Rather than downloading another app, a growing number of agents can simply be texted like an ordinary person.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
While Instinct is one of the buzziest AI agents at present, thanks to its $10 billion valuation after its latest funding round<\/a> of $1 billion, there are many others also making a play for this space. <\/p>\n Below are some of the most notable options so far, from general-purpose personal assistants to agents designed for families, travel, and work.<\/p>\n Caddy<\/a> is an AI assistant that turns the information scattered across your phone into things you can actually act on. It lives in iMessage for iPhone users and RCS for Android users, so there\u2019s no separate app or inbox to constantly check.<\/p>\n For instance, an email contains an appointment that needs to be added to your calendar or a friend sends a list of things to pick up. Instead of worrying about all the details getting buried, Caddy connects to your calendars and conversations, then identifies things that may require action. It can add events to your calendar, set reminders, keep track of follow-ups, and even do research for you.\u00a0<\/p>\n Caddy has been available in public beta since April 2026.<\/p>\n Fambot<\/a> is an AI-powered \u201cchief of staff\u201d for families, designed to bring together the many moving parts of family life, including school communications, sports activities, meal planning, calendars, and other day-to-day responsibilities, and turn them into an organized plan.<\/p>\n The service is designed to work across both an app and text messages. Fambot is available on iOS devices, Android devices, and the web, and families can also 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, check information, or make changes to their calendar.<\/p>\n Fambot currently connects to Gmail and Google Calendar, with support for Outlook and Apple Calendar planned for the future.<\/p>\n The company launched<\/a> in beta in early September 2026 and has raised $3.5 million in pre-seed funding. The service is currently free during the beta period, but Fambot expects to eventually charge roughly the equivalent of a Netflix subscription.<\/p>\n Folk<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n Folk launched its beta in May 2026, and it\u2019s available for free but also offers a Pro subscription for $8.33\/month if you want unlimited tasks running in the background.<\/p>\n Instinct<\/a> first made headlines after raising $350 million<\/a> at a $2.5 billion valuation. In September 2026, it raised $1 billion<\/a>, valuing it at $10 billion.<\/p>\n 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. The company says early users have used Instinct for tasks ranging from planning trips and buying groceries to booking tickets and cancelling subscriptions.<\/p>\n In September, Instinct began giving users dedicated email addresses<\/a> for their assistants. The idea is to let Instinct create and manage accounts on a user\u2019s behalf without filling the user\u2019s personal inbox. The agent can use its address to sign up for services, contact businesses, follow up on requests, and handle tasks that require an email account. (However, this level of autonomy has also raised concerns about privacy and security<\/a>.) It\u2019s also begun rolling out support for placing calls<\/a>. <\/p>\n The company remains in private beta.<\/p>\n Powered by Hermes agent, Iris<\/a> is designed to let users delegate tasks to an AI assistant directly through iMessage. Users can connect the apps they use and hand over a task with a simple message. The agent then works through the required steps, while retaining relevant context from previous interactions. It\u2019s also designed to follow up with users proactively rather than waiting for another request.<\/p>\n Martin<\/a> is a general-purpose personal assistant reachable through SMS as well as phone, WhatsApp, email, Slack, and its own iOS<\/a> app.<\/p>\n It can help manage calendars, email, reminders, tasks, notes, and communications. It can also act on behalf of users by sending messages or making phone calls, while providing daily summaries of what needs attention.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a bit on the pricier side, with subscriptions starting at $21 per month.<\/p>\n Miso<\/a> takes the personal-assistant concept and applies it specifically to travel.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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 their travel preferences, loyalty points, and other priorities. Miso also gives travelers access to trip details, flight updates, along with personalized recommendations.<\/p>\n Ohai<\/a> is another family assistant focused on helping households manage the constant stream of information and tasks involved in everyday family life.<\/p>\n Users can send messages, forward emails, or make voice requests, and the assistant can transform them into schedules, reminders, and plans. It can also coordinate calendars, household chores, and meals across multiple members of a family.<\/p>\n It includes a free basic option, but also offers different subscriptions based on family size, starting at $9.99 per month.<\/p>\n Similar to the other family-focused agents, the idea behind Ollie<\/a> is that families already have the information they need, but it lives across school messages, calendars, task lists, and group chats. Ollie aims to bring those pieces together and keep them in sync. It can keep track of calendars, emails, reminders, tasks, and other household details, then deliver relevant information to users through text.\u00a0<\/p>\n Its biggest differentiator from other agents is that Ollie<\/a> is one of the first mainstream, family-focused AI assistants to achieve SOC 2 compliance, a widely used security standard.\u00a0<\/p>\n Launched in June 2026, Ollie offers a free tier, as well as paid plans starting at $25 per month for 150 messages. A $100-per-month plan includes up to 1,000 messages.<\/p>\n Orbits<\/a> also has an AI assistant that is focused on the household.<\/p>\n It works through both the Orbits app and text messaging, and can bring together calendars, lists, and conversations while also carrying out tasks for you. That can include searching the web, making purchases, booking restaurants, changing appointments, and requesting quotes for household services.