Here are the top AI agents that can live in your text messages

Rather than downloading another app, a growing number of agents can simply be texted like an ordinary person.

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.

While Instinct is one of the buzziest AI agents at present, thanks to its $10 billion valuation after its latest funding round of $1 billion, there are many others also making a play for this space.

Fambot is an AI-powered “chief of staff” 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.

Folk 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.

The personal version costs $1 per day. For businesses, pricing starts at $15 per employee per month for large companies and $23 per employee per month for small teams with fewer than 49 employees.

Fambot currently connects to Gmail, Google Calendar, Outlook, and WhatsApp, with support for Apple Calendar planned for the future.

In September, Instinct began giving users dedicated email addresses for their assistants. The idea is to let Instinct create and manage accounts on a user’s behalf without filling the user’s 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 .) It’s also begun rolling out support for placing calls .

Below are the most notable options so far, from general-purpose personal assistants to agents designed for families, travel, and work.

Ask Proxy ’s biggest differentiator is that it “thinks like a woman,” meaning it aims to anticipate your needs before you even ask, the company explains on its website.

It works like a chatbot you can text like a friend, whether you need gift ideas, help planning an event, or recommendations for things to do that weekend. You can ask it to add important dates to your calendar, set reminders, or help with everyday decisions. You can also send it photos, like an empty table, to figure out how to decorate the table for a dinner party.