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Pally vs Claude Duet
Anthropic's agent for busy professionals lives in its own app. Pally lives in the texts you already send.
Checked October 22, 2026 · Anthropic opened Claude Duet as a research preview on October 21, 2026, by waitlist for Claude Pro and Max subscribers in the US, on iOS, Android, and the web. See their site for the latest.
So, Claude Duet or Pally?
The case for Claude Duet
Pick Claude Duet if you already pay for Claude Pro or Max, you're in the US, and you want an agent for your work or small business: the inbox, invoices, payroll, contracts, decks, and dashboards. Opus 5.5, the Claude Marketplace, and Anthropic's approval and credential design make it a serious work agent, once your waitlist invitation arrives.
The case for Pally
Pick Pally if you want the assistant in iMessage, RCS, WhatsApp, or Telegram, or on a phone call, for your whole life and not only work. Pally is free and works outside the US. It makes calls for you, answers a number you hand out, joins your group chats, and books restaurants, appointments, and travel. After you connect your accounts, it reads your WhatsApp, LinkedIn, and X inboxes, and it connects Outlook, Apple apps, and any MCP server.
| Feature | DuetFrom Pro $20/mo | PallyFree |
|---|---|---|
| Inbox management | ||
| Email and calendarDuet: Gmail and Google Calendar; Microsoft 365 not yet | YesGmail and Google Calendar; Microsoft 365 not yet | Yes |
| SlackDuet: Slack works with limits in Duet | PartialSlack works with limits in Duet | Yes |
No | Yes | |
| iMessagePally: Only via the Mac app | No | PartialOnly via the Mac app |
| LinkedIn DMsPally: Only via the Mac app | No | PartialOnly via the Mac app |
| X DMsPally: Only via the Mac app | No | PartialOnly via the Mac app |
| Capabilities | ||
| Browser use, sign-ins and deep researchDuet: Own cloud browser; you type site passwords into a private formPally: Signs in with your saved logins | YesOwn cloud browser; you type site passwords into a private form | YesSigns in with your saved logins |
| Long-term memoryDuet: Uses and adds to your Claude memory | YesUses and adds to your Claude memory | Yes |
| Long-running tasksDuet: Keeps working in the cloud after you close the app | YesKeeps working in the cloud after you close the app | Yes |
| Reminders and routinesDuet: Morning brief and check-ins every few hoursPally: One-off, recurring and location-based | PartialMorning brief and check-ins every few hours | YesOne-off, recurring and location-based |
| Inbound email addressDuet: Sends from your connected email accounts | NoSends from your connected email accounts | Yes |
| Personal CRM of your contacts | No | Yes |
| Outbound callsDuet: Doesn't make phone callsPally: Waits on hold, gets through phone menus | NoDoesn't make phone calls | YesWaits on hold, gets through phone menus |
| Takes calls for youPally: A number you give out. Pally picks up, handles the call and tells you what happened. | No | YesA number you give out. Pally picks up, handles the call and tells you what happened. |
| Bookings and travelDuet: Schedules meetings; personal errands like tickets are weakerPally: Restaurants, appointments, travel; fare-drop watch, check-in | PartialSchedules meetings; personal errands like tickets are weaker | YesRestaurants, appointments, travel; fare-drop watch, check-in |
| Shopping and checkoutDuet: Link or Shop Pay one-time card, with your approvalPally: With your payment wallet | YesLink or Shop Pay one-time card, with your approval | YesWith your payment wallet |
| Add to your group chats | No | Yes |
| Creates apps and websitesDuet: Builds web apps, prototypes and dashboards | YesBuilds web apps, prototypes and dashboards | Yes |
| Generates images, video and musicDuet: Social campaign designs in Canva | PartialSocial campaign designs in Canva | Yes |
| Integrations | ||
| Gmail and Google servicesDuet: Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Drive | YesGmail, Google Calendar and Google Drive | Yes |
| Outlook and Microsoft 365Duet: Microsoft 365 isn't available yet | NoMicrosoft 365 isn't available yet | Yes |
| Apple Mail, Calendar and Contacts | No | Yes |
| Apple Photos | No | Yes |
