Glonce

TechCrunch rounds up 18 AI agents you can text, from Instinct to Poke

productsThe Glonce editorsTechCrunch🔥63Glonce rating63Impact62Novelty48Relevance87Surprise40Players50Credibility82
TechCrunch rounds up 18 AI agents you can text, from Instinct to Poke

TechCrunch has published a roundup of AI agents you reach by sending a text, with no separate app to download. The pitch is that you message the agent like a person. It remembers context, connects to the apps and services you already use, and does the work: scheduling an appointment, organizing a calendar, researching a trip, sending an email, making a reservation, shopping online, or reminding you about something days later. The piece calls its list "some of the most notable options so far", running from general-purpose assistants to agents for families, travel and work.

The best-known name is Instinct. It first made headlines after raising $350 million at a $2.5 billion valuation, and in September 2026 it raised $1 billion at a $10 billion valuation. Users talk to it by text or voice and connect it to email, calendar, Google Workspace and more. The company says early users have used it for planning trips, buying groceries, booking tickets and cancelling subscriptions. In September it began giving users dedicated email addresses for their assistants, so the agent can sign up for services and contact businesses without filling the user's own inbox. The article notes that this level of autonomy has raised privacy and security concerns. Instinct has also begun rolling out support for placing calls, and it remains in private beta.

Family assistants form the biggest cluster. Fambot is a "chief of staff" for families that sends a nightly summary of the next day by SMS and works on iOS, Android and the web. It connects to Gmail and Google Calendar, launched in beta in early September 2026, has raised $3.5 million in pre-seed funding, is free during beta, and expects to eventually charge roughly the equivalent of a Netflix subscription. Ohai turns messages, forwarded emails and voice requests into schedules and reminders; it has a free basic option and subscriptions from $9.99 per month depending on family size. Ollie launched in June 2026, is described as one of the first mainstream, family-focused assistants to achieve SOC 2 compliance, and has a free tier, paid plans from $25 per month for 150 messages and a $100-per-month plan with up to 1,000 messages. Orbits works through its app and text, and is backed by investors including Andreessen Horowitz's Speedrun fund, N49P and Garage Capital.

General-purpose assistants include Poke, Folk, Martin, Rene, Pally, Iris, Caddy and Tomo. Poke launched in March 2026; in June 2026 Apple approved it as the first AI agent on the Apple Messages for Business platform, and a month later its parent, The Interaction Company of California, was acquired by AI coding startup Cognition in a deal valued in the low nine figures. Folk works over iMessage, WhatsApp and Telegram, runs on its own private cloud computer, can run code and execute multi-step tasks, launched its beta in May 2026, and costs nothing with a $8.33/month Pro tier for unlimited background tasks. Martin is reachable by SMS, phone, WhatsApp, email, Slack and an iOS app, and starts at $21 per month. Rene is available on iMessage, Telegram and WhatsApp, with a browser, code writing, shopping, slides and images. Pally connects services such as WhatsApp, Gmail, calendars and Google Drive; its free plan includes 15 minutes of calls per month, and paid plans are $25 per month for 30 minutes and $100 per month for 60 minutes. Iris, powered by Hermes agent, takes delegated tasks through iMessage and follows up proactively. Caddy lives in iMessage for iPhone users and RCS for Android users, turns information scattered across a phone into calendar events, reminders and follow-ups, and has been in public beta since April 2026. Tomo's differentiator is that it can join group conversations; its basic plan starts at $19.99 per month.

The rest are more specialised. Miso applies the concept to travel over iMessage, pairing AI trip planning with a dedicated travel team. Stanley is a content assistant for creators, available through iMessage, Telegram and the web, which can connect to Instagram, turn voice notes into scripts and captions, and schedule posts. Town is aimed at professional life: it gives users a "Townie" assistant that learns how they work, and in June 2026 the company raised a $55 million Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz and Forerunner. Skye is an "agentic homescreen" for the iPhone that surfaces contextual cards, suggestions and daily briefings; its maker, Signull Labs, raised about $3.6 million in seed funding in 2025, entered private testing and beta in April 2026, and has not announced a public release date. Wajo's first consumer agent, Fo, can call businesses, send emails, join group chats and make bookings and purchases. It has its own email address, phone number and payment card, so users need not hand over their own credentials, and Wajo says it can bring in a human assistant when Fo meets something it cannot handle. Fo launched publicly in September 2025 with a free tier and a paid Pro offering for heavier workloads and custom agents.

