ppl resources · Comparisons

ppl vs. an address book: knowing how to reach someone is a start

An address book and a personal CRM can serve different purposes. Compare contact details with conversation history and follow-through.

Updated October 10, 2026 · ppl team

Your address book knows how to reach someone. A useful relationship record also remembers why you wanted to reach out. These can work side by side. You do not need to abandon the contacts app on your phone to try a personal CRM.

Keep the contact app doing its job

Phone numbers, email addresses and postal addresses are worth keeping where your devices can use them. Apple’s Contacts app, for example, supports lists, contact sharing and birthday display in Calendar. Those everyday conveniences are good reasons to keep your address book in use. See Apple’s Contacts guide.

The practical distinction is the work you want to do around the record. A phone contact can help you place the call. A relationship note can remind you to ask how the new job is going when they answer.

Add context where you need it

ppl keeps contact details alongside conversation notes, important dates and follow-ups. An authorized assistant can retrieve that context through MCP or REST. You can still open the web app and inspect or edit the record yourself. See ppl’s personal CRM and its assistant connection.

You might keep an up-to-date phone number in your everyday address book and use ppl for the history of your conversations. Decide which place owns changes to basic details so that two copies do not quietly drift apart. An import is not a promise of ongoing two-way synchronization.

Use the next conversation as the test

Add someone you actually plan to call. Record a short note and a follow-up, then return to it before the call. If that saves you from forgetting something important, the extra record has a purpose. If it merely creates another inbox to maintain, a simpler routine may be better.

Bring over a small group first

You can start with Google Contacts, an Apple Contacts vCard export or a prepared CSV. Compare a few known records before moving more, and keep your existing address book while you check the result.

ppl’s hosted beta is free for up to 1,000 contacts; Pro and self-hosting are coming soon. See the current offer.