Life & fun · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to Ref

Reference contacts by @-mention in Gmail

Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. Ref launched in 2015; newer entries below may have overtaken it.

1. 1
   Rapportive▲141

   Rich contact profiles inside Gmail

   2014 · business.linkedin.com · its alternatives →

2. 2
   typeless▲89

   Gmail shared contacts, done right

   2014 · typeless.co · its alternatives →

3. 3AM
   At-mentions in Gmail▲5

   2015 · refapp.co · its alternatives →

4. 4
   Shared Groups▲59

   Contact Sharing Simplified [for Gmail]

   2014 · sharedgroups.com · its alternatives →

5. 5
   FullContact for Gmail▲380

   Your Gmail Contacts. On steroids.

   2014 · fullcontact.com · its alternatives →

6. 6
   MailMatch▲219

   Rapportive for Email Lists

   2014 · clearbit.com · its alternatives →

7. 7
   Myriels▲129

   Making contact lists smart and easy to use

   2017 · myriels.com · its alternatives →

8. 8
   Clearbit Connect▲723

   Rapportive on steroids. See data about contacts in Gmail.

   2016 · clearbit.com · its alternatives →

9. 9
   Name2Email by Reply▲245

   Get any email based on someone's name

   2015 · name2email.com · its alternatives →

10. 10
    Smart Reply in Gmail▲179

    Quick suggested responses for emails, using machine learning

    2017 · blog.google · its alternatives →

11. 11
    Rive▲82

    Exchange contact information like a boss

    2015 · rive.app · its alternatives →

12. 12
    FullContact for Chrome▲211

    Context for your contacts without leaving your inbox.

    2017 · chromewebstore.google.com · its alternatives →

13. 13
    Google Contacts▲271

    New, amazing contact manager

    2015 · accounts.google.com · its alternatives →

14. 14
    Connections▲73

    Add notes and more functionality to your Contacts

    2016 · play.google.com · its alternatives →

15. 15
    Email 1K▲190

    Double Your Email List

    2014 · email1k.com · its alternatives →

16. 16
    Clientele▲73

    A totally new way to view your email contacts

    2014 · clientele.io · its alternatives →

17. 17
    Unreplied▲152

    Smart Gmail label for emails you're waiting a reply to

    2014 · its alternatives →

18. 18
    Email Signature Parser▲91

    Extract contact details from email signatures with AI

    2023 · chromewebstore.google.com · its alternatives →

19. 19
    ContactSaver▲79

    Convert email signatures into address book contacts

    2014 · apps.apple.com · its alternatives →

20. 20
    Emailadore▲75

    Share links to an email for reference super fast.

    2014 · its alternatives →

21. 21
    Contact Form▲126

    Make it easy to talk to your customers

    2014 · bdow.com · its alternatives →

22. 22
    Crystal▲162

    Suggests the best way to communicate with people over email

    2015 · crystalknows.com · its alternatives →

23. 23
    ContactBox▲67

    Instantly Share Contact Lists with Others

    2014 · its alternatives →

24. 24
    Gmail Actions▲70

    Interact with other products/services from the Gmail Inbox

    2014 · developers.google.com · its alternatives →

Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →