What Are Text Message AI Agents?
Text message AI agents are assistants you reach by sending a normal text instead of downloading another app. You message what you need, and the agent remembers context, connects to the apps and services you already use, and completes 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.
Instinct is one of the buzziest agents right now after a $1 billion funding round valued it at $10 billion. But many others are competing for the same space, from general-purpose personal assistants to agents built for families, travel, and work.
Here are the most notable text message AI agents available so far.
General-Purpose 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 takes actions on your behalf rather than simply answering questions. Users can communicate by text or voice and connect it to email, calendar, Google Workspace, and more. Early users have used Instinct for planning trips, buying groceries, booking tickets, and cancelling subscriptions.
In September, Instinct began giving users dedicated email addresses for their assistants, letting the agent create and manage accounts without filling a personal inbox. It has also begun rolling out support for placing calls. The company remains in private beta.
Folk
Folk is an AI assistant reachable 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 offers a Pro subscription at $8.33/month for unlimited background tasks.
Poke
Poke launched in March 2026 as a general-purpose assistant reachable through text messaging. It handles calendars, planning, health and fitness, smart-home controls, photos, and other everyday activities.
Poke became 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 designed to be a user’s “best contact” rather than another productivity agent. It turns natural-language conversations into tasks, reminders, summaries, and follow-up actions, and maintains context across conversations.
It has a browser, can write code, shop for you, and create slides and images. Rene is available on iMessage, Telegram, and WhatsApp.
Martin
Martin is a general-purpose personal assistant reachable through SMS, phone, WhatsApp, email, Slack, and its own iOS app. It manages calendars, email, reminders, tasks, notes, and communications, and can act on your behalf by sending messages or making calls.
It also provides daily summaries of what needs attention. Subscriptions start at $21 per month.
Caddy
Caddy turns 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.
Caddy connects to your calendars and conversations, then identifies what needs action. It can add events, set reminders, track follow-ups, and do research. Caddy has been in public beta since April 2026.
Iris
Powered by the Hermes agent, Iris lets users delegate tasks directly through iMessage. You connect your apps and hand over a task with a simple message, and the agent works through the steps while retaining context from previous interactions. It can also follow up proactively rather than waiting for another request.
Text Message AI Agents for Families
Fambot
Fambot is an AI-powered “chief of staff” for families, bringing together school communications, sports, meal planning, calendars, and daily responsibilities into one organized plan.
It works across an app and text messages, and families can interact directly over SMS. Every night, Fambot sends a summary of the following day, including events, to-dos, and details such as school uniform requirements. Parents can reply to ask questions or make calendar changes.
Fambot connects to Gmail and Google Calendar, with Outlook and Apple Calendar planned. It launched in beta in September 2026 and has raised $3.5 million in pre-seed funding. It’s free during beta but expects to eventually charge roughly the equivalent of a Netflix subscription.
Ohai
Ohai helps households manage the constant stream of information and tasks in everyday family life. Users can send messages, forward emails, or make voice requests, and the assistant turns them into schedules, reminders, and plans.
It can coordinate calendars, chores, and meals across multiple family members. There’s a free basic option plus subscriptions based on family size starting at $9.99 per month.
Ollie
Ollie brings together information that lives across school messages, calendars, task lists, and group chats, then keeps it in sync. It tracks calendars, emails, reminders, tasks, and household details, and delivers relevant information by text.
Its biggest differentiator is being 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 plus paid plans starting at $25 per month for 150 messages, with a $100-per-month plan including up to 1,000 messages.
Orbits
Orbits focuses on the household through both its app and text messaging, bringing together calendars, lists, and conversations while carrying out tasks. That can include searching the web, making purchases, booking restaurants, changing appointments, and requesting quotes for household services.
It can also remind family members about chores and coordinate responsibilities beyond the household. Orbits is backed by investors including Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) Speedrun fund, N49P, and Garage Capital.
Agents for Travel, Work, and Content
Miso
Miso applies the personal-assistant concept 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 travel preferences, loyalty points, and other priorities. It also provides trip details, flight updates, and personalized recommendations.
Town
Town targets professional life with a “Townie,” an AI assistant that learns how you work and handles recurring tasks. It works with email, calendars, documents, Slack, and other platforms.
In June 2026, the company raised a $55 million Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz and Forerunner.
Stanley
Stanley is an AI content assistant for creators, available through iMessage, Telegram, and the web. It helps users come up with ideas, turn them into posts, and maintain a consistent publishing schedule.
Stanley can connect to an Instagram account and suggest content based on what the user has been doing. Users can send voice notes, which Stanley turns into scripts and captions. It includes a content calendar and can schedule posts.
Tomo
Tomo’s biggest differentiator is that it can become part of group conversations on iMessage rather than staying private to one user.
It helps with goals, accountability, scheduling, and organization, and can send reminders, search the web, work with calendars and email, watch videos, and edit photos. The basic plan starts at $19.99 per month.
Pally
Users interact with Pally as they would with a friend while giving it access to apps they rely on. It connects information across WhatsApp, Gmail, calendars, and Google Drive, helping users track plans, receipts, dates, and files.
There’s a free plan with 15 minutes of calls per month, plus paid plans at $25 per month for 30 minutes and $100 per month for 60 minutes.
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 tasks.
Fo has its own email address, phone number, and payment card, allowing it to interact with businesses without users handing over their own credentials. When Fo can’t handle something alone, Wajo says it can bring in a human assistant to finish the task. Fo launched publicly in September 2025 with a free tier, while heavier workloads and custom agents are available through a paid Pro offering.
Skye
Skye is an “agentic homescreen” for the iPhone that analyzes connected services and surfaces relevant information through contextual cards, suggestions, and daily briefings. It can generate audio briefings, prepare information ahead of meetings, and surface reminders.
The company, Signull Labs, raised about $3.6 million in seed funding in 2025. It entered private testing and beta in April 2026 and hasn’t announced a public release date.
How to Choose Among Text Message AI Agents
With so many options, the right choice depends on what you need.
General productivity: Instinct, Folk, Poke, Rene, Martin, Caddy, and Iris cover calendars, email, reminders, research, and task execution.
Family logistics: Fambot, Ohai, Ollie, and Orbits coordinate schedules and chores across a household.
Travel: Miso pairs AI planning with a dedicated travel team.
Work: Town focuses on recurring professional tasks.
Content creation: Stanley handles ideation, scripts, captions, and scheduling.
Group coordination: Tomo joins group conversations rather than staying private.
Pricing, availability, and features vary widely, and several agents remain in beta or private testing, so checking the current status before committing is worth the effort.
Text message AI agents are multiplying fast, spanning everything from $10 billion startups like Instinct to niche family and travel assistants. Instead of downloading another app, you can simply text these agents like an ordinary person and let them handle the details.
