The best Muse alternatives

Muse is Meta's personal agent, in its own app and in WhatsApp, free for most use in the US, Canada, Japan and Singapore. If you need an agent in your group chats or iMessage, in another country, or for more than one person, these are the ones worth trying.

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

Why look past Muse

What Muse doesn't do.

It only talks to you one-to-one

Muse answers in its app and in a one-to-one WhatsApp chat. We couldn't find group chats or iMessage, so it can't follow the conversations most work happens in.

It's in four countries

Meta offers Muse in the US and Canada, and since late October 2026 in Japan and Singapore. Anywhere else, you need something else.

Your chats train Meta's models

Meta uses your Muse interactions to train its models unless you opt out. It says they stay out of its ad systems.

It's built for one person

Muse for Small Business works for the owner; Meta's pages describe no access for anyone else on the team.

At a glance

7 Muse 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.
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
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
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
Claude Duet	Claude users in the US who want a proactive personal agent running Opus 5.5 for $20 a month.	Its own app on iOS and Android, and claude.ai on the web	Included in Claude Pro ($20 a month), Max ($100) and Ultra ($200), sharing their usage limits; US only, by waitlist
Instinct	One person who wants errands, shopping and travel handled, and can wait for a place.	Text or call it (reviewers describe iMessage and WhatsApp), plus a web workspace for settings	In beta, with a waitlist described in its terms; no public pricing
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

Where Muse stops at one-to-one, Cicada sits in your WhatsApp and iMessage groups. It keeps every message and every file anyone posts, answers when someone names it, and when someone promises something by a time, it checks they did and reminds them in the group. It's in Slack and email too, joins your meetings, and works in any country.

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.

Start free

Poke

by The Interaction Company of California, now joining Cognition

The closest to Muse's text-first idea for one person: a proactive assistant in iMessage, WhatsApp and 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

Pally

by Pally

A free personal assistant like Muse, with its own number and email address, phone calls and a browser that works sites for you.

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

OpenAI dots

by OpenAI

If you already pay for ChatGPT Pro: an always-on agent in ChatGPT, Slack and Teams, with a computer of its own.

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

Claude Duet

by Anthropic

If you use Claude in the US: a proactive personal agent with a morning brief, included in Claude Pro.

What it is: Anthropic's proactive agent in its own app: a morning brief, then a check of your apps every few hours.
Where it works: Its own app on iOS and Android, and claude.ai on the web
What it costs: Included in Claude Pro ($20 a month), Max ($100) and Ultra ($200), sharing their usage limits; US only, by waitlist
Worth knowing: US-only waitlist, you message it in its own app rather than your texts, and it isn't on Team or Enterprise plans yet.

Claude Duet vs Cicada Claude Duet's site

Instinct

by Instinct

For the errands and shopping Muse is good at, from a private beta with a waitlist.

What it is: A personal assistant you text or call to run your errands: shopping, travel and bookings.
Where it works: Text or call it (reviewers describe iMessage and WhatsApp), plus a web workspace for settings
What it costs: In beta, with a waitlist described in its terms; no public pricing
Worth knowing: Its terms allow personal use only, it's waitlist-only, and it trains on your data by default (opt-out available).

Instinct vs Cicada Instinct's site

Lindy

by Lindy

If your day runs on Slack and Gmail: an assistant you text or mention, with meeting notes, priced per person.

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
An agent in your WhatsApp or iMessage groups	Cicada
iMessage, not just WhatsApp	Cicada, Poke, Pally or Lindy
Free, just for yourself	Poke or Pally
Somewhere Muse isn't offered	Cicada, which is open to sign up anywhere
You already pay for ChatGPT or Claude	OpenAI dots or Claude Duet
Notes from your meetings	Cicada, which joins the call, or Lindy

Questions

Muse alternatives, answered.

What is the best alternative to Muse?

It depends on where you want the agent. For group chats, iMessage, Slack and meetings, or for a team, Cicada. For a free assistant for yourself in your texts, Poke or Pally. If you already pay for ChatGPT Pro or Claude Pro, OpenAI dots or Claude Duet.

Is there a Muse alternative that works in WhatsApp groups?

Yes. Cicada works in WhatsApp and iMessage group chats: add its number to the group, and it keeps every message and file, answers when someone names it and follows up on deadlines people set. Muse works in one-to-one WhatsApp chats, as far as we could find in October 2026.

Is there a free alternative to Muse?

Poke has a free plan, and Pally is free with weekly limits. Cicada starts free with 300 credits; a card is taken at sign-up and nothing is charged until you run low.

Can I use a Muse alternative where Muse isn't available?

Muse is offered in the US, Canada, Japan and Singapore, and Claude Duet in the US only. Cicada is open to sign up in any country and works in WhatsApp and iMessage wherever you are.

Does Muse work in iMessage?

Not that we could find, as of October 2026: it's in its own app and in WhatsApp. Cicada, Poke, Pally and Lindy all work in iMessage.

Sources

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

The full comparison

Muse vs Cicada, feature by feature

Other alternatives

One teammate. The output of a team.

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