Coleva

Coleva is a private relationship journal and personal CRM for iPhone users who want memories, people and places connected rather than kept as separate contacts. It is most suitable for maintaining a small, personal circle on one device. The free tier is a credible starting point, while the 20-person cap and reliance on ordinary iPhone backups make it a less convincing choice for larger or multi-device relationship records.

Overview

Type or dictate a short journal entry and Coleva’s on-device intelligence extracts people, relationships, dates and other details. A one-tap undo provides a useful safeguard when an extraction is wrong. This reduces the filing work normally associated with turning diary notes into a usable contact history, although the system is designed around remembered context rather than high-volume contact administration.

The living map places people, places and things into colour-coded connections. Birthday lead-time reminders, check-in nudges and plain-English answers from your notes turn those records into follow-up prompts and searchable knowledge. It is a distinctive combination for personal relationship maintenance, especially when remembering why, where or when something happened matters as much as a phone number.

Key features

Journal capture and organization

Typing and dictation support quick entries. On-device extraction keeps routine processing on the iPhone and the undo control leaves the user in charge of corrections. Interaction history, attached photos and relationship links give entries more lasting context than a conventional address book.

Map, reminders and questions

The colour-coded map shows how people, places and things connect. Birthday lead-time reminders and check-in nudges support deliberate follow-up, while Ask Coleva answers questions in plain English from stored notes. These tools are most useful to users who consistently record interactions; they cannot create useful history that was never entered.

Privacy and data handling

People, relationships, notes, diary entries and photos are stored locally on the iPhone, and Coleva says it operates no server holding user content. There is no account, advertising, analytics or tracking SDK. Optional permissions cover microphone, speech recognition, contacts, calendars, Face ID and notifications; contacts and calendar data are read on-device and are not uploaded. A recorded place name may be sent to Apple’s Maps geocoding service, and the app does not request device location.

Plus subscribers without Apple Intelligence can enable Cloud Assist, which may send limited text or profile information to OpenAI’s API. It can be switched off in Settings, but privacy-conscious users should leave it disabled if external processing is unacceptable.

Pricing

Free — $0.00 USD

The free plan includes journal capture, the living map, birthdays and Ask Coleva, with a limit of 20 contacts. It fits someone documenting a close circle and evaluating the workflow, but the cap will quickly constrain broader family, community or professional use.

Coleva Plus — $3.99 a month

The monthly plan removes the people limit and adds important-date reminders, calendar-synced nudges, AI assist, career and location trails, photo avatars, app lock and custom map colours. It suits users who want the full relationship-history feature set without an annual commitment.

Coleva Plus Yearly — $39 a year

The yearly plan includes the same Plus features at an annual billing term. It is the better fit for established users who expect to keep the app long term; the free plan remains the practical option for a small, low-maintenance circle.

Coleva has no separate sync or backup service. App data is included in normal iPhone backups, so users needing independent recovery or seamless access across devices should account for that limitation before paying.

Platforms

Coleva is an iPhone-only app and requires iOS 26.0 or later. Apple Intelligence, Apple Calendar, Apple Maps geocoding and optional OpenAI Cloud Assist are the named integrations. The iPhone restriction rules it out for Android, web and desktop-first workflows.

Who it's for

Choose Coleva if you want a private, memory-oriented record of personal relationships, value local processing and are comfortable keeping that record on one iPhone. Plus is aimed at users who need unlimited people, richer reminders and trails. It is not a strong fit for teams, cross-platform households or anyone who expects a dedicated cloud backup and sync layer.

Pros and cons

• Pros: On-device extraction turns brief notes into organized relationship context; the living map connects people, places and things visually; reminders and plain-English note queries encourage follow-through; no account, advertising or tracking SDKs; optional Cloud Assist can be disabled.
• Cons: The free plan stops at 20 contacts; iPhone-only availability and iOS 26.0 minimum exclude many users; there is no separate sync or backup service; Cloud Assist can transmit limited information to OpenAI when enabled; several useful capabilities require Plus.

Alternatives

For a broader personal CRM directory, browse Personal CRM Software.

• Contacts+ Personal CRM is the better choice for Android, web and API access, with a free 1,000-contact plan and daily sync.
• Kinu fits users wanting encrypted backup and Android or web support, though its free tier allows up to 10 people and no cross-device sync.
• Dextr suits Mac users seeking unlimited contacts, AI organization, reminders, places and events on a free plan.
• Kithmap is an option for macOS and web users who want a free open beta.
• Revere is worth choosing for unlimited people, notes and reminders across iOS and macOS.
• Contact Book is a web/API alternative with euro-priced Standard plans.
• Foundationbase Personal CRM is a free web option with MIT-licensed source.
• Hilo is a no-cost iOS alternative without subscriptions.

Verdict

Coleva is a strong pick for an iPhone user who wants private, searchable relationship memories and a visual map of connections. Its main reason to choose is the focused blend of journaling, automatic organization and reminders without an account. Look elsewhere if you need Android, web or desktop access, a larger free contact allowance, or a dedicated cloud backup and sync service.