Key facts

  • Instinct raised $1 billion at a $10 billion valuation in September 2026, after an earlier $350 million raise at a $2.5 billion valuation; it remains in private beta.
  • Poke was approved by Apple in June 2026 as the first AI agent on Apple Messages for Business; its parent, The Interaction Company of California, was then acquired by Cognition in a deal valued in the low nine figures.
  • Pricing in the list: Folk Pro $8.33/month, Ohai from $9.99, Tomo from $19.99, Martin from $21, Ollie from $25 for 150 messages (up to 1,000 messages at $100), Pally $25 for 30 call minutes or $100 for 60.
  • Town raised a $55 million Series A in June 2026, led by Andreessen Horowitz and Forerunner; Fambot has raised $3.5 million pre-seed and Skye's maker Signull Labs about $3.6 million in seed funding.
  • Several agents are still in beta: Caddy (public beta since April 2026), Fambot, Folk, Instinct (private) and Skye (private, no public release date).

Why it matters

The article's framing is that the text thread is becoming an interface for agents: instead of downloading another app, you message an assistant that remembers context and acts across your calendar, email and other services. The list shows how crowded that space already is, with 18 products named, and how much money is moving in. Instinct's $10 billion valuation after a $1 billion round makes it the standout, Town raised a $55 million Series A, and Cognition bought Poke's parent in a low-nine-figure deal. Apple's June 2026 approval of Poke as the first AI agent on Apple Messages for Business is a sign that the platform owner is letting such agents in.

Who it affects

Mostly ordinary smartphone users who want an assistant without installing an app, and especially parents: Fambot, Ohai, Ollie and Orbits all target household logistics such as school messages, chores, meals and calendars. Travellers (Miso), content creators (Stanley) and professionals (Town) each get a niche option. Android users are covered by Caddy on RCS, and several agents work over WhatsApp or Telegram rather than iMessage alone.

How to use it

Most of these agents are reached by sending a text, then linking the services you want them to use. Cost varies. Free or free-tier options include Fambot (free during beta), Folk, Ohai, Ollie, Pally and Fo. Paid examples: Folk Pro at $8.33/month, Ohai from $9.99 per month, Tomo from $19.99 per month, Martin from $21 per month, Ollie from $25 per month for 150 messages, and Pally at $25 per month for 30 minutes of calls or $100 per month for 60. Instinct's pricing is not given and it is in private beta, as is Skye. Check each service's supported platform first: Caddy is iMessage and RCS, Folk is iMessage, WhatsApp and Telegram, Martin includes SMS, and Rene is on iMessage, Telegram and WhatsApp.

How solid is it

This is a roundup of existing products, and the details come from the article rather than from independent testing. Funding and valuation figures for Instinct, Fambot, Town and Signull Labs are stated plainly. Product behaviour is described as designed or claimed: Instinct's use cases are what "the company says" early users did, and the human-assistant fallback for Fo is something Wajo says it can do. Several entries are early: Caddy is in public beta, Fambot and Folk are in beta, and Instinct and Skye are in private beta. The article names no ranking criteria beyond "some of the most notable options so far". Iris gets no pricing, funding or launch date, and Miso, Rene, Stanley, Caddy, Martin and Orbits have no funding amounts, apart from Orbits' named investors.

Risks and caveats

Autonomy is the main concern the article raises. Instinct's dedicated email addresses let its agent create accounts, contact businesses and follow up on requests, and the article says this has raised privacy and security concerns, without saying who raised them. Agents that book, buy and call on your behalf need access to email, calendars and sometimes payments; Wajo's answer is to give Fo its own email address, phone number and payment card. Ollie's SOC 2 compliance is presented as its biggest differentiator. Fambot's eventual price is only described as roughly a Netflix subscription, and Martin is described as on the pricier side. Beta and private-beta status means features and prices may change.

“Rather than downloading another app, a growing number of agents can simply be texted like an ordinary person.”

— TechCrunch