Best Zapia Alternatives: 6 AI Assistants Compared

Zapia became the go-to AI assistant on WhatsApp across Latin America. You’d send it a voice note, ask it to remind you about a bill or schedule a birthday message for later, and it took care of it right there in the chat.

Then Meta blocked outside AI chatbots on WhatsApp, and Zapia stopped replying in your chats. Everything moved into its own app. It can still connect to your WhatsApp to transcribe audios and send scheduled messages, but to set a reminder or check your inbox, you open Zapia first.

There are a few other catches. The free plan stops at 20 scheduled tasks, and Zapia drafts your email replies but leaves the sending to you. If you liked Zapia because you never had to leave WhatsApp, that’s a lot of extra tapping.

So I went looking for tools that can take over the whole job. I tested six Zapia alternatives on what people used it for: reminders, email, calendar, scheduled tasks and whether it works inside WhatsApp. One of them, Perisclaw, runs on your own WhatsApp number, so you can hand off tasks from the same chats you’re already in.

Here’s the quick answer before we get into each one.

TL;DR: 6 Zapia alternatives compared at a glance

If you want your assistant back inside WhatsApp, Perisclaw is the closest swap. Memorae works well if you mostly need reminders, and ChatGPT makes sense when most of your day happens in Gmail.

Let’s start with the one that keeps your assistant in WhatsApp.

1. Perisclaw

Perisclaw is an AI personal assistant that lives in your WhatsApp. It connects to the number you already use as a linked device, so you talk to it in your own self-chat. When you're in any other chat or group, type /claw before your request and it answers right there.

Key features

• Reads, searches and drafts Gmail replies, and sends only when you say so

• Books meetings and checks your Google Calendar

• Schedules WhatsApp messages and status posts to go out at the time you pick

• Handles voice notes like typed messages, including audios other people send you

• Uses its own browser to open sites, sign in and fill forms

• Runs Missions, multi-step goals it keeps working on until they're done

• Sends a daily briefing or any other routine on a schedule you set

• Connects to Drive, Sheets, Slack, Notion and Microsoft 365

Here's what a full errand looks like

Say you want dinner on Saturday. You send a voice note in your self-chat: "Book a table for four at La Parrilla on Saturday at 8." Perisclaw opens the restaurant's booking page in its browser, picks the time and fills in your name and number.

Before it submits anything, it shows you what it's about to send and waits for your OK. You reply "yes", the confirmation lands in your chat, and the booking goes on your calendar. You never left WhatsApp.

Where it falls short

The browser works on one task at a time. It also stops at payments and one-time codes, so it sends you the payment link or asks for the OTP, and you finish that step yourself.

My take

This is the closest thing to how Zapia used to feel. You text, it handles the task, and it reports back in the same chat. The difference is that it goes further: it can reply to your emails, run errands on websites and keep chasing a goal until it's done.

If reminders are all you used Zapia for, the next one might be enough.

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2. Memorae

Memorae is an AI assistant built around reminders and memory. You add it as a separate contact on WhatsApp and message it like a friend. It also works on Telegram, by email, in its app and through a Chrome extension, and the same memory follows you everywhere.

Key features

• One-time, repeating and conditional reminders

• A daily briefing at the time you choose, plus a weekly one on Mondays

• Syncs with Google Calendar and Outlook, including more than one calendar

• Saves notes, voice messages and photos so you can ask for them later

• Lists and reminders you can share with friends

• Works in more than 100 languages

Where it falls short

Memorae only knows what you send it. It sits in its own chat, so it can't see your other conversations or send messages for you. It won't go out and do things on websites either.

My take

If your Zapia habit was "remind me to pay rent on the 5th", Memorae handles that well and it stays in WhatsApp. It's a memory tool first, though. Once you want an assistant that acts on your email or runs errands, you'll outgrow it.

For people whose day lives in Gmail more than WhatsApp, the next pick makes more sense.

3. ChatGPT

ChatGPT is OpenAI's AI assistant, and most people already have it on their phone. It used to work on WhatsApp too, but OpenAI pulled it when Meta's rule kicked in. Today you use it in the ChatGPT app or on the web.

Key features

• Reads your Gmail, summarizes threads and drafts replies

• Checks Google Calendar, flags conflicts and finds open time

• Scheduled tasks that run on their own and send you a notification

• Agent mode that browses websites and completes tasks for you

• Voice mode for back-and-forth conversations

Where it falls short

It has no link to your WhatsApp at all, so it can't read your chats, transcribe your audios there or schedule messages. Most actions also wait for your sign-off, and scheduled tasks work best for simple, repeating prompts.

My take

ChatGPT can replace the app side of Zapia: email, calendar and research. If you liked having your assistant inside WhatsApp, though, you'll feel the gap every day.

If you're in Latin America and want a free option in Spanish or Portuguese, the next one is the name you've probably heard.

