The best Claude Duet alternatives

Claude Duet is Anthropic's proactive agent: a morning brief, then a check of your apps every few hours, in its own app. It's a research preview for Claude Pro, Max and Ultra subscribers in the US, by waitlist. If you're elsewhere, want it in your texts, or need it for a team, try these.

Updated 31 October 2026. Every option is checked against its own site; sources are at the foot of the page.

Why look past Claude Duet

What Claude Duet doesn't do.

US only, by waitlist

Access opens in waves, and only in the US during the research preview.

It's in its own app

You message Duet in its app or on claude.ai, not in iMessage or WhatsApp.

Not for teams yet

It works from a personal Claude account; Anthropic says Team and Enterprise plans come later.

No notetaker

Anthropic's pages describe Duet setting up meetings and briefing you on your calendar, not joining your calls.

At a glance

7 Claude Duet alternatives, side by side.

Option	Best for	Where it works	Price
Cicada	Anyone whose work happens in chats: a team, a group, or one person who wants an agent in their messages, apps and meetings.	iMessage and WhatsApp (one-to-one and group chats), Slack, email and a web app	300 free credits to start with a card at sign-up, then $25 for 200 credits when you run low, or plans from $99 a month. Credits are shared across the workspace and roll over.
OpenAI dots	People who live in ChatGPT and already pay for Pro or Business Premium.	ChatGPT on desktop, web and mobile, Slack and Microsoft Teams; texting (iMessage or RCS, one-to-one) in a US beta for some Pro users since 28 October	Included with ChatGPT Pro (from $100 a month) and Business Premium seats; Enterprise in beta
Poke	One person who wants a proactive assistant in their texts, free to start.	iMessage, WhatsApp and Telegram	Free; Pro $19 a month; Ultra $199 a month, which adds Poke Human, a real person for calls and orders
Muse	One person in the US, Canada, Japan or Singapore who wants a free agent for errands, shopping and their own Facebook and Instagram business accounts.	The Muse app (iOS and Android), muse.ai and WhatsApp one-to-one	Free for most use, with paid subscriptions for more; in the US and Canada, and since late October in Japan and Singapore
Pally	One person who wants a free assistant that can call as well as text.	iMessage, RCS, WhatsApp, Telegram, phone calls and its own email address	Free with weekly limits; Cloud Mac $95 a month; VIP by invitation
Grok Bot	People on X or in Cursor who want bots that operate software on their own computer.	Its own apps (desktop and mobile), @bot on X and email; Slack on Team plans	Included in X Premium ($30), Super ($100) and Ultra ($200) a month, and in Cursor's paid plans; not in X Plus or Free
Lindy	People who work in Slack, iMessage and Gmail and want meeting notes.	iMessage and SMS, Slack, email, meetings and a Chrome extension	Free to try with $50 of credits for 7 days; Team from $49.99 a month for every active user, credits pooled; Enterprise priced on request

Cicada

by Cicada Labs

A proactive agent with no waitlist, in any country. It runs on a schedule (a morning brief, a weekly report), reacts when something lands in an app and checks in on its own, and it reaches you in iMessage, WhatsApp, Slack or email. It works for a whole team, and it joins your calls and texts you the notes.

What it is: AI agents you text on iMessage and WhatsApp, mention in Slack or email, and add to your group chats, where they keep every message and file and follow up on what people promised.
Where it works: iMessage and WhatsApp (one-to-one and group chats), Slack, email and a web app
What it costs: 300 free credits to start with a card at sign-up, then $25 for 200 credits when you run low, or plans from $99 a month. Credits are shared across the workspace and roll over.
Worth knowing: Built for work rather than personal shopping and errands, and phone calls are switched off for now.

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OpenAI dots

by OpenAI

The closest like-for-like: an always-on agent with its own cloud computer, in ChatGPT, Slack and Teams, from ChatGPT Pro at $100 a month.

What it is: OpenAI's always-on agents inside ChatGPT, each with a cloud computer of its own, launched in September 2026.
Where it works: ChatGPT on desktop, web and mobile, Slack and Microsoft Teams; texting (iMessage or RCS, one-to-one) in a US beta for some Pro users since 28 October
What it costs: Included with ChatGPT Pro (from $100 a month) and Business Premium seats; Enterprise in beta
Worth knowing: One primary dot per person today, texting only in a one-to-one US beta for some Pro users (no group messages), and it needs a $100-a-month plan to start.

OpenAI dots vs Cicada OpenAI dots's site

Poke

by The Interaction Company of California, now joining Cognition

Proactive by design and in your texts: Poke gets in touch first in iMessage, WhatsApp or Telegram, with a free plan.

