Lindy vs Poke: Which Text AI Assistant in 2026?
Both of these are assistants you talk to by text, which is exactly why people confuse them. Lindy is a no-code AI agent builder — you design custom agents and multi-step automations for email, scheduling, lead handling, and more, then operate them over iMessage or SMS plus a web builder. Poke, from The Interaction Company, is a proactive text-message assistant that works out of the box — you connect your inbox and it handles email, calendar, reminders, and more over iMessage, SMS, and Telegram with almost no setup. Lindy hands you the power to build; Poke hands you a finished assistant that just runs. Decide whether your problem is “I want to construct my own automations” or “I want something effortless that nudges me,” and the choice makes itself.
The One-Sentence Answer
Use Lindy if you want to build and customize your own AI agents; use Poke if you want a proactive text assistant that works out of the box with no building at all.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Lindy | Poke | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | No-code AI agent builder | Proactive text-message assistant |
| Core job | Design custom agents & automations | Effortless email, calendar, reminders by text |
| Setup effort | You configure workflows (plain English) | Connect inbox, minimal setup |
| Where you use it | iMessage/SMS first, plus web builder | iMessage, SMS, Telegram (some WhatsApp) |
| Proactive nudges | Yes, texts you what matters | Yes, central to the product |
| Customization depth | High — build multi-step agents | Lower — opinionated, prebuilt behavior |
| Integrations | 400+ native (plus Pipedream) | Email, calendar, plus a growing list |
| Price (2026) | From $19.99/mo (Plus $49.99), credit-metered | Free light tier; paid plans (Pro reported ~$9.99/mo) |
| Best fit | People who want to build their own agents | People who want zero-config, effortless help |
When to Use Lindy
- You want to design your own agents, not accept someone else’s defaults
- Your needs are multi-step: enrich a lead, score it, route it, then follow up
- You’ll invest time configuring and tuning workflows to get them right
- You want to reach into many apps — Lindy lists 400+ native integrations
- You like operating by text but want a web builder behind it
Lindy’s bet is that you know your process better than any prebuilt assistant does, so it gives you a plain-English builder to construct agents and automations yourself. It’s powerful, and that power is the point — but you are the one assembling it, and the credit-metered pricing means heavier, AI-intensive workflows consume more as you scale up. See our Lindy AI pricing breakdown for how the meter works.
When to Use Poke
- You want an assistant that works the moment you connect your inbox
- You’d rather never open a workflow builder
- You want proactive nudges — it checks in and surfaces what needs you
- You want it in the messaging apps you already use (iMessage, SMS, Telegram)
- Your needs are personal-life logistics: email, calendar, reminders, quick tasks
Poke’s bet is the opposite of Lindy’s: that the best assistant is one you don’t configure at all. It was the first third-party AI agent Apple approved to run inside iMessage via Apple Messages for Business, and it leans into being proactive and effortless — handling email, calendar events, reminders, web lookups, image generation, and even smart-home controls through conversation. You don’t build recipes so much as tell it what you want.
The Difference That Actually Decides It
This isn’t a feature race; it’s a question of who does the assembling. Lindy gives you a builder and expects you to design the agent that fits your work. Poke gives you a finished, opinionated assistant and expects you to just use it. If you enjoy shaping automations and want them to match your process exactly, Lindy’s control is worth the setup. If the very idea of configuring a workflow makes you want to close the tab, Poke’s out-of-the-box proactivity is the whole appeal. Buying the wrong one means either fighting a builder you didn’t want or hitting the ceiling of an assistant you can’t reshape.
There’s a shared ceiling worth naming, though. Both tools are things you talk to. Lindy drafts and, on most tasks, waits for your approval before anything goes out; Poke, in practice, keeps you inside your own contacts and texts you rather than emailing other people on its own. Neither gives an agent its own identity to run a client-facing thread end to end — reply to the other person, book the time, send the follow-up, and log it — without you as the last step.
If having the 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 — 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. See Carly vs Lindy for that head-to-head.
Quick Reference
| Your situation… | Pick… |
|---|---|
| I want to build my own custom agents | Lindy |
| My work is multi-step and needs tuning | Lindy |
| I want something effortless, zero-config | Poke |
| I want proactive nudges by text | Poke |
| I want it in iMessage, SMS, or Telegram | Poke |
| I want the work finished on its own | Neither — see Carly |
FAQ
Is Poke just a simpler Lindy? Not quite — they aim at different users. Poke is opinionated and proactive by design, built so you never configure anything. Lindy is a builder: it assumes you want to construct and tune your own agents. Poke trades customization for effortlessness; Lindy trades effortlessness for control.
Which one has more integrations? Lindy, by a wide margin on paper — it lists 400+ native integrations plus thousands more via Pipedream, which fits its build-your-own model. Poke focuses on email and calendar plus a growing set of everyday connections; breadth isn’t its pitch, effortlessness is.
Do both text me proactively? Yes. Proactive messaging is central to Poke and a core part of Lindy too — both will ping you about what needs attention. Poke runs across iMessage, SMS, and Telegram; Lindy is iMessage/SMS-first with a web builder behind it.
What if I want the email and scheduling actually done, not just drafted or nudged? Look at an assistant that acts on other people’s behalf, not just yours. Carly’s agents reply, book, and follow up from their own email address, so the thread with your client or candidate finishes without you sending the last message. See Lindy alternatives and Poke alternatives for the wider field.
Related: Lindy alternatives · Poke alternatives · Carly vs Lindy
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