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AI agents that live in your text messages are becoming a practical alternative to downloading yet another app. Instead of opening a dedicated interface, you text the agent as you would a person. It remembers context, connects to services you already use, and completes tasks like scheduling appointments, organizing calendars, researching trips, sending emails, making reservations, shopping online, or reminding you about something days later. The list below covers the most notable options available so far, from general-purpose assistants to agents built for families, travel, and work.
Caddy turns scattered phone information into actionable items. It works through iMessage on iPhone and RCS on Android, so there is no separate app or inbox to check. If an email contains an appointment that needs to go on your calendar, or a friend sends a list of things to pick up, Caddy connects to your calendars and conversations, identifies what needs action, and can add events, set reminders, track follow-ups, and do research. It has been in public beta since April 2026.
Fambot is an AI-powered chief of staff for families, pulling together school communications, sports activities, meal planning, calendars, and daily responsibilities into one organized plan. It works across an app and text messages, available on iOS, Android, and the web, and families can interact 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 ask questions, check information, or make calendar changes. Fambot currently connects to Gmail and Google Calendar, with Outlook and Apple Calendar planned. It launched in beta in early September 2026 and has raised $3.5 million in pre-seed funding. The service is free during beta, but Fambot expects to eventually charge roughly the equivalent of a Netflix subscription.
Folk is an AI assistant reachable through iMessage, WhatsApp, and Telegram. It remembers personal context, manages reminders, researches topics, tracks flights, handles email, and performs real-world tasks such as restaurant reservations. One distinction is that Folk runs on its own private cloud computer and can run code and execute multi-step tasks rather than merely responding conversationally. It launched its beta in May 2026 and is available for free, with a Pro subscription at $8.33 per month for unlimited background tasks.
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 apps and services they already use, such as email, calendar, and Google Workspace. Early users have used Instinct for planning trips, buying groceries, booking tickets, and canceling subscriptions. In September, Instinct began giving users dedicated email addresses for their assistants, letting the agent create and manage accounts without filling the user's personal inbox. It can sign up for services, contact businesses, follow up on requests, and handle tasks requiring an email account, though this autonomy has raised privacy and security concerns. It has also begun rolling out support for placing calls. The company remains in private beta.
Powered by the Hermes agent, Iris lets users delegate tasks to an AI assistant directly through iMessage. Users connect the apps they use and hand over a task with a simple message. The agent works through the required steps while retaining relevant context from previous interactions. It is also designed to follow up proactively rather than waiting for another request.
Martin is a general-purpose personal assistant reachable through SMS as well as phone, WhatsApp, email, Slack, and its own iOS app. It helps manage calendars, email, reminders, tasks, notes, and communications. It can act on behalf of users by sending messages or making phone calls, while providing daily summaries of what needs attention. Subscriptions start at $21 per month.
Miso applies the personal-assistant concept 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 takes into account travel preferences, loyalty points, and other priorities. Miso also gives travelers access to trip details, flight updates, and personalized recommendations.
Ohai is a 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 transforms them into schedules, reminders, and plans. It can coordinate calendars, household chores, and meals across multiple family members. It includes a free basic option and subscriptions based on family size, starting at $9.99 per month.
Ollie brings together information that already exists across school messages, calendars, task lists, and group chats and keeps it in sync. It tracks calendars, emails, reminders, tasks, and other household details, then delivers 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 and paid plans starting at $25 per month for 150 messages. A $100-per-month plan includes up to 1,000 messages.
Orbits is a household-focused AI assistant that works through both the Orbits app and text messaging. It brings together calendars, lists, and conversations while carrying out tasks such as searching the web, making purchases, booking restaurants, changing appointments, and requesting quotes for household services. It can remind family members about chores, communicate with service providers, and help coordinate responsibilities beyond the immediate household. Orbits is backed by investors including Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) Speedrun fund, N49P, and Garage Capital.
Users interact with Pally as they would with a friend while giving it access to apps they already rely on. It connects information spread across WhatsApp, Gmail, calendars, and Google Drive, helping users keep track of plans, receipts, dates, files, and other details. A free plan offers features like 15 minutes of calls per month. Paid plans include $25 per month for 30 minutes of calls and $100 per month for 60 minutes.
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 is an AI personal assistant designed to be a user's best contact rather than another productivity agent. It is text-based and turns natural-language conversations into tasks, reminders, summaries, and other follow-up actions. Rene maintains context across conversations, remembering details and surfacing things that may need attention later. It also has a browser, can write code, shop for you, and create slides and images. Rene is available on iMessage, Telegram, and WhatsApp.
Skye is an agentic homescreen for the iPhone that analyzes information from connected services and surfaces what it thinks is relevant through contextual cards, suggestions, and daily briefings. It can generate audio briefings, prepare information ahead of meetings, surface reminders, and identify potentially useful information. The company, Signull Labs, raised about $3.6 million in seed funding in 2025. It entered private testing and beta in April 2026 and has not announced a public release date.
Stanley is an AI content assistant aimed at content creators rather than general personal productivity. Available through iMessage, Telegram, and the web, it acts as an AI head of content, helping users come up with ideas, turn them into posts, and maintain a consistent publishing schedule. For example, Stanley can connect to a user's Instagram account and suggest content based on what the user has actually been doing. Users can send voice notes, which Stanley turns into scripts, captions, and other social assets. It includes a content calendar and can schedule posts, aiming to make content creation a more continuous, automated process.
Tomo's personal assistant for iMessage can become part of group conversations rather than being a private assistant only you interact with. It helps with goals, accountability, scheduling, and everyday organization. It 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.
Town is aimed at professional life. It gives users a Townie, an AI assistant designed to learn how they work and handle recurring professional 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.
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. The agent has its own email address, phone number, and payment card, allowing it to interact with businesses without requiring users to hand over their own credentials. When Fo encounters something it cannot handle on its own, 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.
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