| Notion, Linear, GitHub, JiraDuet: Notion, Linear and other Claude connectors | YesNotion, Linear and other Claude connectors | Yes |
| Granola and other meeting notesDuet: Granola connector in Claude | YesGranola connector in Claude | Yes |
| LinkedIn and XDuet: Posts job listings to LinkedIn | PartialPosts job listings to LinkedIn | Yes |
| Bank account | No | Yes |
| Partiful | No | Yes |
| School portalsPally: Google Classroom, Canvas, Moodle, Brightspace, Blackboard | No | YesGoogle Classroom, Canvas, Moodle, Brightspace, Blackboard |
| Any MCP or APIDuet: 6,000+ Claude Marketplace connectors and plugins | Partial6,000+ Claude Marketplace connectors and plugins | Yes |
| Ways to message it | ||
| iMessageDuet: Message it in the Duet app or on claude.ai | NoMessage it in the Duet app or on claude.ai | Yes |
| WhatsAppDuet: Message it in the Duet app or on claude.ai | NoMessage it in the Duet app or on claude.ai | Yes |
| RCSDuet: Message it in the Duet app or on claude.ai | NoMessage it in the Duet app or on claude.ai | Yes |
| TelegramDuet: Message it in the Duet app or on claude.ai | NoMessage it in the Duet app or on claude.ai | Yes |
| ChatGPT, Claude and other AI toolsDuet: On claude.ai on the web; its own app on phones | PartialOn claude.ai on the web; its own app on phones | Yes |
| Phone callDuet: Voice messages in the app, not calls | NoVoice messages in the app, not calls | Yes |
| EmailDuet: Message it in the Duet app or on claude.ai | NoMessage it in the Duet app or on claude.ai | Yes |
| Native mobile appDuet: iOS and Android | YesiOS and Android | No |
| Privacy and security | ||
| Encrypted in transit and at restDuet: In transit and at rest | YesIn transit and at rest | Yes |
| Doesn't train on your conversations and tool outputsDuet: Only if your privacy setting allows it; flagged chats can be usedPally: Trains by default; turn it off in settings | PartialOnly if your privacy setting allows it; flagged chats can be used | PartialTrains by default; turn it off in settings |
| Doesn't train on your connected dataDuet: Raw connector content excluded; text copied into chats can be usedPally: Your email, calendar and other connected accounts | PartialRaw connector content excluded; text copied into chats can be used | YesYour email, calendar and other connected accounts |
| Never sells your dataDuet: Doesn't sell; may share data to advertise Claude, opt out | PartialDoesn't sell; may share data to advertise Claude, opt out | Yes |
| No paid placement in recommendationsDuet: Claude is ad-free, with no sponsored placements | YesClaude is ad-free, with no sponsored placements | Yes |
| View, edit and delete your dataDuet: View, edit and delete memory; delete chats; export data | YesView, edit and delete memory; delete chats; export data | Yes |
| Price | ||
| PlansDuet: Pro $20/mo · Max from $100/mo (Duet included at no extra cost in the preview)Pally: Free | Pro $20/mo · Max from $100/moDuet included at no extra cost in the preview | Free |
Features neither one offers are left out. See every assistant on one grid.
Where Claude Duet shines.
Opus 5.5, and the Claude you already use
Duet runs on Claude Opus 5.5 and decides how much effort each job needs. It carries over the memory, skills, and connected apps from your Claude account and can search your past Claude chats, so it knows your work from the first message.
Built to run a small business
Duet can use the more than 6,000 connectors and plugins in the Claude Marketplace. It finds unpaid invoices in QuickBooks or Stripe, prepares payroll in Gusto, and sends contracts through Docusign. Bigger jobs come back as files you can edit: a research brief, a financial model, a deck, or a dashboard.
Proactive, with judgment about when to speak
Each morning Duet sends a short brief on what matters across your connected apps, then checks them every few hours and messages you only when something needs you. A Tasks tab shows what it's working on, and only you can mark a task as done.
Safety designed in from the start
Duet never directly sees your passwords or sign-in tokens, and it asks before it sends a message, pays, signs a document, or deletes anything. A dedicated classifier is designed to refuse to share card numbers or government IDs. Purchases use a one-time card through Link or Shop Pay, and Claude is ad-free.
What each one costs.
