---
{"title": "Clay vs Dex in 2026: Which Relationship Tool Fits", "description": "Compare Clay, Dex and Connections for keeping track of the people you work with: what each does, its prices and how to choose.", "url": "https://uncommoncomforts.com/clay-vs-dex/", "date": "2026-10-18"}
---
Compare Clay, Dex and Connections for keeping track of the people you work with: what each does, its prices and how to choose.

Clay's Mesh is available free to get started on macOS, Windows, web, Android and iOS. [^1] Its Teams version is described as helping surface warm intros. [^1] Dex syncs new job titles automatically, [^2] and works through a browser extension and a mobile app. [^2][^2] and its Premium plan costs $12 per month. [^3] Connections is a contact book that logs when you last spoke to each person, and Connections Free costs $0. [^4] [^4]

| Option | Its own fee | Card fee |
|---|---|---|
| Clay (Mesh) | Free to get started [^1] | not published |
| Dex Premium [^3] | $12 per month [^3] | not published |
| Dex Professional [^3] | $20 per month [^3] | not published |
| Dex Team [^3] | $40 per user per month, billed monthly [^3] | not published |
| Connections | Connections Free, $0 [^4]; Pro $39.99 a month [^4]; Business $99.99 a month [^4] | not published |

## The short answer

A person who runs things has contacts across email, meetings and social media, and each tool keeps track of them differently. Clay's Mesh is available free to get started on macOS, Windows, web, Android and iOS. [^1] Its Teams version is described as helping surface warm intros. [^1] Dex tracks relationships, syncs new job titles from LinkedIn automatically and works through a browser extension and a mobile app. [^2][^2][^2] Connections is a contact book that logs every meeting or conversation on a contact so you can see when you last spoke. [^4] Clay's sources say Mesh is available free to get started. [^1] For staying current on what people do at work, Dex's sources say it syncs job titles. [^2] For a plain record of when you last spoke to someone, Connections covers that. [^4]

## What Clay and Dex are built for

Clay's Mesh is available free to get started and runs on macOS, Windows, web, Android and iOS. [^1] Its pages say over 100 million relationships have been entrusted to it. [^1] A Teams version shows who knows whom and surfaces warm intros. [^1] Dex is supported by subscriptions rather than advertising and says it never sells user data to third parties. [^2] Users can export or delete their data at any time. [^2] Dex syncs new job titles automatically. [^2] Dex also supports an open standard, called MCP, for linking AI tools to real data, so AI clients can be connected to a Dex account. [^2] A browser extension integrates with Facebook, Instagram, X, Gmail and more. [^2] Dex has a mobile app for maintaining relationships from anywhere. [^2]

## What Connections is built for

Connections is made by the team that publishes this site. It is a contact book for the people in a person's life, and the core contacts stay free on every plan. [^4] Each contact can be organised with folders, tags, five-star ratings and follow-up flags. [^4] Meetings or conversations can be logged on a contact so a person can see when they last spoke. [^4] A follow-up digest arrives outside the app. [^4] Contacts can be brought in from Google, Apple or a CSV file. [^4] The app reads business cards, flyers and documents. [^4] A pasted or screenshot note gets filed to a contact. [^4] Free text pasted in is turned by AI into structured contact and relationship details. [^4] A person can make a public digital business card page with a QR code and a downloadable contact file, [^4] and two people can tap phones or scan a QR code to swap cards in person. [^4] One contact's name, phone, email and photo can be shared with one tap. [^4]

## Pricing and fees

Clay's Mesh is available free to get started. [^1] A paid price for Mesh is not published. Dex's Premium plan costs $12 per month and includes mobile, extension, web and desktop access. [^3] The Team plan costs $40 per user per month, billed monthly. [^3] Premium and Professional start with a 7-day free trial. [^3] A credit card is required to start the trial, the card is not charged until it ends, and it can be cancelled before then. [^3] Students get 50% off for a year and MBA students get 50% off for two years. [^3] Connections Free costs $0, and going over a limit stops the feature rather than billing you. [^4] Connections Pro, the first paid plan, is $39.99 a month and includes premium across every Connections product. [^4] Connections Business is $99.99 a month, with higher limits across every Connections product. [^4]

