Rather than downloading another app, a growing number of AI agents text users like an ordinary person. You text it what you need, and it can remember context, connect to the apps and services you already use, and complete tasks on your behalf.
That can mean scheduling an appointment, organizing a calendar, researching a trip, sending an email, making a reservation, shopping online, or reminding you about something days later.
While Instinct is one of the buzziest AI agents at present — thanks to its $10 billion valuation after its latest funding round of $1 billion — there are many others also making a play for this space. Below are the most notable options so far, from general-purpose personal assistants to agents designed for families, travel, and work.
General-Purpose AI Agents You Can Text
Instinct
Instinct first made headlines after raising $350 million at a $2.5 billion valuation. In September 2026, it raised $1 billion, valuing it at $10 billion.
The always-available agent can take actions on your behalf rather than simply answer questions. Users can communicate with Instinct by text or voice and connect it to the apps and services they already use, such as email, calendar, Google Workspace, and more. Early users have used Instinct for tasks ranging from planning trips and buying groceries to booking tickets and canceling subscriptions.
In September, Instinct began giving users dedicated email addresses for their assistants, letting the agent create and manage accounts on a user’s behalf without filling the user’s personal inbox. It has also begun rolling out support for placing calls. The company remains in private beta.
Comma
Comma is designed to manage tasks across both work and everyday life. It carries tasks through to completion, checking its own work and determining when a task is finished. Completed work is surfaced for review when a decision or approval is needed.
It can work across a user’s browser, computer, and files, while remaining accessible remotely through messaging apps such as Signal, Telegram, and WeChat. Comma maintains context and memory across devices and conversations, and can deliver daily briefings, flag urgent matters, and summarize recorded calls. Comma is free to start and open source.
Folk
Folk is designed to be an AI assistant you can reach through iMessage, WhatsApp, and Telegram. It can remember personal context, manage reminders, research topics, track flights, handle email, and perform real-world tasks such as restaurant reservations.
One distinction is that Folk runs on its own private cloud computer. It can also run code and execute multi-step tasks rather than merely responding conversationally. Folk launched its beta in May 2026, and it’s available for free but also offers a Pro subscription for $8.33/month if you want unlimited tasks running in the background.
Martin
Martin is a general-purpose personal assistant reachable through SMS as well as phone, WhatsApp, email, Slack, and its own iOS app. It can help manage calendars, email, reminders, tasks, notes, and communications, while providing daily summaries of what needs attention. It’s a bit on the pricier side, with subscriptions starting at $21 per month.
Poke
Poke launched in March 2026 as a general-purpose assistant you can reach through text messaging. It can handle tasks involving calendars, planning, health and fitness, smart-home controls, photos, and other everyday activities.
Poke became particularly notable in June 2026 when Apple approved it as the first AI agent on the Apple Messages for Business platform. A month later, parent company The Interaction Company of California was acquired by AI coding startup Cognition in a deal valued in the low nine figures.
Rene
Rene is an AI personal assistant designed to be a user’s “best contact” rather than another productivity agent. It’s text-based and can turn natural-language conversations into tasks, reminders, summaries, and other follow-up actions. It also has a browser, can write code, shop for you, and create slides and images. Rene is currently available on iMessage, Telegram, and WhatsApp.
Tab
Tab allows users to delegate everyday tasks through familiar messaging platforms. Users can send requests via iMessage or WhatsApp, ranging from ordering groceries to finding birthday gifts, and Tab handles the process on their behalf. The company emerged from stealth in early October with a valuation of $300 million.
AI Agents Built for Families
Fambot
Fambot is an AI-powered “chief of staff” for families, designed to bring together school communications, sports activities, meal planning, calendars, and other day-to-day responsibilities into an organized plan.
The service works across both an app and text messages, and families can interact with it directly over SMS. Every night, Fambot automatically sends a summary of the following day, including upcoming events, to-dos, and details such as school uniform or packing requirements. Parents can reply to those messages to ask questions or make changes to their calendar. Fambot currently connects to Gmail, Google Calendar, Outlook, and WhatsApp, with support for Apple Calendar planned for the future.
Ohai
Ohai is another family assistant focused on helping households manage the constant stream of information and tasks involved in everyday family life. Users can send messages, forward emails, or make voice requests, and the assistant can transform them into schedules, reminders, and plans. It includes a free basic option, but also offers subscriptions based on family size, starting at $9.99 per month.
