Kinu

Kinu is a private relationship manager for keeping track of the people and personal details you do not want to forget. It suits people who want a thoughtful prompt to stay in touch with friends and family, not a pipeline for prospects or a new social network. Its appeal is the combination of personal records, reminders, and local-first privacy.

Overview

Kinu gives each person a place for notes, moments, voice notes, important dates, and rituals, then nudges you when a date arrives or you have not reached out in a while. That makes it more purposeful than a bare contact list, especially for users who want to act on relationship context rather than simply store names and numbers.

The scope is deliberately narrow: there are no feeds, followers, likes, or public profiles. Relationship data stays on the device by default, and voice notes are never uploaded. After signing in with Apple, Google, or an email address and password, Kinu works fully offline and saves changes to the device first. You can export your data at any time.

Key features

Personal records and reminders

Notes and saved moments preserve the details that make a future conversation more personal; rituals and dates add recurring context. Reminders help convert that context into a timely message. This is useful for people intentionally maintaining close relationships, but it is not a substitute for sales-oriented contact tracking.

Private storage and device access

Free encrypted backup offers a way to protect a copy without paying for sync. If backup or sync is enabled, data is encrypted on the device before it leaves and remains encrypted in transit and at rest. Plus adds encrypted syncing across devices; users who keep to one device can avoid that subscription, while people who need the same records on several devices will need it.

Offline operation and device-first writes make Kinu usable without a live connection after sign-in. The trade-off is that the free plan has no cross-device sync, so it is better suited to a single-device routine than a shared, multi-device one. Kinu says its support team typically responds within 24 hours.

Pricing

Free

The free plan costs nothing, with no card and no time limit; it is not a trial. It includes core features, free encrypted backup, and up to 10 people. That is enough for a small circle, but the cap makes it a poor fit for anyone wanting to track a broader network. There is no cross-device sync.

Kinu Plus

Kinu Plus costs $6.99 a month or $69.99 a year. Both options include unlimited people and encrypted sync across devices. The yearly plan costs less over a full year than paying monthly for 12 months, while the monthly plan avoids an annual commitment. Both are the practical choice for users who exceed 10 people or need records synced across devices.

Founding Member Lifetime

The Founding Member Lifetime plan is 149.99 USD one-time. It includes everything in Plus, future updates, and no renewals. It suits someone who wants Plus without recurring payments, provided the upfront cost makes sense for their expected use.

Platforms

Kinu is available on Android, iOS, and the web. That range makes Plus’s cross-device sync relevant to people who move between phone and browser; free users can still use the app offline after sign-in, but their plan does not sync records between devices.

Who it's for

Kinu is for people who want a private system for remembering personal details and following up with friends and family. It is a particularly good fit for someone who values offline access, device-local voice notes, and a focused interface without social features. People managing a large contact list, working across devices, or tracking sales relationships should look elsewhere.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Records combine notes, moments, voice notes, dates, and rituals, so relationship context and reminders live together.
• Pros: Data is local by default, voice notes stay on-device, and encrypted backup is free.
• Pros: Offline use after sign-in and data export support a more self-directed way to manage personal records.
• Cons: The free plan stops at 10 people, limiting its usefulness for a wider circle.
• Cons: Cross-device sync requires Plus, so users who want the same records on multiple devices must pay.
• Cons: Its personal focus and lack of social or sales features make it unsuitable for prospect management or broad networking.

Alternatives

Contacts+ Personal CRM is a better fit if you want a larger free allowance: its free plan includes 1 account, 1,000 contacts, daily sync, and web, iOS, and Android apps.

Dextr is worth considering for an Apple-only setup: its free plan includes unlimited contacts, AI organization, relationships and tags, reminders, places, and events, and it runs on iOS and macOS.

Kithmap is a free option for macOS and web users while it is in open beta.

Revere suits iOS and macOS users who want unlimited people, notes, and reminders on its free plan.

Coleva is another iOS alternative.

Contact Book is a web-based alternative.

Foundationbase Personal CRM is a free, MIT-licensed web option.

Hilo is a free iOS alternative with no subscriptions.

Browse more options in Personal CRM Software.

Verdict

Choose Kinu if your priority is remembering and nurturing a manageable circle of personal relationships, with privacy-conscious storage and useful prompts rather than social features. The free plan is a credible starting point for up to 10 people; choose Plus when you need an unlimited list or encrypted sync across devices. Look elsewhere if you need a sales CRM or want a larger free contact allowance.