Dex is one of the most popular personal CRMs, and it is genuinely good at what it sets out to do, helping you keep in touch with the people in your network. Orbit shares that foundation and goes a step further: it also carries the deals, tasks, invoices, and the day that staying in touch creates, with one AI assistant, Hiro, to draft the follow-through.
Dex is built for people whose network is their livelihood, founders, freelancers, and community builders. It connects to your accounts, logs interactions without manual effort, and sends gentle nudges to reconnect before too much time passes. It is simple, focused, and one of the easiest ways to stop letting relationships drift.
That focus is also its boundary. Dex is centered on keeping in touch. Once a conversation turns into a real follow-up, a deal to track, a proposal to send, or an invoice to collect, you often reach for other tools to carry it forward.
| Orbit | Dex | |
|---|---|---|
| Personal relationship manager | ||
| One AI assistant (Hiro) that drafts and does the busywork | ||
| All-in-one: invoices, proposals, and booking pages included | ||
| Reconnect nudges | ||
| Built-in email inbox on the timeline | 100/mo free | |
| Deal pipeline with stages and value | 1 free, unlimited on paid plans | Keep-in-touch focus |
| GTD-style tasks (Today, Next, Waiting For) | Reminders | |
| Built-in MCP server to connect Claude | Pro | |
| Google Calendar sync | Paid plans |
Orbit is for people who want the keeping-in-touch and the follow-through in one place. The reconnect nudges and logged history feel familiar if you have used Dex. Around them sits a real pipeline, GTD tasks that resurface, a built-in email inbox, invoices, proposals, and one AI assistant, Hiro, that is approval-gated so nothing sends without your yes. Ask Hiro to draft a bump, write a proposal, or send an invoice reminder. Less app-switching, more momentum.
Email is built into Orbit, so there is no Gmail connection needed, and two-way Google Calendar sync is part of every paid plan. The free plan covers up to 250 contacts, one pipeline, unlimited tasks, 10 invoices, and 10 proposals. If you are a founder weighing the two, the guide to running a personal CRM as a founder and the system for staying in touch without it feeling forced are good next reads.
If all you need is a nudge to reach out, Dex is a great pick. If staying in touch turns into deals, proposals, and invoices, Orbit carries the whole thing with an AI assistant.
Yes. Orbit covers the same core that Dex users rely on, a logged contact history and reconnect nudges, and adds a deal pipeline, GTD tasks, a built-in email inbox, invoices, and proposals, plus one AI assistant, Hiro, that drafts follow-ups. The free plan covers up to 250 contacts.
Orbit adds a visual deal pipeline, GTD task lists, a built-in email inbox, invoices, proposals, and booking pages, plus one AI assistant, Hiro, that drafts follow-ups and replies, writes invoices and proposals, and preps you for meetings, all approval-gated. Dex stays focused on keeping in touch.
No Gmail connection is needed, because email is built into Orbit: you send and receive from your own Orbit email address on the free plan. Two-way Google Calendar sync is part of every paid plan, starting with Lite at $8 a month. Dex instead syncs your existing email and calendar accounts.
Both work for founders. Dex is ideal if your need is purely keeping your network warm. Orbit is the better fit if those relationships turn into deals, proposals, and invoices you want to track and act on in one place, with an AI assistant to draft the follow-through.
Keep the reconnect nudges you love and add deals, invoices, and an AI assistant. Free for up to 250 contacts.
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