AI Executive Assistant: What It Does, What It Costs (2026)
A good executive assistant clears your inbox before you wake up, keeps the calendar honest, briefs you before every meeting and chases the people who went quiet. Plenty of founders and executives go without one, because the median full-time EA earns $76,590 a year before benefits.
An AI executive assistant does the volume half of that job for the price of a software subscription. The judgment half stays with you, or with your human EA.
The quick answer: An AI executive assistant is an AI agent that takes on the inbox, calendar, follow-ups and admin a human EA would: it answers email, books meetings, writes prep briefs, chases people who go quiet and updates your CRM. Carly is the pick for most executives: CC it or text it, and it works across all of your Google and Microsoft accounts at once, sends the reply instead of leaving a draft, and connects to thousands of apps. Free Zapier-style workflows; AI agents from $35/month. For the tool-by-tool ranking, see our best AI executive assistants list.
AI executive assistants at a glance
US list prices from each vendor’s site, checked October 4, 2026.
| Kind | Examples | What it handles | Entry price |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI agent you CC, email or text, across every account | Carly | Inbox triage and sent replies, scheduling on all your Google and Microsoft calendars, prep briefs, follow-ups, CRM and task updates, receipts | Free Zapier-style workflows; AI agents from $35/month |
| Inbox and calendar agents | Fyxer, alfred_, Lindy, Howie | Drafted replies, inbox sorting, daily briefs, scheduling | Howie $25/month in credits, alfred_ $25/month billed annually, Lindy $29.99/user/month, Fyxer $37/month billed annually |
| Text-first assistants | Martin, Instinct | Reminders, scheduling and errands by text | Martin $21/month billed yearly ($35 monthly), Instinct free in an invite-only beta |
| Chat assistants with connectors | ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, Gemini | Read your mail and calendar, draft, and send once you confirm | ChatGPT Plus $20/month, Claude Pro $20/month ($17 billed annually), Google AI Pro $19.99/month, Microsoft 365 Business Standard with Copilot $23.50/user/month paid yearly |
| Human assistant services | Time Etc, Wing, Magic, Boldly, Athena | Anything a person can do, in set hours | From $390/month for 10 hours (Time Etc). A full-time Athena EA is $3,000/month on an annual plan |
| A full-time EA on payroll | Your own hire | The whole job, judgment included | $76,590 median salary (BLS, May 2025), before benefits |
What an AI executive assistant is
An AI executive assistant does the recurring admin around one person: it reads what comes in, answers what doesn’t need you, keeps the calendar moving and follows up. The useful ones act in your real accounts (sending the email, booking the meeting, updating the CRM) instead of handing you a draft. You CC it, forward to it, text it, or give it a standing rule like “anything from the board goes on my Monday list.”
What separates an AI assistant for executives from a chatbot with an email connector:
- It starts without you. A new email, a booking or a call summary kicks off the work.
- Other people can reach it. It sits on the thread with the investor’s assistant, so you don’t relay messages.
- It sees all of your accounts. A Microsoft 365 work mailbox, a personal Gmail, a board calendar. An assistant that sees one books over the others.
A day with an AI executive assistant
Michael Hayes runs a 40-person payments startup in Austin. Claire Donovan is his EA, and she also supports his cofounder, Josh. Here’s a Tuesday with Carly taking the volume:
- 6:45am, the brief. Waiting in Michael’s inbox: today’s six meetings with a line on each, the four emails that need him, and the contract Josh is waiting on. Claire set it up once as a workflow.
- Overnight, the inbox. About 160 emails came in across his work Outlook and personal Gmail. Carly archived the newsletters, answered three routine requests and held a reply to a key customer for Claire to check, because Michael’s rules say that account gets a human look.
- 9:10am, a meeting request. Emily Carter, an investor at Bessemer Venture Partners, asks for an hour with both founders. Michael CCs Carly, which offers times free on both calendars, books the one Emily picks and sends the invite. Our AI scheduling assistant guide walks through that thread.
- 11:30am, prep. Before a 2pm renewal call, Carly sends a brief: the last three emails with the customer, the deal stage from HubSpot and the open questions from last month’s Granola notes.
- 3:15pm, after the call. The call notes become a recap email, a task in Asana and an updated HubSpot deal, and a vendor who hasn’t returned an order form in two business days gets a nudge.
- 5:20pm, from a car. Michael texts Carly: “push my 6pm to Thursday and tell them.” It moves the event and emails the attendee.
