Carly is an AI-powered scheduling assistant that works over email and SMS. Unlike traditional booking links or calendar tools, Carly reads messy email threads she is cc'd on, understands context, and sends real invites that keep the conversation natural. You can forward Carly an email, send her a text, or send screenshots and images for her to process and add to your calendar. It's built for busy professionals who want a human-like assistant that just works, handling coordination and calendaring so you don't have to. ChatGPT could never be this useful.

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Feature Comparison

Feature	Carly	Howie
AI-Powered Scheduling	✅	Partial
Human-like Assistant	✅	Partial
Click-to-Book (One-Click Scheduling)	✅	❌
SMS Integration	✅	❌
Outlook Integration	✅	❌
Multiple Calendar Support	✅	✅
Smart Time Zone Detection	✅	✅
Natural Language Understanding	✅	Partial
Email Thread Awareness	✅	✅
Pricing	$35/month	$145/month
Setup Time	2 mins	15-30 mins
Response Time	1 min	20 min
Available 24/7	✅	✅

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Why Carly is the Better Choice

Howie.ai is a capable email-based scheduling assistant, but it has significant limitations that Carly addresses. The most notable gaps are Howie’s lack of SMS integration and Outlook support, which excludes a large segment of professionals who rely on these tools daily.

Click-to-Book Convenience: Carly now offers click-to-book functionality, allowing your contacts to schedule meetings with just one click. This is even faster than traditional booking links because there’s no form to fill out or availability grid to navigate - just one click and the meeting is scheduled.

SMS Scheduling: Many scheduling conversations happen via text message, especially for quick catch-ups or informal meetings. Howie is limited to email, while Carly handles scheduling requests from both email and SMS seamlessly. This flexibility means you’re never stuck coordinating via the wrong channel.

Outlook Support: If you or your organization uses Microsoft Outlook, Howie won’t work for you. Carly integrates with both Google Calendar and Outlook, making it suitable for any professional environment.

Faster Setup, Faster Responses: Carly gets you up and running in 2 minutes with 1-minute response times. Howie requires 15-30 minutes of setup and responses can take up to 20 minutes. For busy professionals, this speed difference adds up.

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Conclusion

Howie is a solid option for Gmail users who only need email-based scheduling. However, Carly offers a more complete solution with SMS integration, Outlook support, click-to-book convenience, and faster response times. For professionals who want an AI scheduling assistant that works across all their communication channels, Carly is the better choice.