Poke vs Lindy vs Martin vs Tab vs Perisclaw: the best AI assistant you can text (2026)

You want an assistant you can just text: a contact in your phone you send "move my 3pm to Thursday" or "remind me to chase the invoice Friday", then get on with your day. In 2026 there are suddenly five or six of them, they look alike on their landing pages, and most reviews assume you're in the US with an iPhone.

The best AI assistant you can text depends on two things: which app you text in, and where your work actually happens. If you're on an iPhone in the US and your work lives in email and your calendar, Poke or Lindy are the strongest picks, and Martin is the one to choose if you want it to call and text people for you. Tab is the most hands-on errand runner, but it's still in private beta. If your work runs on WhatsApp, especially outside the US, Perisclaw is the one built for that: it runs on your own WhatsApp number and can see the chats where the work is, not just the messages you send it.

Everything below was checked on each company's own site as of November 2026.

The short version

Poke: the friendliest all-rounder, best on iPhone

Poke is a proactive assistant you text like a friend. It texts like a person, remembers you, and connects to a long list of apps, from Gmail and Outlook to Notion, Linear and even Oura. In June 2026 Poke became the first AI product verified on Apple Messages, so on an iPhone it shows up as a proper business contact in your texts.

Two things changed this year. In July 2026 the company behind Poke joined Cognition, the makers of Devin; Poke says it works exactly as before. And when Meta stopped allowing general-purpose AI assistants on WhatsApp's business platform in January 2026, Poke's WhatsApp channel stopped working everywhere except Italy and Brazil. It has since returned in the rest of Europe, and Poke added Telegram as the alternative for everyone else.

Pick Poke if: you're on an iPhone, want a free plan to start, and your life runs through email, calendar and the usual productivity apps.

Lindy: the most capable for email, meetings and calendar

Lindy gives you an assistant you text over iMessage (or SMS on Android) that knows your email, calendar and meetings. It drafts replies in your voice, records and summarises meetings, sends daily briefs, and plugs into more than 1,500 tools.

Pricing is credit-based: you start with $50 in free credits that last seven days, then the Team plan starts at $49.99 a month for 5,000 credits shared across your team. Bigger jobs use more credits, and extra credits cost $10 per 1,000. If your day is mostly inbox and meetings, it's very strong. We go deeper on it in Perisclaw vs Lindy AI.

Pick Lindy if: most of your work is email, meetings and scheduling, and you're happy paying by usage.

Martin: the one that calls and texts people for you

Martin lets you reach it more ways than anyone else here: SMS, a phone call, WhatsApp, email, Slack or its iOS app. It manages your calendar and inbox, keeps your to-dos and notes, and can call you in the morning with the weather and your schedule. Its standout feature is that it will text or call your contacts and hold the conversation for you, like rescheduling a meeting with John or checking if Sarah is free for lunch.

The cheaper Basic plan limits you to two tasks at a time and fewer proactive actions; Pro removes those limits. Syncing your phone contacts needs the iOS app. If you're searching for Martin AI alternatives, the usual reason is price or wanting it inside an app you already use.

Pick Martin if: you want an assistant that makes calls and sends texts on your behalf, and you're mostly on an iPhone.

Tab: the newest, built for errands

Tab came out of stealth on October 6, 2026. You text it in Messages (press coverage at launch also mentions WhatsApp) and it does the job rather than explaining how: it has its own computer, browser and phone number, so it can book the flight, call the hotel and wait on hold, turn a PDF into a spreadsheet, or order the right replacement part. Before it spends money, it shows you what it's buying, the total, and who gets paid, and nothing is paid until you approve.

It's in private beta with a waitlist, and pricing isn't published yet.

Pick Tab if: you want an errand-runner for bookings, calls and purchases, and you're willing to wait for access.

A note on Instinct: Instinct is another assistant you text or call, and it's often compared with Poke and Lindy. As of November 2026 it's still in private beta, joined by invite. We compare it in the best Instinct AI alternatives.

Perisclaw: the one that works inside your WhatsApp

Every assistant above is a contact you message. That works when your work lives in email and your calendar, because you connect those. But if your clients, vendors and team talk to you on WhatsApp, a separate assistant contact can't see any of it unless you forward every message.

