Gemini Agent Alternatives: 7 Work Agents to Use Now
Google’s Gemini agent is impressive on paper: objectives instead of instructions, jobs that run for days, and coworker agents with their own email address. It’s also an enterprise product. Google is rolling it out to businesses through Gemini Enterprise first, consumers later, with no public price.
If you want an agent working this week, here are seven you can start with now.
The quick answer: Carly is the best Gemini agent alternative for people and small teams. It runs your email and calendar across every Gmail and Outlook account you have, starts on its own when an email, meeting request or form arrives, and reaches thousands of apps. Free Zapier-style workflows; AI agents from $35/month. Large Microsoft shops should look at Copilot, and heavy ChatGPT users at ChatGPT Dots.
Prices are US list prices on monthly billing unless noted, checked October 13, 2026.
Gemini agent alternatives compared
| Alternative | Best for | Starts work on its own | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carly | Email, calendar and client follow-up across Google and Microsoft | Yes: new email, meeting request, form, call, schedule | Free workflows; agents from $35/mo |
| Microsoft 365 Copilot | Companies on Microsoft 365 | With agents built in Copilot Studio | $30/user/mo, paid yearly |
| ChatGPT Dots | Long-running goals inside ChatGPT | Reminders, recurring checks, background research | Included with ChatGPT Pro from $100/mo |
| Claude | Deep work on documents, code and research | Scheduled tasks | Pro $20/mo; Max from $100/mo |
| Zapier Agents | Teams already on Zapier | Zapier triggers, schedules | Free (400 activities); Pro $50/mo |
| Lindy | Slack-first teams | App events, schedules | $29.99/user/mo |
| Gemini Spark | Individuals on personal Google accounts | Yes, always on | Google AI Pro or Ultra subscription |
1. Carly
Carly is an AI assistant and agent builder for the work that arrives in your inbox and calendar. Where the Gemini agent needs an admin rollout, Carly is something you connect yourself this afternoon.
- Every account at once. Connect all your Gmail and Outlook accounts and all your calendars. Carly reads them together, offers times that are actually free across all of them, and replies from the right address.
- It starts on the event. A client email, a booking, a form submission, a missed call or a Monday at 8am can each start a workflow you describe in plain English.
- Agents with their own inbox. Like Gemini’s coworker agents, every Carly agent gets its own email address and knowledge files, so it can run support@ or intake@.
- Reaches the rest of your stack. HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, Slack, QuickBooks and thousands of other apps, plus booking pages and a built-in CRM.
- Talk to it anywhere. Web, text message, email, or from inside ChatGPT and Claude with the Carly plugin and connector.
Best for: founders, executives, consultants and small teams. Pricing: free Zapier-style workflows; AI agents from $35/month. Get started. The head-to-head is in Carly vs the Gemini agent.
2. Microsoft 365 Copilot
Microsoft’s answer for companies that run on Outlook, Teams and SharePoint. Copilot works across Microsoft 365 apps, and Copilot Studio is included for building internal agents; publishing agents to outside channels needs a separate Copilot Studio plan.
- Best for: Microsoft-only companies with an IT team.
- Pricing: $30 per user per month, paid yearly, on top of a qualifying Microsoft 365 plan.
- Limitations: lives inside Microsoft’s world; Gmail and Google Calendar users are left out.
3. ChatGPT Dots
OpenAI’s always-on agents, launched September 29, 2026. A dot takes on an ongoing goal and keeps it moving between conversations on its own cloud computer, using your ChatGPT plugins. See what ChatGPT Dots are.
- Best for: people whose work already runs through ChatGPT and Codex.
- Pricing: included with ChatGPT Pro ($100, $200 or $500 a month) or a Business Premium seat.
- Limitations: a dot sends email as you, with no address of its own at launch. Compared in Carly vs ChatGPT Dots.
4. Claude
Anthropic’s assistant handles long documents, analysis and code, and its desktop app can work through multi-step tasks with your connected apps. Anthropic is folding Claude Cowork into the main Claude app on Pro and Max.
- Best for: knowledge work you want to steer closely.
- Pricing: Pro $20/month; Max from $100/month; Team from $25 per seat per month.
- Limitations: works when you ask or on a schedule rather than firing on each new email. Add the Carly connector to give Claude your inbox and calendar across every account.
5. Zapier Agents
Plain-English agents on Zapier’s automation platform, with web browsing, live data and a Chrome extension.
- Best for: companies with years of Zaps already running.
- Pricing: free for 400 activities a month; Pro $50/month for 1,500.
- Limitations: billed by activity, separately from your Zapier plan.
6. Lindy
Agents built by chatting with Lindy, with Slack as the place they live and report back.
- Best for: teams that run the day in Slack.
- Pricing: $29.99 per active user per month for 3,000 credits, after $50 in free trial credits.
- Limitations: every active user is a billed seat, and big jobs burn credits fast.
7. Gemini Spark
Google’s own always-on agent for individuals. Spark keeps working on your tasks after you close the tab, with Gmail as its headline integration. More in what is Gemini Spark.
- Best for: individuals who want Google’s agent now and use a personal Google account.
- Pricing: needs a Google AI Pro or Ultra subscription.
- Limitations: built for personal accounts, not work ones, and not offered in the EEA, Switzerland or the UK.
How to choose
- Your work lives in email and calendar, across more than one account: Carly.
- Your company is all Microsoft: Microsoft 365 Copilot.
- You live in ChatGPT and want a long-running project agent: ChatGPT Dots.
- You want a thinking partner for documents and code: Claude, with the Carly connector for your inbox.
- You’re a large Google Workspace company: wait for the Gemini agent, and use Carly for the inbox work in the meantime.
FAQ
What is the best alternative to the Gemini agent?
For email, calendar and follow-up work, Carly. It’s self-serve, works across Gmail and Outlook at once, starts on real events, and its agents get their own email addresses like Gemini’s coworker agents.
Is there a free alternative to the Gemini agent?
Carly’s Zapier-style workflows are free, and AI agents start at $35/month. Zapier Agents has a free tier of 400 activities a month.
Why can’t I use the Gemini agent yet?
Google is bringing it to businesses first through Gemini Enterprise, with consumers later, and access is set up by your company’s admins. If you don’t have a Gemini Enterprise rollout, Carly is available to sign up today.
Is Gemini Spark the same as the Gemini agent?
No. Spark is Google’s always-on agent for personal Google accounts on Google AI Pro or Ultra. The Gemini agent is the business product, sold through Gemini Enterprise.
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"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."
