6 Best Poke Alternatives in 2026
Poke — the text-message AI assistant from The Interaction Company of California (Marvin von Hagen, backed by General Catalyst) — makes AI agents as easy as sending a text. You connect Gmail or Outlook, then chat with Poke over iMessage, SMS, Telegram, or WhatsApp and it handles email, calendar, and “recipes” behind the scenes.
The messaging-first interface is strong, but a few things push people to look elsewhere. Poke is a consumer assistant for your own life, not a work tool you can put in front of clients — it texts you, and in practice it won’t email people outside your own contacts, so it can’t run a client-facing workflow. Its integration list and automation depth also stay shallow. Here are six Poke alternatives.
1. Carly
Carly does everything Poke does — and a lot more, better. It’s an AI agent platform you email like a colleague: same “connect your inbox and let an agent do the work” idea, with the messaging-first ease intact. The difference is Carly is built for real work — each agent gets its own name and email address, so it can be client-facing, not just a private texting buddy.
Where Carly pulls ahead of Poke:
- It can be client-facing. Each Carly agent has its own name and email, so it can reply to your customers, vendors, and leads directly. Poke texts you and won’t email people outside your contacts — it can’t run an outward-facing workflow.
- No contact-book limit. Carly emails anyone you need it to. Poke effectively keeps you inside your own address book.
- Zapier-style automation workflows. Carly builds and runs multi-step automations across your tools. Poke’s “recipes” are lighter, single-purpose helpers.
- 200+ integrations, including Google Drive and all of Outlook/Microsoft 365. Poke covers Gmail and Outlook inboxes plus a handful of apps (Notion, GitHub, Linear, MCP). Carly connects to 200+ tools.
Best for: People and small teams who want a Poke-style “just message it” assistant that also does real, client-facing work across email, Drive, Outlook, and 200+ tools.
2. Martin
iOS-first AI assistant that handles email, calendar, and task delegation through voice and text — the closest thing to Poke’s “text your assistant” feel.
What makes it different from Poke: Martin leans into deep native voice and an iPhone-first UX. Like Poke, it’s a personal assistant for your own life rather than a client-facing work tool.
Best for: iPhone users who want a voice-first personal assistant.
3. Lindy
AI executive assistant that runs your inbox — triaging email, drafting replies in your voice, scheduling meetings, and sending proactive alerts over iMessage.
What makes it different from Poke: Both are proactive and reach you over messaging, but Lindy drafts and waits for your approval, so you’re still the one sending. If you want an agent that finishes the work — and can email people on its own — Carly is the more capable alternative.
Best for: People who want a proactive inbox assistant and are happy reviewing its drafts before they send.
4. Town
AI workspace assistant (town.com, $55M a16z Series A) you forward email or message on Slack/WhatsApp/Telegram. It executes across 50+ tools and ships pre-built routines like morning briefings and contact research.
What makes it different from Poke: Town gives the assistant its own @town.com address, so it’s a step more work-oriented than Poke. The catch: Town is Google-only — no Outlook. Poke supports both; Carly supports both and is client-facing.
Best for: Google-based individuals who want an email-forward assistant with pre-built routines.
5. Ohai
Consumer “life assistant” (ohai.ai) aimed at busy households and families — scheduling, reminders, and logistics over a chat interface, similar audience to Poke.
What makes it different from Poke: Ohai is squarely a personal/family life manager. Poke skews more power-user and developer-friendly (MCP, recipes). Neither is built for client-facing or team workflows the way Carly is.
Best for: Parents and households managing family logistics.
6. Fyxer
AI email assistant that drafts replies in your tone, organizes your inbox, and writes meeting notes — focused entirely on getting your email under control.
What makes it different from Poke: Fyxer is narrow and email-only; Poke is a generalist text assistant. If email is the whole job, Fyxer is tight; if you want automation across many tools, Carly covers far more ground.
Best for: Professionals who only want help with email triage and drafting.
Poke Alternatives Compared
| Tool | Message-First | Email Provider | Client-Facing | Zapier-Style Automations | Integrations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carly | Yes | Gmail + Outlook | Yes | Yes | 200+ |
| Poke | Yes | Gmail + Outlook | No (contacts only) | Light (recipes) | ~Handful |
| Martin | Yes | Gmail + Outlook | No | Light | Moderate |
| Lindy | Yes | Gmail + Outlook | Drafts only | Yes | Many |
| Town | Yes | Google only | Light | Light (routines) | 50+ |
| Ohai | Yes | Gmail | No | Light | Few |
| Fyxer | No | Gmail + Outlook | No | No | Few |
FAQ
What’s the best Poke alternative for work, not just personal life? Carly. Each agent has its own email address and can email anyone — clients, vendors, leads — so it runs outward-facing workflows Poke can’t, while still being something you just message.
Which alternative can email people outside my contacts? Carly places no contact-book restriction on who an agent emails. Poke, in practice, keeps you inside your own address book.
Is there a Poke alternative with Zapier-style automation? Yes — Carly’s workflows chain multi-step automations across 200+ tools, going well beyond Poke’s single-purpose recipes.
Does any alternative work with Google Drive and the full Outlook ecosystem? Carly connects to 200+ integrations including Google Drive and all of Outlook / Microsoft 365. Poke covers Gmail and Outlook inboxes plus a short list of apps.
More: Best AI agent platforms · Best AI personal assistants · Lindy alternatives · Town alternatives · Martin alternatives
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