What it is: A personal assistant you text in iMessage, WhatsApp or Telegram, that connects to your email, calendar and apps and gets in touch first.
Where it works: iMessage, WhatsApp and Telegram
What it costs: Free; Pro $19 a month; Ultra $199 a month, which adds Poke Human, a real person for calls and orders
Worth knowing: A personal assistant for one phone number; its FAQ doesn't describe group chats or team use, and its maker is joining Cognition.

Poke's site

Muse

by Meta

Meta's free agent that keeps working toward your goals after you close the app, in the US, Canada, Japan and Singapore.

What it is: Meta's personal AI agent, in its own app and in WhatsApp, that keeps working toward your goals after you close the app.
Where it works: The Muse app (iOS and Android), muse.ai and WhatsApp one-to-one
What it costs: Free for most use, with paid subscriptions for more; in the US and Canada, and since late October in Japan and Singapore
Worth knowing: One-to-one only (no group chats or iMessage that we could find), and your chats train Meta's models unless you opt out.

Muse vs Cicada Muse's site

Pally

by Pally

A free assistant with a morning brief, automations and follow-up chasers, in iMessage, WhatsApp and Telegram.

What it is: A free personal assistant with its own number and email address, phone calls both ways and a browser it uses for you.
Where it works: iMessage, RCS, WhatsApp, Telegram, phone calls and its own email address
What it costs: Free with weekly limits; Cloud Mac $95 a month; VIP by invitation
Worth knowing: One Pally per person, it reads meeting recordings rather than joining calls, and it trains on your data unless you opt out.

Pally vs Cicada Pally's site

Grok Bot

by SpaceXAI and Cursor

Always-on bots on a cloud computer of their own, in X Premium from $30 a month, if you want them to operate software for you.

What it is: Always-on bots on a shared cloud computer, reached through their own apps, by email and on X.
Where it works: Its own apps (desktop and mobile), @bot on X and email; Slack on Team plans
What it costs: Included in X Premium ($30), Super ($100) and Ultra ($200) a month, and in Cursor's paid plans; not in X Plus or Free
Worth knowing: Launched in beta on 11 August 2026, not in your texts, and meetings aren't in its docs yet.

Grok Bot vs Cicada Grok Bot's site

Lindy

by Lindy

An assistant you text in iMessage or SMS, with Slack, Gmail and meeting notes, open to sign up today.

What it is: An AI assistant you text, mention in Slack or email, with a meeting notetaker and a Chrome extension.
Where it works: iMessage and SMS, Slack, email, meetings and a Chrome extension
What it costs: Free to try with $50 of credits for 7 days; Team from $49.99 a month for every active user, credits pooled; Enterprise priced on request
Worth knowing: No WhatsApp that we could find, every active user is billed, and its docs say approvals apply in shared Slack threads, not in DMs, iMessage or SMS.

Lindy vs Cicada Lindy's site

How to choose

Start from what you need.

If you need	Look at
Outside the US	Cicada (open in any country), or Muse in Canada, Japan and Singapore
No waitlist	Cicada, Poke, Pally, Lindy or OpenAI dots
In iMessage or WhatsApp	Cicada, Poke or Pally
For a team	Cicada
A computer of its own	OpenAI dots or Grok Bot
Free	Poke, Pally or Muse

Questions

Claude Duet alternatives, answered.

What is the best alternative to Claude Duet?

For a proactive agent in your texts, group chats, Slack and meetings, in any country, Cicada. For the same kind of always-on agent from OpenAI, dots on ChatGPT Pro. For a free proactive assistant for yourself, Poke or Pally.

Is Claude Duet available outside the US?

Not yet. Anthropic says Duet is US only during the research preview, by waitlist, for Pro, Max and Ultra subscribers, as of October 2026. Cicada is open to sign up in any country.

How much does Claude Duet cost?

It's included in Claude Pro ($20 a month), Max ($100) and Ultra ($200), and uses those plans' usage limits. Cicada starts free with 300 credits, then $25 for 200 credits or plans from $99 a month.

Can I text Claude Duet?

Not from iMessage or WhatsApp: you message Duet in its own app or on claude.ai. Cicada, Poke and Pally work in your texts, and Cicada works in group chats too.

Is there a Claude Duet alternative for teams?

Duet isn't on Claude's Team or Enterprise plans yet. In Cicada every person gets their own agents, a coordinator splits jobs between specialists, and teammates' agents check with each other.

Sources

Products change fast. Spotted something out of date? Tell us at support@cicadalabs.io and we'll fix it.

The full comparison

Claude Duet vs Cicada, feature by feature

Other alternatives

One teammate. The output of a team.

Works nights, remembers every decision, answers in the thread. Start free with 300 credits.

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