4. Luzia

Luzia is a free AI assistant app built for Spanish and Portuguese speakers. Its main assistant lives in the Luzia app now. The team also made Spilo, a separate tool that works inside WhatsApp as your personal memory.

Key features

• Answers questions, writes, translates and solves math problems

• Transcribes audios and reads images

• Creates AI images

• Lets you shop inside the chat in Brazil, from stores like Amazon and Mercado Libre

• Spilo saves dates, lists and links in WhatsApp and finds them when you ask

Where it falls short

Luzia doesn't connect to your email or calendar, so it can't watch your inbox or remind you about meetings. It answers questions and saves info, and it stops there. You'll also see ads inside conversations.

My take

Luzia is a good free chatbot, and Spilo is handy for saving things in WhatsApp. It's a different kind of tool from Zapia, though. If you relied on Zapia to keep track of your emails and deadlines, Luzia won't fill that gap.

The next one is closer to Zapia in how it works.

5. Poke

Poke is an AI assistant you text like a friend. It works through iMessage, SMS and Telegram, and through WhatsApp in some countries. There's no app to install; you sign up and start messaging it.

Key features

• Texts you first with morning briefings and alerts about important emails

• Connects to Gmail, Outlook, your calendar and contacts

• Works with Notion, GitHub, Linear and any tool through MCP

• Recipes, one-tap automations you can set up and share with friends

• Poke Human, a real person who handles bookings and calls on paid plans

Where it falls short

WhatsApp support depends on your country, so in many places you'd be texting Poke on Telegram instead. Even where it works, Poke lives in its own chat and can't read or send your WhatsApp messages.

My take

Poke feels a lot like Zapia did: proactive, chatty and easy to set up. It's at its strongest on iMessage, though, so it suits iPhone users in the US more than someone running their life from WhatsApp in Latin America.

If your Zapia use was mostly about work, the last pick is built for that.

6. Town

Town is an AI work assistant. You get your own assistant, called a Townie, with its own @town.com email address. You can reach it in the Town app, by email, on Slack or Telegram, or in a direct WhatsApp thread.

Key features

• Sorts your inbox and drafts replies for you to review

• Proposes meeting times from your calendar and sends meeting briefings

• Morning briefings and custom routines that run on a schedule

• Browses websites, including ones behind a sign-in

• Takes voice notes and photos in WhatsApp

• Connects to 50+ tools, including Gmail, Outlook, CRMs, QuickBooks and Stripe

Where it falls short

WhatsApp only works one way with Town. It sees what you send it, but it can't read your other chats or send WhatsApp messages for you. Replies also come within a time window, so after a while you have to message it again to pick things back up.

My take

Town is a strong fit if Zapia was mainly your work assistant for email, meetings and follow-ups. It's built for the office side of life, though. For personal errands and anything that happens in your WhatsApp chats, it isn't the right tool.

Which Zapia alternative should you switch to?

Switch to Perisclaw if you want everything Zapia did without leaving WhatsApp.

Why Perisclaw fits Zapia users

• It lives on your own WhatsApp number, so there's no separate app to open every time you need something

• It covers the Zapia basics: reminders, voice notes and scheduled WhatsApp messages

• It goes further by replying to your Gmail, booking things on websites and working through a goal until it's done

→ Hand Perisclaw the first task you used to send Zapia

FAQs about Zapia alternatives

1. What is the best alternative to Zapia?

Perisclaw is the closest Zapia alternative because it covers the same jobs and works inside WhatsApp. It handles reminders, voice notes, scheduled messages, Gmail, Google Calendar and tasks on websites from your own WhatsApp number. Memorae is a good pick if you only need reminders.

2. Is there a Zapia alternative that works inside WhatsApp?

Yes. Perisclaw runs on your own WhatsApp number as a linked device, so you message it in your self-chat or call it into any chat with /claw. Memorae also works in WhatsApp as a separate contact, mainly for reminders and briefings.

3. What can I use now that Zapia doesn't work on WhatsApp?

You can keep using Zapia through its app, or switch to an assistant that still lives in WhatsApp.

4. Is there a free alternative to Zapia?

Luzia is free, and ChatGPT has a free plan, but neither connects to your WhatsApp chats the way Zapia did. For a full replacement that works inside WhatsApp, Perisclaw costs $15/month.

5. Is ChatGPT a good alternative to Zapia?

ChatGPT works well for email, calendar and research through its app. It doesn't work on WhatsApp, though, so it can't read your chats, transcribe your audios, or schedule your messages there.

6. Is Luzia a good alternative to Zapia?

Luzia is a good free chatbot for questions, writing and translation in Spanish and Portuguese. It doesn't connect to your email or calendar, so it can't keep track of your tasks the way Zapia does.

7. How do I schedule WhatsApp messages without Zapia?

Perisclaw schedules WhatsApp messages for you. Tell it who to message, what to say and when, for example, "Send 'Happy birthday!' to Mom tomorrow at midnight", and the message goes out to that chat at the time you picked.