The best Poke alternatives

Poke is a proactive assistant you text in iMessage, WhatsApp or Telegram, free to start, from a company now joining Cognition. If you need one in your group chats, for more than one person, or in your meetings, these are worth a look.

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

Why look past Poke

What Poke doesn't do.

One person, one number

Its FAQ says it doesn't support multiple phone numbers yet, and its pages don't describe group chats or team use.

Its maker is joining Cognition

Poke's site says it's joining Cognition; what that means for the product isn't on its pages yet.

Heavy use costs $199

The highest rate limits and pay-as-you-go usage are on Ultra, at $199 a month; Pro is $19.

No meeting notes that we could find

We couldn't find a notetaker that joins your calls.

At a glance

7 Poke 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.
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
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
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
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
OpenClaw	A technical person who wants an agent on their own hardware, with the model of their choice.	29 chat apps, including WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Discord, Signal and iMessage, in DMs and group chats	Free and open source (MIT), with no hosted or paid tier; you pay for your model, your machine and any extra services

Cicada

by Cicada Labs

An agent you text, like Poke, that also works in your WhatsApp and iMessage groups: it keeps every message and file anyone posts, answers several people who tag it in one reply, and reminds people of the deadlines they set. Every person on a team gets their own agents, and it joins your calls.

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

Pally

by Pally

The closest free alternative: iMessage, RCS, WhatsApp and Telegram, its own number and email address, and phone calls.

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

Muse

by Meta

Meta's free agent in its app and WhatsApp, if you're in the US, Canada, Japan or 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

Lindy

by Lindy

An assistant in iMessage and SMS that also works in Slack threads and takes meeting notes.

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

Claude Duet

by Anthropic

Anthropic's proactive agent, with a morning brief and a check of your apps every few hours, in Claude Pro in the US.

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 errands, shopping and travel: a personal assistant you text or call, by 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

OpenClaw

by the OpenClaw Foundation

If you'd rather host it: free and open source, reached from WhatsApp, Telegram, iMessage and more.

What it is: A free, open-source AI assistant you install on your own machine or server and reach from the chat apps you already use.
Where it works: 29 chat apps, including WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Discord, Signal and iMessage, in DMs and group chats
What it costs: Free and open source (MIT), with no hosted or paid tier; you pay for your model, your machine and any extra services
Worth knowing: You install, secure and update it yourself, there is no hosted version, and its docs say people who don't trust each other need separate gateways.

OpenClaw vs Cicada OpenClaw's site

How to choose

Start from what you need.

If you need	Look at
Your group chats	Cicada
A team	Cicada
Free, just for you	Pally or Muse
Phone calls	Pally
Meeting notes	Cicada or Lindy
Run it yourself	OpenClaw

Questions

Poke alternatives, answered.

What is the best alternative to Poke?

For group chats, a team or meetings, Cicada. For another free personal assistant, Pally. For errands and shopping, Muse or Instinct.

Does Poke work in group chats?

Its pages don't describe group chats, as of October 2026. Cicada works in WhatsApp and iMessage groups: it keeps every message and file and answers when someone names it.

Is there a free alternative to Poke?

Pally is free with weekly limits, and Muse is free for most use where Meta offers it. Cicada starts free with 300 credits; a card is taken at sign-up and nothing is charged until you run low.

What does Poke joining Cognition mean?

Poke's site says it is joining Cognition and links to Cognition's post; its pricing and FAQ don't describe any changes yet. Most of the options above are open to sign up today if you'd rather not wait to find out.

How much does Poke cost?

Free, Pro at $19 a month, and Ultra at $199 a month with the highest limits and pay-as-you-go usage. Cicada starts free with 300 credits, then $25 for 200 credits or plans from $99 a month.

One teammate. The output of a team.

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