<\/p>\n Additionally, Orbits can remind family members about chores, communicate with service providers, and help coordinate responsibilities beyond the immediate household.<\/p>\n Orbits is backed by investors like Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) Speedrun fund, N49P, and Garage Capital.<\/p>\n Users can interact with Pally<\/a> as they would with a friend while giving it access to the apps they already rely on. The assistant can connect information spread across services such as WhatsApp, Gmail, calendars, and Google Drive, helping users keep track of plans, receipts, dates, files, and other details.\u00a0<\/p>\n There\u2019s a free plan available, which offers features like 15 minutes of calls per month, or there are paid plans, including $25 per month for 30 minutes of calls and $100 per month for 60 minutes.<\/p>\n Poke<\/a> launched<\/a> in March 2026 as a general-purpose assistant that you can reach through text messaging. It can handle tasks involving calendars, planning, health and fitness, smart-home controls, photos, and other everyday activities.\u00a0<\/p>\n Poke became particularly notable in June 2026 when Apple approved<\/a> Poke as the first AI agent on the Apple Messages for Business platform. A month later, parent company The Interaction Company of California was acquired <\/a>by AI coding startup Cognition in a deal valued in the low nine figures.<\/p>\n Rene<\/a> is an AI personal assistant designed to be a user\u2019s \u201cbest contact\u201d rather than another productivity agent. It\u2019s text-based and can turn natural-language conversations into tasks, reminders, summaries, and other follow-up actions. Rene also maintains context across conversations, allowing it to remember details and surface things that may need attention later.<\/p>\n Additionally, it has a browser, can write code, shop for you, as well as create slides and images.<\/p>\n Rene is currently available on iMessage, Telegram, and WhatsApp.<\/p>\n Instead of waiting for users to open an app, Skye<\/a> is an \u201cagentic homescreen<\/a>\u201d for the iPhone that analyzes information from connected services and surfaces what it thinks is relevant through contextual cards, suggestions, and daily briefings. The assistant can generate audio briefings, prepare information ahead of meetings, surface reminders, and identify potentially useful information.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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\u2019t yet announced a public release date.<\/p>\n Stanley<\/a> is an AI content assistant aimed at content creators rather than general personal productivity. 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.<\/p>\n For instance, Stanley can connect to a user\u2019s Instagram account, using that context to suggest content based on what the user has actually been doing. Users can also send voice notes, which Stanley turns into scripts, captions, and other social assets. It includes a content calendar and can schedule posts, with the broader goal of making content creation a more continuous, automated process rather than something users have to sit down and plan from scratch.<\/p>\n The biggest differentiator with Tomo<\/a>\u2019s personal assistant for iMessage is that, instead of being a private assistant that only you interact with, Tomo can become part of group conversations.\u00a0<\/p>\n Also, like other agents, it\u2019s designed to help with goals, accountability, scheduling, and everyday organization. It also has the ability to send reminders, search the web, work with calendars and email, watch videos, and edit photos.<\/p>\n The basic plan starts at $19.99 per month.<\/p>\n Town<\/a> is aimed more at professional life. It gives users a \u201cTownie,\u201d an AI assistant designed to learn how they work and handle recurring professional tasks. It can work with email, calendars, documents, Slack, and other platforms.\u00a0<\/p>\n In June 2026, the company raised a $55 million Series A <\/a>led by Andreessen Horowitz and Forerunner.<\/p>\n Wajo<\/a>\u2019s first consumer agent, Fo, can call businesses, send emails, join group chats, make bookings and purchases, and coordinate with people to complete everyday tasks.<\/p>\n A key part of Wajo\u2019s 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n Notably, when Fo encounters something it cannot handle on its own, Wajo says it can bring in a human assistant to finish the task.<\/p>\n Fo launched publicly in September 2025 with a free tier, while heavier workloads and custom agents are available through a paid Pro offering.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission<\/a>. This doesn\u2019t affect our editorial independence.<\/em><\/p>\nCaddy <\/h2>\n
Fambot <\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/fambot-app.png?w=680\")
Folk<\/h2>\n
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Instinct <\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Instinct-assistant.png?w=680\")
Iris<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Iris-agent.png?w=680\")
Martin <\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Martin-agent.png?w=680\")
Miso<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/miso.jpg?w=680\")
Ohai <\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/ohai-agent.png?w=680\")
Ollie<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/ollie-3.jpg?w=680\")
Orbits <\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Orbits-assistant.png?w=431\")
Pally<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Pally-AI.png?w=355\")
Poke<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/poke-ai-at-3.04.44-PM-e1790950860170.jpg?w=680\")
Rene<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/ReneAI.png?w=680\")
Skye <\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/SkyeAIagent.jpg?w=680\")
Stanley<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/StanleyAI.png?w=680\")
Tomo<\/h2>\n
Town <\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Whatsapp-hero-town.webp?w=677\")
Wajo <\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Wajo-.png?w=636\")