Rucksack vs Mesh (formerly Clay)
| Feature | Rucksack | Mesh |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | Closed beta, invite-only | Available; free and paid plans |
| Price | Nothing to pay during the beta | Free up to 1,000 contacts; Pro listed at $10/month |
| How information gets in | You speak or type after a conversation | Imported from email, calendar, X, LinkedIn, Facebook, iMessage |
| Keeps contacts up to date | No | Job changes, location changes, news mentions |
| Reminders | No | Reconnect reminders and birthdays |
| Where a fact comes from | Links back to your recording | Your accounts and public sources |
| Platforms | Installable web app, verified on iPhone | macOS, Windows, web, Android, iOS |
Rucksack
- Availability
- Closed beta, invite-only
- Price
- Nothing to pay during the beta
- How information gets in
- You speak or type after a conversation
- Keeps contacts up to date
- No
- Reminders
- No
- Where a fact comes from
- Links back to your recording
- Platforms
- Installable web app, verified on iPhone
Mesh
- Availability
- Available; free and paid plans
- Price
- Free up to 1,000 contacts; Pro listed at $10/month
- How information gets in
- Imported from email, calendar, X, LinkedIn, Facebook, iMessage
- Keeps contacts up to date
- Job changes, location changes, news mentions
- Reminders
- Reconnect reminders and birthdays
- Where a fact comes from
- Your accounts and public sources
- Platforms
- macOS, Windows, web, Android, iOS
How this comparison was made
We make Rucksack, so read this page with that in mind. Mesh was not tested hands-on. What this page says about it comes from its website, pricing page and the post announcing the rename, checked on 13 September 2026. What it says about Rucksack comes from its product board on the same day. Prices and features change, so check both before you decide.
Clay is now Mesh
If you are looking for Clay, the personal CRM: it has been called Mesh since 26 March 2026. The post announcing the change says that other companies using the name Clay made a distinct identity necessary. Its site footer names Automattic as the copyright holder.
Two different ideas of where knowledge about people comes from
Mesh assumes most of what you need to know is already written down somewhere — in your inbox, your calendar, your social accounts, the news. It brings everyone you have been in contact with into one place, keeps their details current, and lets you know about job changes, moves and news mentions. It has reminders to reconnect, birthday notifications, and an AI assistant it calls Nexus.
Rucksack assumes the most valuable part is not written down anywhere. It is what someone told you over coffee: that they are thinking of leaving their job, that their daughter just started school, that they know someone you should meet. No inbox holds that. So Rucksack does not import anything. After a conversation you speak for half a minute, or type, and it files the facts under the people you mentioned — asking you when a name could mean two different people, and linking every fact back to the recording it came from.
Where Mesh is clearly ahead
- Your network appears without any work: import from email, calendar, X, LinkedIn, Facebook and iMessage.
- Contacts stay current on their own.
- Reminders and birthday notifications.
- A free plan for up to 1,000 contacts, and native apps on every major platform.
- It is an established product. Rucksack is a closed beta.
Where Rucksack is different
- It captures what was said, not what was sent. Nothing Rucksack knows comes from anywhere but you.
- Because of that, every fact has a source you can check: the recording, in your own voice.
- When it is unsure who you meant, it asks. It does not merge two people silently, and it learns the name from your answer.
- It works without signal: a note recorded offline stays on your phone and uploads later.
Price
Mesh: the Personal plan is free for up to 1,000 contacts. Pro was listed at $10 a month when we checked, shown as a discounted price, with a 14-day trial that needs a credit card. Team is listed at $40 per seat a month, and Enterprise is priced on request.
Rucksack: there is nothing to pay during the beta, and no way to pay yet. The plan for afterwards is that Rucksack stays free to use and you pay a fee for usage. The details are not set.
Which one fits
If you want an always-current overview of everyone you have ever emailed or met, without lifting a finger, Mesh does that and Rucksack does not.
If your contacts are not the problem, but what they told you is — the details that make the next conversation personal — that is what Rucksack is built to keep.