Perisclaw takes the other route. It connects to your own WhatsApp number as a linked device, the same way WhatsApp Web does, so it can work with the chats you already have. You talk to it in your self-chat (the "message yourself" chat), or type /claw in any chat or group to get help right there. It works with regular WhatsApp and the WhatsApp Business app, with no Business API involved.

What that gets you in practice:

• A morning catch-up: the chats that need a reply, decisions waiting on you, and anything you promised that's due, each with a one-line reason.

• Promises tracked for you: when you write "I'll send the contract Friday", it becomes a task, and it closes on its own when you send it.

• Follow-ups: "Chase Rahul for the signed agreement every two days until he replies." You see the plan before it starts, and it stops when he answers.

• Your other tools: Gmail or Outlook, Google Calendar, Drive, Sheets, and connected apps like Notion, Slack and HubSpot, from the same chat.

• Drafts you approve: when it writes to someone else, it shows you the message first and sends when you react 👍.

Where it falls short: it's WhatsApp only, so if your life is in iMessage it's the wrong tool. It doesn't place phone calls, and it won't send the same message to lots of chats at once; it stops after 15 and asks, because bulk sending can get a real number flagged.

Pick Perisclaw if: your work runs on WhatsApp and the problem is replies, promises and follow-ups getting lost in it. See how it works →

Why WhatsApp availability matters outside the US

In the US, "an assistant you can text" usually means iMessage. In India, Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, the Gulf and most of Europe, the texts that matter are on WhatsApp, and that's where these products differ most.

Since January 15, 2026, Meta only allows general-purpose AI assistants on the WhatsApp Business Platform in places where the law requires it. As of November 2026, Meta's own list covers Brazil, Italy and the other EU and EEA countries, and Türkiye. Assistants that live on WhatsApp as a separate business contact (Poke is the clearest example) depend on that platform, which is why Poke's WhatsApp channel works in Europe and Brazil but not in India or the US.

So if you're outside those markets, check before you pay: does the assistant actually work on WhatsApp in your country, or only on iMessage and Telegram? Perisclaw doesn't use the Business API at all; it's linked to the WhatsApp you already use, so Meta's rules for AI chatbots on that platform don't decide where it works. The trade-off is that a linked device isn't something WhatsApp built for outside tools, and WhatsApp's help centre warns that linking unofficial apps can lead to a ban. Perisclaw is built for normal personal use and stops before anything looks like bulk sending, which is what WhatsApp's spam rules target; we explain the risk in WhatsApp MCP servers compared.

Which one should you pick?

• iPhone, US, life in email and calendar: Poke (free to start) or Lindy (more depth on email and meetings).

• You want calls and texts made for you: Martin.

• You want errands done end to end, and can wait: Tab.

• Your work happens in WhatsApp, anywhere in the world: Perisclaw.

FAQ

What are the best Poke AI alternatives?

Lindy if you want deeper email, meeting and calendar help over iMessage; Martin if you want an assistant that calls and texts people for you; Tab if you want errands and purchases handled (private beta); and Perisclaw if your work happens in WhatsApp rather than iMessage.

Is Poke available on WhatsApp in India?

Not as of November 2026. Poke's WhatsApp channel works only where Meta allows general-purpose AI assistants on its business platform, currently Europe and Brazil. Elsewhere Poke offers iMessage and Telegram.

Which AI assistant can I text on WhatsApp?

Martin lists WhatsApp as a channel, Tab was reported to support it at launch, and Poke supports it in Europe and Brazil. Perisclaw is different: instead of being a contact you text, it runs on your own WhatsApp number and you talk to it in your self-chat.

Can these assistants read my WhatsApp chats?

Poke, Lindy, Martin and Tab see what you send them and the apps you connect. Perisclaw can work with your WhatsApp chats because it's linked to your number, and you can block any chat it shouldn't read.

Which is cheapest?

Poke has a free plan. Lindy gives seven days of free credits, Martin and Perisclaw have 7-day free trials (Perisclaw's needs no card), and Tab hasn't published pricing.

If your work runs on WhatsApp, get an assistant that works inside it. Start your 7-day free trial →