Lorami vs Monica
Monica and Lorami share a goal: remembering the people you care about, not managing leads. They differ in how the details get in, and in who runs the software.
Compared as of September 2026, from each product's public website. Features and prices change; check their site for the latest.
What Monica is
Monica is an open-source personal CRM, around since 2017, for friends, family and the people close to you. As described on its website, you can record conversations, important dates, gifts, promises, activities such as meals, calls and trips, and how people are related to each other. It has reminders, custom fields and sections, a journal connected to people and events, file attachments and data export.
You can install Monica on your own server for free, or pay for the hosted version. Its pricing page lists the hosted plan at $90 a year (two months free compared with paying monthly), with a 30-day trial and unlimited contacts. It is used in the browser on phone, tablet and desktop; the site says a rebuilt version 3 is coming before the end of 2026, with native apps planned after it. Monica states it does not use AI on its own; version 3 is set to offer an MCP server so you can connect an AI assistant you choose.
If you want software you can run yourself, read the source of and keep entirely on your own infrastructure, Monica is the clear choice. Lorami is not open source and cannot be self-hosted.
How Lorami works differently
In Monica, you open a contact and fill in structured sections: a new activity, a reminder, a relationship. That is thorough, and it gives you exactly the fields you want. It also means entering things takes a few minutes, which is often the moment the habit breaks.
Lorami starts from a sentence instead. Say or type "my girlfriend's brother Dan just started at Klarna" and Lorami adds Dan, links him to your girlfriend as her brother and to Klarna as his employer, and files the note under him. One sentence becomes linked people. You see what it understood before anything is saved, and it asks when a name could mean two people.
- Reminders from what was said. A date in a sentence becomes a reminder; birthdays repeat every year.
- Ask in plain words. "When is Leo's test?" or "what does Sara like?" is answered from your notes.
- To-dos and errands near you. "Buy ibuprofen" can nudge you when you pass a pharmacy (on Pro).
- Drawn portraits. Turn a photo into a drawing for someone's page.
- Your language. Notes, reminders and answers can be written in the language you pick.
Lorami runs in the browser now, with iPhone and Android apps on the way. The Free plan keeps reminders, search, your map and export free, with a small monthly AI allowance. Pro is $10.00 a month billed yearly ($119.99 a year) or $14.99 month to month; new accounts get 7 days of Pro without a card.
Side by side
| Feature | Lorami | Monica |
|---|---|---|
| How details get in | Say or type a sentence; AI files it, you review | Structured forms and sections you fill in |
| Links between people | Created from your words | Relationships you add between contacts |
| Reminders | Before any date you mention, yearly birthdays | Reminders and important dates |
| Journal and activity log | Notes filed by person and topic | Yes, a journal and activities |
| AI | Built in: filing, questions, portraits | None built in; MCP server planned for version 3 |
| Open source and self-hosting | No | Yes, free to self-host |
| Platforms | Web now; iPhone and Android coming | Web on any device; native apps planned |
| Free option | Free plan | Self-hosting; 30-day hosted trial |
| Paid plan | Pro, $10.00/month billed yearly or $14.99 monthly | Hosted, $90/year |
About AI and privacy
This is the real trade-off between the two. Monica keeps AI out of the product, and self-hosting means your data never leaves your server. Lorami uses AI to do the filing, which is what lets one sentence become linked people. That means the notes you send are processed by an AI provider to understand them.
Which should you choose?
Choose Monica if open source and self-hosting matter to you, if you prefer structured records you design yourself, or if you would rather not have AI involved at all.
Choose Lorami if the hard part for you is getting details down in the first place, and you want to say one sentence and have it filed, reminded and answerable later.
The two are not mutually exclusive. Some people will keep a detailed journal in Monica and use Lorami for the quick things they hear in passing.
Try saying it instead of typing it in
Tell Lorami one thing a friend shared this week and see it become linked people with a reminder.
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