## Getting started

Clay's Mesh can be started for free, and it runs on macOS, Windows, web, Android and iOS. [^1] Dex starts with a 7-day free trial on its Premium and Professional plans. [^3] Starting the trial needs a credit card, though the card is not charged until the trial ends and can be cancelled before then. [^3] Dex syncs new job titles automatically, [^2] and its browser extension works inside Gmail and other services. [^2] Connections starts on Connections Free, which costs $0. [^4] A person can bring contacts in from Google, Apple or a CSV file, [^4] read business cards, flyers and documents, [^4] or paste free text for AI to structure. [^4] Meetings and conversations can then be logged on each contact. [^4]

## Things to check before you choose

Ask each tool which contacts and channels it pulls in, since that decides how current its records stay. Dex's sources say its extension covers Facebook, Instagram, X and Gmail, so ask which others are supported. [^2] Ask whether reminders and warm-intro help sit in the free start or a paid plan, since Clay publishes a free start but not its paid prices. [^1] Ask Connections what happens when a free limit is reached; its sources say the feature stops rather than bills. [^4] Ask how each tool exports data, since Dex states export and delete are always available. [^2] Ask which plan fits a small team, since Dex lists a per-user price for its team plan. [^3]

## How to choose

For seeing who knows whom to reach a warm intro, Clay's sources say its Teams version does that. [^1] For staying current on job changes, Dex's sources say it syncs LinkedIn titles automatically. [^2] For working inside existing email and social flows, Dex's sources say its extension covers Gmail, Facebook, Instagram and X. [^2] For seeing who knows whom to reach a warm intro, Clay's sources say its Teams version surfaces warm intros. [^1] For a record of when each contact was last spoken to, Connections logs meetings and conversations on a contact. [^4] For a free start with the core contacts staying free, Connections Free costs $0. [^4] For a public card to swap in person, Connections reads cards and lets two people tap to swap. [^4][^4] For linking AI tools to real data, Dex says it supports MCP, an open standard that lets AI clients connect to a Dex account. [^2]

## Frequently asked questions

### Are Clay, Dex and Connections free to start?

Clay's Mesh is free to get started and runs on macOS, Windows, web, Android and iOS. [^1] Dex's Premium and Professional plans start with a 7-day free trial that needs a credit card, and no charge happens until the trial ends. [^3][^3] Connections Free costs $0, and the core contacts stay free on every plan. [^4][^4] Each tool publishes its free start differently, so check the terms before choosing.

### Which tool keeps job titles up to date?

Dex syncs new job titles automatically. [^2] Connections does not state that it syncs titles; a person who runs things should check how each tool keeps work details current before choosing.

### How does Connections keep track of when you last spoke to someone?

Connections lets a person log every meeting or conversation on a contact so they can see when they last spoke. [^4] A follow-up digest arrives outside the app. [^4] Connections also files the details from a note you paste or screenshot to a contact. [^4]

### Is there a discount for students on these tools?

Dex states that students get 50% off for a year and MBA students get 50% off for two years. [^3] Clay's Mesh pages do not publish a student discount, and Connections does not state one either. A person who runs things should check each tool's current terms, since published discounts can change.

### Can the data be exported or deleted from these tools?

Dex states that users can export or delete their data at any time. [^2] Connections does not publish downgrade terms; check what happens to the contact list on a plan change before choosing. Clay's Mesh pages do not state its export terms. A person who runs things should check each tool's export and deletion policy before committing their contact list.

Connections Free costs $0, and going over a limit stops the feature rather than billing you. [^4] Connections Pro, the first paid plan, is $39.99 a month and adds premium features across every Connections product. [^4] - [Visit Connections](/go/clay-vs-dex)

## Sources

[^1]: Clay, me.sh, read 2026-10-08 (https://me.sh)
[^2]: Dex, getdex.com, read 2026-10-08 (https://getdex.com)
[^3]: Dex, getdex.com/pricing, read 2026-10-08 (https://getdex.com/pricing)
[^4]: Connections' own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher) (/go/clay-vs-dex)