Nov 3, 2026

7 Best Maverick AI Alternatives in 2026

Maverick calls itself “an AI companion that lives in your texts.” You text a number in iMessage, no app and no account, and ask it to book, remind, cancel or plan. It asks before it sends, books or pays for anything, and you can add it to a group chat to settle on a plan. TechCrunch put it on its October 2026 list of AI agents that live in your text messages.

It’s a good idea, and it’s early. People look around for three reasons:

iMessage only. Android users and anyone who lives in WhatsApp are out.
It’s a beta. Free during the beta, with a Pro plan at €27 a month for 500 tasks and 20 connected apps.
It’s built for life errands. Restaurant tables, subscriptions and birthday gifts, more than a work inbox or a calendar full of meetings.

The quick answer: Carly is the best Maverick alternative if you want an assistant that runs your email, calendar and calls on your rules, the same way every time. You text it or use it on the web, it sorts every inbox you own, books meetings across every calendar and calls or texts people for you, and it plugs into ChatGPT, Claude, Grok Bot, Meta Muse and Perplexity.

Maverick alternatives compared

Alternative	Where it works	What it’s best at	Best for
Carly	Text, WhatsApp, web, and inside ChatGPT, Claude, Grok Bot, Meta Muse and Perplexity	Email sorting, advanced calendar work, calls and texts	People who want their work and life admin handled by rules
Poke	iMessage, SMS, WhatsApp, Telegram	Email and calendar nudges that arrive before you ask	A simple assistant in one thread
Rene	iMessage, WhatsApp, Telegram	Email triage, calendar changes, browser errands	iPhone and Android users who want one contact for it all
Tab	iMessage, WhatsApp	Calling businesses and using websites for you	Errands that need a phone call
Meta Muse	WhatsApp, iOS, Android, web	Shopping, travel and everyday tasks	People already living in Meta’s apps
Brea	iMessage	Errands across 2,000+ apps and websites	iPhone users who want a hosted agent
Ka	iMessage, or SMS on Android	Google Calendar and Gmail by text	A cheap calendar helper

Maverick details from usemaverick.io on November 3, 2026. Other details from each vendor’s site or our October 2026 checks.

1. Carly

Maverick is a companion you chat with. Carly is an assistant you set rules for. Write them once in plain English (“label anything from a client, draft a reply to every invoice question, never book before 10am”) and Carly follows them on every message, every time.

Email labeling and sorting. Carly files every message in every Gmail and Outlook account you own, with your own labels. Write a rule.
Advanced calendar work. It checks every calendar before it books, handles the back-and-forth emails, and runs booking pages with round robin.
Calls and texts. Carly can call a business, text a client, or answer your own business line and text back every missed call.
It asks first when you want it to. Keep replies as drafts until you approve them, or let Carly send the routine ones on its own.
It texts you first. A new email, a booking, a form or a time of day starts a free Zapier-style workflow that pings you by text.
Inside the AI you already use. Add the Carly plugin in ChatGPT, or the Carly connector in Claude, Grok Bot, Meta Muse or Perplexity, and ask from the chat.
Thousands of apps. Carly connects to thousands of apps, plus a built-in CRM.
Best for: people who want an assistant that’s dependable on day one, not a beta to babysit.
Pricing: Free Zapier-style workflows; AI agents from $35/month. Get started.

2. Poke

Poke connects your email and calendar and texts you over iMessage, SMS, WhatsApp or Telegram, often before you ask. Like Maverick, it lives in a message thread.

Best for: a simple assistant that nudges you about what’s coming.
Pricing: free, with a $19 Pro plan.
Limitations: one assistant in one thread. See Poke alternatives.

3. Rene

Rene is an AI assistant you message in iMessage, WhatsApp or Telegram, so it works on Android too. It drafts email replies, catches calendar conflicts, books things in a browser and can coordinate plans with a friend’s Rene.

Best for: people who want Maverick’s idea on more than one messaging app.
Pricing: free to start, with no paid plans published.
Limitations: new, and it asks before anything sensitive. See Rene alternatives.

4. Tab

Tab has its own phone number, computer and browser, so it calls businesses, uses websites and buys things once you approve. It came out of stealth in October 2026 at a $300 million valuation.

Best for: errands that end in a phone call.
Pricing: no price published; there’s a waitlist.
Limitations: its terms don’t promise that any request will succeed. See Tab alternatives.

5. Meta Muse

Meta’s personal agent works in WhatsApp, on iOS and Android, and on the web, and handles shopping, travel and everyday tasks.

Best for: people who already live in WhatsApp and Instagram.
Pricing: free with limits; Power is $20 a month.
Limitations: consumer-first, so your work inbox isn’t its focus. Add the Carly connector and it is. See Meta Muse alternatives.

6. Brea

Brea is an iMessage agent with more than 2,000 app connections, a browser for sites without one and an encrypted vault for logins.

Best for: iPhone users who want errands run across many apps.
Pricing: free, with every feature included, according to its site.
Limitations: iMessage only, like Maverick. See Brea alternatives.

7. Ka

Ka manages Google Calendar and Gmail by text, over iMessage or over SMS on Android.

Best for: a low-cost calendar helper.
Pricing: free, with a $14.99 Pro plan.
Limitations: Google only. See Ka alternatives.

How to pick a Maverick alternative

Want your inboxes, calendars and calls handled by your rules? Go with Carly.
Want a free nudge in your texts? Poke.
On Android or WhatsApp? Rene or Meta Muse.
Need errands that end in a call? Tab or Carly.
iPhone only and want lots of apps? Brea.

FAQ

What is the best Maverick alternative?

Carly, for anyone who wants an assistant that sorts email, books across calendars and calls or texts people by their rules, with free Zapier-style workflows and AI agents from $35 a month.

How much does Maverick cost?

Maverick is free during its beta. Pro is €27 a month for 500 tasks, 20 connected apps, memory and scheduled tasks, per usemaverick.io on November 3, 2026.

Does Maverick work on Android?

Its site says it lives in iMessage, so no. Rene, Poke, Meta Muse and Carly work by text or WhatsApp from any phone.

Does Maverick work in group chats?

Yes. Add it to an iMessage group and it helps everyone land on a plan, like a restaurant booking or a group gift.

Can an AI assistant text me first?

Yes. Maverick and Poke both do. With Carly, you choose exactly what triggers the text: an email from your boss, a meeting that moved, a form that came in, or 7am every weekday.

Ready to automate your busywork?

Carly schedules, researches, and briefs you—so you can focus on what matters.

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."

Gus Ibrahim, Founder & Director, IHR