Ollie
Ollie aims to bring school messages, calendars, task lists, and group chats together and keep them in sync. It can track calendars, emails, reminders, tasks, and other household details, then deliver relevant information through text.
Its biggest differentiator is that Ollie is one of the first mainstream, family-focused AI assistants to achieve SOC 2 compliance, a widely used security standard. Launched in June 2026, Ollie offers a free tier, as well as paid plans starting at $25 per month for 150 messages.
Orbits
Orbits works through both its app and text messaging, bringing together calendars, lists, and conversations while carrying out tasks for you. That can include searching the web, making purchases, booking restaurants, changing appointments, and requesting quotes for household services. Orbits is backed by investors like Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) Speedrun fund, N49P, and Garage Capital.
Specialized Agents for Travel, Work, and Content
Miso
Miso takes the personal-assistant concept and applies it specifically to travel. It operates through iMessage and combines AI trip planning with support from a dedicated travel team. Users can arrange flights through messaging while Miso considers their travel preferences, loyalty points, and other priorities.
Stanley
Stanley is an AI content assistant aimed at content creators. Available through iMessage, Telegram, and the web, it acts as a kind of AI head of content, helping users come up with ideas, turn them into posts, and maintain a consistent publishing schedule. Users can also send voice notes, which Stanley turns into scripts, captions, and other social assets.
Town
Town is aimed more at professional life. It gives users a “Townie,” an AI assistant designed to learn how they work and handle recurring professional tasks across email, calendars, documents, Slack, and other platforms. In June 2026, the company raised a $55 million Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz and Forerunner.
Privacy-Focused and Task-Specific Options
Underdog
Underdog is a privacy-focused AI assistant that launched an invite-only beta in early October 2026. Unlike cloud-based AI services, the model runs entirely on the user’s device, keeping personal data on hardware they already own. The initial release supports Mac and Windows computers, with Linux, iPhone, and Android versions planned for the future.
Wajo
Wajo’s first consumer agent, Fo, can call businesses, send emails, join group chats, make bookings and purchases, and coordinate with people to complete everyday tasks. A key part of Wajo’s approach is giving Fo its own identity — its own email address, phone number, and payment card — allowing it to interact with businesses without requiring users to hand over their own credentials. Fo launched publicly in September 2026 with a free tier.
Caddy
Caddy turns the information scattered across your phone into things you can act on. It lives in iMessage for iPhone users and RCS for Android users, so there’s no separate app to check. It connects to your calendars and conversations, then identifies things that may require action — adding events, setting reminders, tracking follow-ups, and doing research. Caddy has been available in public beta since April 2026.
Pally
Users can interact with Pally as they would with a friend while giving it access to the apps they already rely on. The assistant can connect information spread across WhatsApp, Gmail, calendars, and Google Drive, helping users keep track of plans, receipts, dates, and files. There’s a free plan offering 15 minutes of calls per month, plus paid plans at $25 per month for 30 minutes and $100 per month for 60 minutes.
Szn
Szn coordinates tasks and follow-ups through a single conversation thread. Users can send text messages, voice notes, photos, or forwarded emails, and the assistant takes action on their behalf, including making calls, sending emails, and managing follow-ups. According to the company, Szn has served more than 7,500 businesses across 16 countries and completed over 10,000 jobs.
What to Look for in a Text-Based AI Agent
With so many options, the right choice depends on what you actually need. Consider these factors:
Platform support: Some agents work only through iMessage, while others support SMS, RCS, WhatsApp, Telegram, or Signal.
App connections: Check whether the agent links to your calendar, email, and the services you use daily.
Autonomy level: Decide how much you want the agent to do on its own versus requesting your approval first.
Privacy: Cloud-based agents offer more power, while on-device options like Underdog prioritize keeping data local.
Pricing: Ranges from free tiers to subscriptions starting around $8.33/month and going up to $100/month.
Specialization: General assistants handle broad tasks, while family, travel, or content-focused agents go deeper in one area.
The AI agent space is expanding quickly, and texting an assistant is becoming as normal as messaging a friend. Whether you need help running a household, planning a trip, managing work tasks, or staying on top of your calendar, there’s likely an agent built for it — and most offer a free tier to try before you commit.