- Evening, receipts and travel. He forwards a hotel receipt and a flight confirmation. The receipt goes into the expense sheet Claire reconciles, and the flight lands on his calendar with the confirmation number.
Claire spent her day on what software doesn’t do well: the board dinner, a sensitive hire, an investor update where tone mattered.
Three kinds of AI executive assistant
1. AI agents that work over email and text. You CC them, forward to them or text them, and they act in your accounts. The big difference between them is what they’ll do without you: some send, some only draft, some schedule and stop.
2. Chat assistants with connectors. ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot and Gemini read your mail and calendar and draft from them when you ask, and ChatGPT and Claude can also run tasks on a schedule you set.
ChatGPT drafts and sends from a connected Gmail or Outlook account, with you confirming each send. Claude sends too: its Gmail connector drafts, sends, replies and forwards, and its Microsoft 365 connector does the same once an admin enables the write tools, though that one rejects anything with an attachment. Both need you in the conversation. Carly sends the reply while you are away, attachments included.
Claude as an executive assistant tests how far one of them stretches.
3. Human assistant services. Time Etc, Wing, Magic, Boldly and Athena match you with a real assistant who works set hours and handles phone calls, judgment calls and personal errands. Our virtual executive assistant guide compares human, AI and hybrid setups.
AI executive assistants, Carly first
1. Carly
Carly is an AI assistant that works over email, the web app and text, and finishes the EA work instead of handing back drafts.
- Every account at once. Carly works across all of your Google and Microsoft accounts at once, shared mailboxes included, so your work Outlook and personal Gmail get the same treatment.
- Sends, or asks first. Each rule decides whether Carly sends or drafts for your review, so board mail can wait for you while routine replies go out.
- Scheduling. It offers times free on every calendar, books, sends the invite and handles reschedules. Free booking pages and group polls come with it.
- Prep and follow-up. Briefs before meetings from your email, CRM and notes, recaps from Fathom, Fireflies or Granola notes, and nudges when a thread stalls.
- Your stack. Carly connects to thousands of apps, HubSpot, Salesforce, Asana, Slack, Google Sheets and QuickBooks among them, so the CRM update and the receipt log happen too.
- Its own inbox. Give a job its own address with an Email Agent that people write to directly.
- From ChatGPT or Claude. Add the Carly plugin in ChatGPT or the Carly connector in Claude and run it all from the chat you already use.
- Privacy. You sign in through Google or Microsoft, Carly never sees your password, and your data is never used to train AI models.
Best for: Founders and executives with more than one inbox or calendar who want the reply sent, not drafted. Pricing: Free Zapier-style workflows; AI agents from $35/month. Setup: Get started in an afternoon, or book a call to set it up for a team.
2. Fyxer
Fyxer sorts your inbox, drafts replies in your tone and takes meeting notes. Pro is $37 a month billed annually ($49 monthly), and several inboxes at once need Team at $64 billed annually. Pick it if you’re happy to send the drafts yourself.
3. alfred_
alfred_ triages email, sends a morning brief by email or text, and texts you before meetings. Starter is $25 a month billed annually ($29.99 monthly) for a credit allowance and up to six email accounts.
4. Lindy
Lindy is now an AI teammate that lives in Slack, with inbox management, drafted replies, scheduling and meeting prep. Plus is $29.99 per user per month for a credit allowance. Pick it if your team runs in Slack.
5. Howie
Howie is a scheduling assistant you loop in by email or text, and it follows up when people go quiet. Team starts at $25 a month in shared credits. Pick it if scheduling is the whole job.
6. Martin
Martin is an assistant you text. CC it to schedule, and it drafts and labels email. Basic is $21 a month billed yearly ($35 monthly).
7. Instinct
Instinct is a personal agent you text, built around errands and purchases. It’s free in an invite-only beta, and its terms let it train AI models on your materials unless you opt out.
AI vs human executive assistant
What each costs
- A full-time EA on payroll. The Bureau of Labor Statistics puts median pay for executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants at $76,590 a year, or $36.82 an hour (May 2025), and the top 10% earn more than $109,850. Benefits and payroll taxes come on top.
- A dedicated EA through a service. Athena places a full-time EA for $3,000 a month on an annual plan, or $3,600 a month after a 90-day commitment.
- Part-time help by the hour. Time Etc is $390 a month for 10 hours with a dedicated US assistant. Wing’s part-time assistant is $699 a month for 80 hours. Magic is $270 a week for 20 hours a week, billed every four weeks. Boldly is $2,600 a month for 40 hours.