Claude Duet
Pro $20/mo · Max from $100/mo
Anthropic's Help Center says that during the research preview, Claude Duet is "included with the Pro and Max plans at no extra cost." Pro is $20 a month, or $17 a month billed annually, and Max starts at $100 a month. Duet uses your plan's five-hour session and weekly limits at the same rate as chats in Claude, and its background work, like the morning brief and check-ins, counts too. Each person admitted gets one full limit reset, usable until November 30, 2026.
Pally
Free
Pally is free, with almost unlimited usage limits. No waitlist or invitation. Cloud Mac is a paid add-on. Every connection, every automation, calls, and its own number and email.
Switching from Claude Duet.
Pally's setup is texting a number, and connecting accounts is tapping a link it sends you. No account to create first.
Connect your email and calendar first
Gmail, Outlook, or iCloud Mail, and your calendars. Pally flags what needs you, summarizes the rest, and checks availability, books and moves events.
Then add the rest
Slack, Notion, Linear, GitHub, Drive, your own WhatsApp, your bank, and your own MCP servers. Save logins to its password vault and Pally runs web errands in a browser with them. Add it to group chats, with per-capability grants controlling what it shares from your accounts.
What carries over
Your accounts: Pally works from the email, calendars, and apps you already use. It remembers the people in your life and what matters to them, and you can browse and edit that memory in its web dashboard.
Pally vs Claude Duet FAQ.
What is Claude Duet?
Anthropic opened a research preview of Claude Duet on October 21, 2026. It's a separate app where Claude works as a proactive agent: it sends a morning brief, checks your connected apps every few hours, works on tasks in its own cloud computer, and asks before it sends a message, pays, signs a document, or deletes anything. It runs on Claude Opus 5.5 and uses your Claude memory, skills, and connectors.
What does Claude Duet cost?
During the research preview, Duet is included with Claude Pro ($20 a month) and Max (from $100 a month) at no extra cost. It draws on your plan's usage limits, and its background checks count too, so Anthropic says you may reach your limits sooner than with chat alone. Pally is free, with almost unlimited usage limits.
Who can use Claude Duet?
Pro and Max subscribers in the US, through a waitlist. Invitations go out in waves, and Team and Enterprise plans aren't included yet. Pally works in the US and internationally.
Can Claude Duet text me the way Pally does?
Not in your phone's messages app. You message Duet in its iOS and Android apps, or on the web at claude.ai, by typing or recording a voice message. Pally has no app: you text it in iMessage, RCS, WhatsApp, or Telegram, email it, or call it. You can also add Pally to Claude as a connector and hand it errands from any Claude chat.
Can Claude Duet make phone calls or join group chats?
No. Anthropic's Help Center says Duet doesn't make phone calls or send text messages to other people, and you talk to it in its own app or on claude.ai. Pally calls businesses and people for you, waits on hold, and gets through phone menus. It also gives you a number to hand out: Pally picks up, handles the call, and tells you what happened. And you can add Pally to any group chat.
Can Claude Duet book things and buy things?
It can buy things. Duet pays with Link by Stripe or Shop Pay, using a one-time card after you approve each purchase. Anthropic built it around work and says personal errands, such as booking tickets, aren't as strong yet. Pally books restaurants, appointments, and travel, watches fares, and checks out with your payment wallet.
How do Claude Duet and Pally handle my data?
Anthropic uses your Claude chats to train its models only if your privacy settings allow it, or if a chat is flagged for safety review. Raw content from your connectors isn't used for training, though text copied into a chat can be. Claude is ad-free, and Anthropic says it doesn't sell your personal data. Pally never trains on your connected accounts. It trains on your conversations by default, and you can turn that off in settings. Both encrypt your data and let you view, edit, and delete it. Pally never sells your data and takes no paid placement.
Which is better, Pally or Claude Duet?
Claude Duet fits US professionals and small business owners who already pay for Claude Pro, from $20 a month, and want a work agent in its own app. Pally is free, works outside the US, and adds iMessage, RCS, WhatsApp, Telegram, and calls it makes and takes.
So how does Pally make money?
Pally plans to earn a fee from merchants when you buy through it. Merchants can never pay to change what Pally recommends to you. Cloud Mac, an optional add-on, is paid.