Caddy vs Poke: Which Text AI Assistant in 2026?
These two get cross-shopped because they do nearly the same thing: a proactive AI you reach by text that watches your calendar, inbox, and tasks and pings you when something needs you. Caddy (caddy.app, from Y Combinator’s Fall 2025 batch) is a newer personal AI for everyday work that lives in your texts, currently in a free public beta with pricing not yet published. Poke (poke.com, from The Interaction Company) is a launched, broadly-featured assistant that was the first third-party AI agent Apple approved to run inside iMessage, and it works across iMessage, SMS, and Telegram with published paid plans. The real split isn’t features, since both nudge and both can act on your own accounts — it’s maturity: Poke is a shipped product with set pricing and channels, while Caddy is an earlier bet still finding its price. Decide whether “proven and priced today” or “newer and free while it grows” describes what you actually need, and the choice gets easy. If neither name is fixed for you yet, Poke alternatives and Caddy alternatives map the wider field.
The One-Sentence Answer
Use Poke if you want a launched, multi-channel assistant with published pricing you can commit to now; use Caddy if you want a newer, work-focused personal AI and don’t mind a free beta while its plans are still being set.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Caddy | Poke | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Newer personal AI for everyday work, by text | Launched proactive AI assistant, by text |
| Company | Y Combinator Fall 2025 batch | The Interaction Company |
| Core job | Watch calendar, inbox, tasks; nudge or act | Email, calendar, reminders, web tasks; nudge or act |
| Where you use it | Text / iMessage (app-free) | iMessage, SMS, Telegram (app-free) |
| Proactive nudges | Yes, central to the product | Yes, central to the product |
| Feature breadth | Focused on work logistics | Broad: email, calendar, web search, images, flights, smart home |
| Notable milestone | Public beta out of YC F25 | First AI agent Apple approved for iMessage via Messages for Business |
| Price (2026) | Free beta; paid tier planned, not yet published | Free light tier; Pro reported ~$9.99/mo, Family ~$14.99/mo |
| Best fit | Early adopters who want a work-focused text AI | People who want a proven, priced, multi-channel assistant |
When to Use Caddy
- You want a personal AI focused on everyday work: calendar, chats, and tasks
- You like being early and don’t mind that it’s a free public beta
- You’d rather text, send voice memos, or drop the assistant into a group chat
- You want proactive nudges that surface what matters before you have to ask
- You’re comfortable that long-term cost is unknown until paid tiers are published
Caddy’s pitch is a personal AI that keeps an eye on your calendars, messages, and tasks so you stay focused, and either nudges you or handles something if you don’t have time. It’s newer than most of its rivals, which cuts both ways: you get in early on a product still taking shape, but the roadmap and eventual pricing aren’t settled. Because plans aren’t published yet, treat total cost as a genuine unknown when you plan around it.
When to Use Poke
- You want an assistant that already shipped, with pricing you can evaluate today
- You want it in the messaging apps you already use: iMessage, SMS, or Telegram
- You want breadth: email, calendar, reminders, web lookups, images, even flight tracking and smart-home control
- You value that Apple approved it as the first AI agent for iMessage via Messages for Business
- You want a free light tier to try before committing to a paid plan
Poke’s bet is a finished, opinionated assistant you don’t configure so much as talk to. It leans hard into being proactive and effortless, and its feature set is unusually wide for the category, spanning everyday logistics and a grab-bag of consumer conveniences. Its light actions and manual prompts are free, with heavier or background work moving to paid plans reported around $9.99/month for Pro and $14.99/month for a Family plan covering up to five people.
The Difference That Actually Decides It
This isn’t a feature race, because on the core job the two overlap almost completely: both watch your accounts, both nudge you, and both can take an action on your behalf. What separates them is how settled each one is. Poke is a launched product with published channels and pricing, a track record, and the distinction of being the first agent Apple cleared for iMessage. Caddy is a newer entrant out of YC’s Fall 2025 batch, free while it grows, with its paid plans still to come. Picking Poke buys you certainty on price and platform today; picking Caddy buys you an earlier seat on a product whose shape and cost are still being decided. Neither choice is wrong, but they answer different appetites for risk.
There’s a shared ceiling worth naming, though. Both Caddy and Poke are assistants you talk to. They watch your own inbox, calendar, and messages, and they text you when something needs a decision. Neither gives an agent its own identity to run a thread with another person end to end, replying to your client, booking the time, sending the follow-up, and logging it, without you as the last step. They keep you in the loop by design; the work still routes back through you.
If having that outward work actually finished on its own is the point, that’s a different design. Carly is an AI assistant whose agents each have their own email address, so they reply to people, book meetings, send follow-ups, and update your CRM on their own, working with Gmail or Outlook across 200+ integrations, and you set it up by describing what you want in plain English.
Quick Reference
| Your situation… | Pick… |
|---|---|
| I want a launched product with pricing I can commit to | Poke |
| I want it in iMessage, SMS, or Telegram | Poke |
| I want the widest everyday feature set | Poke |
| I want to get in early on a newer work-focused AI | Caddy |
| I’m fine using a free beta while pricing is decided | Caddy |
| I want the outward work finished on its own | Neither — see Carly |
FAQ
Are Caddy and Poke basically the same thing? In category, close: both are proactive AI assistants you reach by text that watch your calendar, inbox, and tasks and nudge you. The practical gap is maturity and reach. Poke is launched, runs across iMessage, SMS, and Telegram, and has published pricing; Caddy is newer, out of YC’s Fall 2025 batch, and still in a free beta with plans to come.
Which one costs more? Poke’s pricing is knowable today: a free light tier, with heavier use reported around $9.99/month for Pro and $14.99/month for a Family plan. Caddy is free during its beta and hasn’t published paid tiers, so its long-term cost is genuinely unknown right now. If predictable pricing matters, that favors Poke.
Do both actually do things, or just remind me? Both can take actions on your own accounts, not only nudge, and both are built to be proactive rather than wait for prompts. The limit they share is direction: they act inside your own inbox and calendar and check with you, rather than running an outward conversation with someone else from their own address.
Is Caddy safe to rely on if it’s still in beta? It’s usable now, but treat it like early software: features and pricing can shift, and there’s less of a track record than a launched product carries. If you want stability and a plan you can budget around today, that leans toward Poke; if you’re comfortable being early and giving feedback that shapes the roadmap, Caddy’s beta is the trade you’re making.
Related: Poke alternatives · Caddy alternatives · Lindy vs Poke
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