- An AI executive assistant. Most entry plans run $21 to $49 a month, often with a credit allowance, which is under 1% of a median EA salary. Carly: Free Zapier-style workflows; AI agents from $35/month.
What to hand to each
Give the AI: inbox sorting and routine replies, scheduling, follow-up nudges, prep briefs, CRM and task updates after calls, receipts, and anything that lands at 11pm.
Keep with a person: who gets your time when two important people collide, mail where tone matters (the board, investors, an upset client), phone calls, a trip that falls apart halfway, gifts and family logistics.
Using both
If you already have an EA, the AI works for them. Claire writes Carly’s rules for both founders, reviews what it holds for approval and spends her day on the judgment work. Each executive’s mailbox and calendar is its own connection with its own rules: the executive signs in once, and Claire manages the rules from there. See AI agents for executive assistants, the best AI tools for executive assistants and executive assistant software for the rest of the stack.
How to set up an AI executive assistant in an afternoon
- Connect every email and calendar account. Work Microsoft 365, personal Gmail, the board calendar, all at once. You sign in through Google or Microsoft, so no password changes hands. On a company Microsoft 365 tenant an admin may need to approve the app, and Carly gives them a one-click approval link.
- Write the rules in plain English. Who always gets a reply, what gets archived, your meeting hours, and which threads it may answer alone versus hold for you. Start strict and loosen it.
- CC it on a live thread. A real meeting request is the fastest test.
- Set two standing jobs. A morning brief and a rule like “chase after two business days.” On Carly these are free workflows.
- Text it. The quick asks happen between meetings: “push my 4pm,” “what’s on tomorrow.”
- Connect the rest. CRM, notes app, task manager, expense sheet. That turns “replied” into “replied, logged and assigned.”
How to pick an AI executive assistant
- You want drafts and will press send yourself: Fyxer.
- A daily brief across several inboxes: alfred_.
- Your team works in Slack: Lindy.
- Scheduling is the only job: Howie.
- You run your day by text: Martin, or Instinct if you have an invite.
- You need phone calls, judgment and personal errands: a human service such as Time Etc or Athena.
- Go with Carly if you have more than one inbox or calendar and want the email sent, the meeting booked, the follow-up chased and the CRM updated by one assistant, on its own or working for your human EA.
FAQ
Can AI replace an executive assistant?
For the admin volume, largely yes: email, scheduling, follow-ups, prep briefs and CRM updates. It doesn’t replace judgment about people, phone calls, or the personal side of the job. Without an EA, it takes over the part you were doing yourself. With one, it gives them hours back. Carly works either way.
How much does an AI executive assistant cost?
Most entry plans run $21 to $49 a month, many with a credit allowance. A full-time human EA’s median salary is $76,590 a year (BLS, May 2025), and Time Etc’s part-time plan starts at $390 a month for 10 hours. Carly: Free Zapier-style workflows; AI agents from $35/month.
Is it safe to give an AI assistant my inbox?
Check three things: you sign in through Google or Microsoft rather than handing over a password, you choose what it sends without asking, and the vendor says in writing whether it trains on your data. Carly uses Google’s and Microsoft’s own sign-in, lets you hold any kind of email for review, and doesn’t use your data to train AI models.
Does an AI executive assistant work with Outlook?
Many do, including Carly, Fyxer and alfred_. Carly works across all of your Outlook and Gmail accounts at once, calendars included, and a Microsoft 365 admin can approve it company-wide in one click.
Can it work alongside my human EA?
Yes. The EA writes the rules, reviews what the AI holds for approval and takes the judgment calls, while the AI handles inbox volume, scheduling and follow-ups for every executive they support. To set it up for a team, book a call with the Carly team.
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See what people say
"Before Carly, I relied on a Calendly link, but the whole process felt impersonal and not very professional. Carly changed that by handling all the back-and-forth, so I'm no longer stuck in endless email threads trying to line up schedules.
Now Carly reaches out to candidates, shares my real-time availability, lets them pick a slot, then sends a Zoom link and drops it straight into my calendar. She sends reminders to both of us before each call, which has significantly reduced no-shows and last-minute confusion.
On top of scheduling, Carly acts like a full executive assistant, sending me my schedule the night before so I can prepare for each call. It reminds me of the old x.ai assistant, but Carly is noticeably smarter, faster, and better suited to my healthcare recruitment business."
