AI assistants

How to choose

• If you want to hand off personal errands and tasks: Muse (Meta). Watch out: available in North America since September 2026, Japan since Oct 23, 2026 and Singapore since Oct 27, 2026; Meta says the subscriptions are in limited testing and not available in all locations.
• If you want to keep an ongoing project moving between conversations: Dots (OpenAI). Watch out: needs ChatGPT Pro (from $100/mo) or a Business Premium seat; Pro access excludes the EEA, Switzerland and the UK.
• If you want to run several AI teammates in parallel: Grok Bot. Watch out: not on the Free or $8 Plus plans; starts with Premium at $30/mo.
• If you want to multi-step tasks that end in a document, deck or analysis: ChatGPT Work (OpenAI). Watch out: free and Go get Work in the desktop app only; web and mobile need Plus or higher.
• If you want to hand off a report, spreadsheet or deck and come back later: Claude (Anthropic). Watch out: computer use is in beta and limited to Pro, Max and Ultra.
• If you want to research a topic and write a report: Manus. Watch out: monthly credits reset each billing cycle and do not roll over.
• If you want to inbox triage and draft replies: Lindy. Watch out: free credits last 7 days.
• If you want to plan tasks onto your calendar automatically: Motion. Watch out: no free plan on the pricing page; per its terms, a trial bills automatically unless you cancel.
• If you want to order takeout or book a restaurant table by voice: Alexa+ (Amazon). Watch out: amazon lists it in the US and 10 more countries, most through an Early Access program, plus Early Access in India and, since Oct 29, 2026, Japan.
• If you want to get a morning brief of what needs your attention: Claude Duet (Anthropic). Watch out: research preview with a waitlist, for Claude Pro, Max and Ultra subscribers in the US only.
• If you want to have a browser assistant work through web pages for you: Comet (Perplexity). Watch out: higher agent limits sit behind Pro or Max.
• If you want to draft and send email and schedule meetings: Copilot Cowork (Microsoft). Watch out: preview for personal accounts.
• If you want to switch a chat to a task that keeps running in the background: Gemini (Google). Watch out: tasks need Google AI Pro or Ultra, a personal Google Account and age 18+.
• Starting free: Muse (Meta), ChatGPT Work (OpenAI), Claude (Anthropic), Manus, Alexa+ (Amazon), Comet (Perplexity), Gemini (Google) list a free tier or open-source option.
• Paid or trial only: Dots (OpenAI), Grok Bot, Lindy, Motion, Claude Duet (Anthropic), Copilot Cowork (Microsoft); compare the pricing sources below before committing.

Tools and verdicts

1. Muse (Meta) Free tier

   Best for trying a personal agent for free, with approvals and an audit trail; it is offered in North America, Japan and, since Oct 27, 2026, Singapore.

   Pricing: Free with a usage limit; Power $20/mo (500M Muse tokens per week); Maximum $100/mo (3B Muse tokens per week). Extra tokens can be bought separately and do not expire. Source, checked 2026-11-03.

2. Dots (OpenAI) Paid

   Best for ChatGPT Pro users who want always on agents in ChatGPT, Slack and Teams; not offered in the EEA, Switzerland or the UK.

   Pricing: No standalone plan. First dot included with ChatGPT Pro ($100, $200 or $500/mo, users 18+) and, subject to eligibility, Business Premium seats ($100/seat/mo annual, $125 monthly). Enterprise beta is off until an admin enables it. Source, checked 2026-11-03.

3. Grok Bot Paid

   Best for running several agents that share a cloud computer, tools and files; the weekly pool is shared with Grok and Cursor.

   Pricing: Included with Premium $30/mo, Super $100/mo and Ultra $200/mo, plus Teams ($30+/user/mo) and Enterprise; not on Free or Plus ($8). Weekly usage pool shared with Grok and Cursor, with top-ups available. Taxes extra. Source, checked 2026-11-03.

4. ChatGPT Work (OpenAI) Free tier

   Best for turning your tools and files into documents, presentations and web apps; the Free plan is desktop only, and usage is shared with Codex.

