Guide
The best AI assistants you can text in 2026
An assistant you text is one you’ll actually use: no app to open, just a thread in Messages. Here are the ones worth knowing, what each is best at, and what it costs. We make OVOA, so it’s first; everything about the others comes from their own sites and recent news, checked on September 27, 2026.
Updated September 27, 2026
Quick picks
- OVOA: running your day from iMessage, with an assistant that texts you first.
- Poke: connecting lots of apps and building your own automations.
- Sidekicks: android users and group chats.
- Olly: quick answers, documents and images in iMessage.
- Arlo: work, across thousands of tools.
- Zo Computer: power users who want their own AI computer in the cloud.
1. OVOA
- Best for
- Running your day from iMessage, with an assistant that texts you first
- How you reach it
- iMessage, the OVOA iPhone app, and the OVOA Band wristband
- Price
- First 5 texts free with no account, 5 more with an email, then Base at $9.95/month
Texts you your brief, reminders, meeting prep and routine check-ins, and follows up when a thread goes quiet. Builds live websites and small games by text, and finds times with friends through their OVOA. Conversations are deleted after 14 days.
The catch: iMessage only, so no Android or group chats. It's in beta.
2. Poke
- Best for
- Connecting lots of apps and building your own automations
- How you reach it
- iMessage, WhatsApp and Telegram
- Price
- Free, Pro $19/month, Ultra $199/month
Connects to 30+ apps like Gmail and Notion, texts you first, and runs custom automations it calls Recipes. Apple approved it to run in Messages.
The catch: Its privacy policy lets it train on your data unless you choose Maximum Privacy. Cognition, the company behind the coding agent Devin, bought it in July 2026.
3. Sidekicks
- Best for
- Android users and group chats
- How you reach it
- iMessage and SMS, including group chats
- Price
- Free with limited messages, Pro $19.99/month
Pick a persona (assistant, health coach, wellness coach, friend). Reminders, to-dos, meal tracking from photos and shared reminders in group chats.
The catch: Proactive check-ins, web search and image generation are Pro only.
4. Olly
- Best for
- Quick answers, documents and images in iMessage
- How you reach it
- iMessage, plus Siri on iPhone, Apple Watch, Mac and CarPlay, and the web
- Price
- Free to start; paid plan prices aren't listed on its site
Answers from the web, summarizes PDFs and documents, sets reminders, edits and makes images, and takes voice messages.
The catch: More of a question answerer than an assistant that runs things for you.
5. Arlo
- Best for
- Work, across thousands of tools
- How you reach it
- iMessage and SMS, WhatsApp, Slack, Microsoft Teams and phone calls
- Price
- Free with $25 in credits; $20/month subscription with credit top-ups
Acts across 3,000+ work tools, asks before it sends or writes anything, keeps an audit trail, and makes and takes phone calls.
The catch: Built for work, and priced by credits, so heavy use costs more.
6. Zo Computer
- Best for
- Power users who want their own AI computer in the cloud
- How you reach it
- iMessage and SMS, email, Telegram, Discord, Slack, the web and a desktop app
- Price
- 14-day free trial, then Basic $18/month, Pro $64/month, Ultra $200/month
A cloud computer with an agent that runs around the clock: it hosts sites, runs automations and keeps your files, and every channel reaches the same Zo.
The catch: More than most people need for reminders and plans, and priced like it.
What about ChatGPT and Siri?
You can’t text either one like a contact. ChatGPT is a chat app (and its WhatsApp number ended in January 2026); the new Siri in iOS 27 works by voice and in the Siri app. Both are great at what they do. We compared them with OVOA in OVOA vs ChatGPT and OVOA vs Siri.
How to choose
- On an iPhone and want your day handled? OVOA.
- Need Android, SMS or group chats? Sidekicks.
- Want to wire up lots of apps yourself? Poke.
- It’s for work, across Slack and Teams? Arlo.
- Mostly want quick answers? Olly.
- Want a whole AI computer? Zo.
Questions
Can I text ChatGPT or Siri?
Not as a contact in Messages. ChatGPT lives in its own app (its WhatsApp number ended in January 2026), and Siri works by voice and in the Siri app. The assistants on this list are ones you text like a person.
Which AI assistant can I text for free?
Most have a free start. OVOA gives you 5 texts with no account and 5 more with an email, then Base is $9.95/month. Poke and Sidekicks have free plans with limits, Olly is free to start, Arlo gives you starting credits, and Zo has a 14-day trial.
Which one works on Android?
Sidekicks answers SMS, so it works on Android. Poke works on WhatsApp and Telegram, and Arlo on WhatsApp, Slack and Teams. OVOA and Olly are iMessage only.
Which one texts you first?
OVOA and Poke both text you first. Sidekicks does proactive check-ins on Pro, and Arlo sends a daily briefing.
Try it in Messages.
Text OVOA like you’d text a friend. The first texts are free, with no app and no sign-up.