The best AI assistants you can text in 2026 (iMessage, SMS, WhatsApp)

We build Brea, an AI assistant you text in iMessage, so read this with that in mind. We still tried to make it the page we'd want if we were shopping. Every price below comes from each company's own pricing page, checked on November 3, 2026, and we link to it so you can check it yourself.

The short answer: if you have an iPhone and want an assistant that finishes tasks on any website (bookings, forms, purchases) for free, start with Brea. If you need WhatsApp or phone calls today, look at Pally or Arlo. If you live in Slack, look at Lindy.

What we compared

Most "AI you can text" products are chatbots with a phone number. A few actually do things. We looked at five questions for each one:

• Where you text it (iMessage, SMS, WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack)
• Whether it can act on websites that have no integration, not just search them
• Whether it can pay for things, and how you approve the payment
• What it asks you before it sends, deletes or buys anything
• What it costs, and whether there's a real free plan or only a trial

Quick comparison

• Brea: iMessage. Works in 2,000+ apps and on any website through its own browser. Pays with a one-time card you approve in Link by Stripe. Free, every feature included.
• Poke: iMessage, WhatsApp, Telegram. Email, calendar and app automations. Free, Pro $19/mo, Ultra $199/mo. Real-world errands go to a human operator on Ultra.
• Pally: iMessage, RCS, WhatsApp, Telegram. Bookings, purchases and phone calls. Free; Cloud Mac add-on $95/mo.
• Arlo: iMessage, SMS, WhatsApp, Slack. Browses sites and makes calls. Free with $20 of usage, Plus $20/mo, Max $100/mo.
• Carly: email, SMS, Slack. Workflows, scheduling and a CRM. Free workflows, Personal $35/mo.
• Martin: SMS, phone, WhatsApp, email, Slack. No iMessage. No free plan, from $21/mo billed yearly.
• Lindy: Slack first, plus iMessage and SMS. From $29.99 per user per month.
• alfred_: iMessage. Email and calendar for client work. From $29.99/mo after a 7-day trial.
• Meta Muse: Muse app, web, WhatsApp. Free with limits, Power $20/mo, Maximum $100/mo. Card required to start.
• Ohai: text and voice, for families. Free basic plan, paid from $9.99/mo.
• Sidekicks: iMessage and SMS persona chat. Free with limits, Pro $19.99/mo.

1. Brea: best for getting real tasks done from iMessage

You text Brea like you'd text a sharp assistant. "Book me the cheapest nonstop to Miami next Friday." "Every morning at 8, tell me which emails need a reply." "Find a pediatric dentist near me with something after 4pm and book it." Brea does the work and texts you back the result.

It connects to more than 2,000 apps, including Gmail, Outlook, Google Calendar, Drive, Notion, Slack and Dropbox. When a site has no integration, Brea opens its own browser and does the job the way you would: filling forms, comparing prices, booking appointments. We wrote up how that works.

The part we care most about is control. Brea asks you in iMessage before it sends, deletes, shares or changes a setting, and you reply allow, always or deny. Site logins live in an encrypted vault and the AI never sees them. Every purchase uses a new one-time card that you approve in Link by Stripe, so nothing gets bought without your OK. Brea has passed Google's CASA Tier 2 assessment and never trains AI models on your data (security details).

• Best for: iPhone users who want tasks finished, not suggestions, across email, calendar and any website
• Pricing: free, with every feature included and no credit card
• Limitations: iMessage only, so it isn't for Android. It doesn't place phone calls yet, though that's coming soon.

2. Poke: best known, now owned by Cognition

Poke from The Interaction Company was one of the first agents people texted, and it's known for its personality and for texting you first. Cognition, the company behind the Devin coding agent, acquired it in July 2026. TechCrunch reported that nothing would change for Poke through the end of the year.

• Best for: people who want a proactive, chatty assistant for email, calendar and reminders
• Pricing: Free, Pro $19/mo, Ultra $199/mo (pricing)
• Limitations: Poke's site doesn't say its AI can complete tasks on arbitrary websites. Real-world errands like reservations and orders go to "Poke Human", a human operator available only on the $199 Ultra plan. Long-term direction now depends on a dev-tools company.

3. Pally: best if you want WhatsApp and phone calls

Pally (YC) works over iMessage, RCS, WhatsApp and Telegram, makes phone calls, and completes bookings and purchases on the web. In October 2026 it moved to a free plan.

