subscription only) and Endearist Cloud (planned for after v1, as part of the Pro Cloud subscription only). Specific budgets, routing and prices require approval. Family sharing: not decided yet; no included family seat is promised. | No — deliberately AI-free. |
| Self-host option | No — there is no server component to host; the local store is meant to be the app itself. Local-first vault, fully offline: not publicly available yet. Status: planned for v1. | No. |
| Pricing | Proposed, not purchasable yet: free up to 25 contacts; Pro Lifetime €69 once, Pro Cloud Light €4.99/mo, or Pro Cloud €9.99/mo. Proposed plan, not purchasable yet: local core and data export. The proposed 25-contact limit is not a confirmed entitlement. Proposed plan, not purchasable yet: local app and AI with your own key (planned for v1). Sync over your own storage is planned for v1. Managed cloud services are not a lifetime feature. Proposed plan, not purchasable yet: managed AI (planned for after v1, as part of the Pro Cloud subscription only) and Endearist Cloud (planned for after v1, as part of the Pro Cloud subscription only). Specific budgets, routing and prices require approval. Family sharing: not decided yet; no included family seat is promised. | 1-month free trial. $1.99/mo, $14.99/yr, or $29.99 lifetime. |
| Open source code | Not open source, but with a pledge: source release on shutdown or acquisition. | No — proprietary. |
| Plain-Markdown export | Planned — plain Markdown you can read without any app. Markdown, CSV and vCard export: not publicly available yet. Status: planned for v1. The documented implementation has a separate readable ZIP export with media and a report of omissions; legacy exports remain partial. This is not device or release acceptance. | CSV / vCard export; no Markdown. |
| Voice-note transcription | Planned — on-device, or with your own key. On-device transcription: not publicly available yet. Status: planned for v1. | No. |
| Family / multi-vault share | Family sharing: not decided yet. Multiple vaults: not decided yet. | No — single-user design. |
| Journal / reflection | Journal, weekly ritual, and appreciation prompts are meant to be built in, not built by you. Local-first vault, fully offline: not publicly available yet. Status: planned for v1. | No — note field per contact, no journal surface. |
| Relationship depth (how-we-met, pets) | Designed with ready-made fields: how-we-met, pets, custom pronouns, life events, debts, attachments. Local-first vault, fully offline: not publicly available yet. Status: planned for v1. | Shallow by design — name, birthday/anniversary, last-contact, notes. |
| Calendar / messenger integrations | Not decided yet: a read-only calendar overlay and manual share-sheet capture for messenger context are ideas, not commitments. Read-only calendar overlay: scope and availability are not confirmed. Status: not decided yet. Share-sheet capture: scope and availability are not confirmed. Status: not decided yet. | Apple Calendar + Reminders integration; no messenger. |
When to pick Hippo
When is Hippo the better choice?
If you live entirely on Apple hardware, 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 Apple-only is fine and you actively want fewer features, not more — and it is an app you can install today, which Endearist is not yet. Endearist is being built cross-platform with more depth (journal, AI assist, voice notes); family sharing is not decided. A different trade-off, not a better one.
Switching
How do I switch from Hippo to Endearist?
If you're on Hippo and want to switch: export your contacts via Hippo's Settings → Export (vCard or CSV) and keep the file. Endearist is not released yet; vCard and CSV import is planned, but whether names, birthdays, anniversaries, notes and Hippo's per-contact last-contact dates carry over cleanly has not been verified. If you're happy with Hippo's reminders but want a journal layer for deeper notes, running both side by side is a reasonable plan once Endearist is out. vCard and CSV import: not publicly available yet. Status: planned for v1.
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Prices and positioning verified 2026-09-03.
Platform information updated 2026-09-30; source-check dates are shown in the table.
Sources for the platform review
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