   Pricing: Free plan includes Work in the desktop app; Go $8/mo; Plus $20/mo; Pro $100, $200 or $500/mo; Business $20/user/mo (2+ users, annual; $25 monthly). Work and Codex share one usage allowance; extra credits can be bought. Source, checked 2026-11-03.

5. Claude (Anthropic) Free tier

   Best for work on your own files and browser when you want to choose between approving each action and automated checks; local files and the browser need Claude Desktop open.

   Pricing: Free $0; Pro $17/mo billed annually ($200 up front) or $20 monthly; Max $100/mo (5x Pro usage); Ultra $200/mo (10x Pro weekly usage, no 5-hour limit for verified accounts); Team Standard $20/seat annual ($25 monthly), Premium $100 annual ($125 monthly); Enterprise $20/seat plus usage. Source, checked 2026-11-03.

6. Manus Free tier

   Best for trying long tasks on free daily credits; monthly credits reset and go to zero if you cancel.

   Pricing: Free: 300 refresh credits daily; paid from $20/mo (4,000 credits/mo), $40/mo (8,000) and $200/mo (40,000), each plus 300 daily credits; annual billing saves 17%; Team and Enterprise plans available. Source, checked 2026-11-03.

7. Lindy Free trial

   Best for teams that want an assistant in Slack and email that waits for approval on outside actions; every active user is billed.

   Pricing: Trial: $50 in free credits for 7 days, no card. Team is billed per active user by monthly credit tier; Lindy's pricing page currently shows visitors one of two starting tiers, $29.99/mo for 3,000 credits or $49.99/mo for 5,000 credits. Top-ups $10 per 1,000 credits; Enterprise custom. Source, checked 2026-11-03.

8. Motion Free trial

   Best for planning your week with calendar scheduling; trials bill unless you cancel.

   Pricing: Individuals: Pro AI $29/mo annual or $49 monthly (7,500 AI credits/mo); Business AI $39/mo annual or $69 monthly (15,000 credits). Teams: $19 or $29 per seat/mo annual ($29 or $49 monthly). Free trial available. Source, checked 2026-11-03.

9. Alexa+ (Amazon) Free tier

   Best for Prime households that want errands like takeout, reservations and rides done by voice; check approvals yourself, since Amazon's pages do not describe them.

   Pricing: Free text chat with limited daily usage; included with Amazon Prime in the US; Standard $19.99/mo without Prime. Prices differ in other countries. Source, checked 2026-11-03.

10. Claude Duet (Anthropic) Paid

    Best for US Claude Pro, Max or Ultra subscribers who want morning briefs and check-ins; it is a waitlisted research preview that shares your Claude limits.

    Pricing: No separate price: part of a Claude Pro plan ($17/mo billed annually or $20 monthly) Max ($100/mo) or Ultra ($200/mo), US only, by waitlist. Uses the same usage limits as the rest of Claude. Source, checked 2026-11-03.

11. Comet (Perplexity) Free tier

    Best for an assistant inside a free browser; agent work in Work mode runs on paid credits.

    Pricing: Free $0, with Comet included; Pro $17/mo billed annually; Max $167/mo billed annually or $200 monthly ($2,000 a year). Source, checked 2026-11-03.

12. Copilot Cowork (Microsoft) Paid

    Best for Microsoft 365 Premium or Pro subscribers; Personal and Family plans lose access, and it is still a preview.

    Pricing: Needs Microsoft 365 Premium ($19.99/mo) or Pro ($99.99/mo). Cowork is a Premium or Pro feature in preview. Source, checked 2026-11-03.

13. Gemini (Google) Free tier

    Best for Google AI Pro or Ultra subscribers who want background tasks with apps like Instacart and OpenTable; not offered in the EEA, Nigeria, Switzerland or the UK.

    Pricing: Free $0 (no tasks); Google AI Plus $4.99/mo; Google AI Pro $19.99/mo; Google AI Ultra $99.99/mo or $199.99/mo. Tasks need Pro or Ultra, per Google's help center. Source, checked 2026-11-03.

Head-to-head comparisons

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