• Best for: people who want one assistant across WhatsApp and iMessage, with calls
• Pricing: Free with a weekly usage limit; Cloud Mac add-on $95/mo; invite-only VIP at $1,000/mo (pricing)
• Limitations: a young two-founder company, and how it plans to make money after going free isn't public

4. Arlo: browsing and calls, now leaning toward Slack teams

Arlo works over iMessage, SMS, WhatsApp and Slack, browses sites with your logins, and makes calls. Its homepage now pitches a shared AI teammate for companies in Slack.

• Best for: people who want phone calls and also use Slack at work
• Pricing: Free with $20 of usage/mo, Plus $20/mo, Max $100/mo; calls are billed per minute (pricing)
• Limitations: usage-based billing makes your bill harder to predict, and its pricing and positioning differ between its homepage and pricing page

5. Carly: best for email-first professionals

Carly started as an assistant you email. It also works over SMS and Slack and builds Zapier-style workflows with a built-in CRM.

• Best for: professionals and small teams who work out of email
• Pricing: Free (10 workflows), Personal $35/mo for 200 credits, Organization $35/seat (pricing)
• Limitations: no native iMessage experience or phone app, by Carly's own description. The credit system is hard to predict.

6. Martin: voice-first, but no free plan

Martin handles your inbox, calendar and to-dos over SMS, phone, WhatsApp, email and Slack. It can call people to book things.

• Best for: professionals who prefer talking to typing
• Pricing: no free plan. Basic $21/mo billed yearly ($35 monthly), Pro $30/mo yearly ($49 monthly) (pricing)
• Limitations: no iMessage. TechCrunch called it "a bit on the pricier side".

7. Lindy: best for teams in Slack

Lindy now calls itself an AI employee that lives in Slack, with a personal version you can text over iMessage or SMS.

• Best for: teams that run on Slack
• Pricing: Free trial credits for 7 days, then from $29.99 per active user per month (pricing)
• Limitations: per-seat team pricing is a poor fit for one person, and the free credits run out after 7 days

8. alfred_: best for client email

alfred_ is an iMessage assistant for people with 100+ emails a day: triage, drafts, follow-ups. Nothing sends until you say yes.

• Best for: consultants, lawyers and agents who bill their time
• Pricing: 7-day trial, then Starter $29.99/mo, Pro $44.99/mo, Team $49.99/seat (pricing)
• Limitations: focused on email and calendar. No web browsing, purchases or calls.

9. Meta Muse: Meta's agent, in WhatsApp

Muse runs tasks on its own cloud computer with a browser, can make purchases with Link by Stripe, and works in WhatsApp, the Muse app and on the web.

• Best for: heavy WhatsApp users comfortable giving Meta access to their accounts
• Pricing: Free with limits, Power $20/mo, Maximum $100/mo; TechCrunch reports a payment card is required to start
• Limitations: it's Meta, and much of the launch coverage was about whether people will trust it with their email and payments

10. Ohai: best for family logistics

Ohai is a household manager for parents: calendars, meal plans, lists and school emails, with human assistants for harder tasks.

• Pricing: Free basic plan, paid from $9.99/mo
• Limitations: built for family logistics, not general errands or work

11. Sidekicks: chat personas over text

Sidekicks offers chat personas over iMessage and SMS, from a general assistant to wellness and companion characters.

• Pricing: Free with limited messages, Pro $19.99/mo
• Limitations: no email or calendar integrations, browsing or purchases, so it's more of a chat companion than an assistant

How to pick

• You have an iPhone and want things done on any website, free: Brea
• You need WhatsApp or phone calls today: Pally or Arlo
• Your team lives in Slack: Lindy
• You mostly need email triage for client work: alfred_ or Carly
• You're organizing a family: Ohai

FAQ

What's the best AI assistant you can text in iMessage? For finishing tasks, we think it's Brea: it works in your apps and on any website, asks before anything important, and is free. Poke and alfred_ also work in iMessage.

Is there a free AI assistant you can text? Yes. Brea is free with every feature included. Pally is free with a weekly limit. Poke, Arlo, Carly and Muse have free tiers with paid upgrades.

Can an AI assistant buy things for me by text? Brea, Pally and Meta Muse can complete purchases. Brea pays with a new one-time card for each purchase, and only after you approve it in Link by Stripe.

Is it safe to give a texting assistant access to my email? Check three things: whether it asks before sending, whether the AI ever sees your passwords, and whether it trains on your data. Brea asks first, keeps logins out of the AI's view, and never trains on your data. Our security page has the details.

Try Brea

Sign up at app.brea.ai/start with your phone number and send your first text. Some to try: "Summarize my inbox every morning at 8." "Watch the price of the Sony WH-1000XM5 and text me if it drops below $300." "Plan dinners for this week for a family of 4 and give me the grocery list."