Independent category guide
Arlo alternatives in 2026
Pally is the best Arlo alternative if you want calls and bookings by text on a free plan, with one usage limit that refills through the week instead of a monthly task allowance. Martin is the better choice for a voice app; Poke offers visible Recipes, and Instinct and Muse cover specific errands with availability limits.
Arlo handles calls and bookings by text and meters tasks against monthly usage. Compare how each assistant starts a job, completes it, and charges for it.
Pally
Best for calls and bookings from your texts
Pally lives in iMessage, RCS, and Telegram. It calls businesses, books on the web, and checks with you before purchases you have not already asked for or approved. Its free plan has almost unlimited usage limits.
Pros
- Calls businesses and books on the web
- Connects your inboxes for context
- Free, with almost unlimited usage limits
Tradeoffs
- No app-based voice mode
Pricing: Pally is free, with almost unlimited usage limits. No waitlist or invitation. Cloud Mac is a paid add-on. See what's included
Martin
Best for voice and an iOS app
Martin combines voice mode, phone access, SMS, and scheduling tools.
Pros
- Voice-first interaction
Tradeoffs
- No permanent free tier
Pricing: Martin's Basic plan is $35 a month, or $21 a month billed yearly. Pro is $49 a month, or $30 a month billed yearly, and adds alarm calls, email triage, proactive drafts and cc-to-schedule. Every plan starts with a seven-day free trial, and there's no free tier after it. Check latest pricing
Instinct
Best for text-and-call errands
Instinct handles trip planning, purchases, and other errands through text and phone.
Pros
- Direct text and call access
Tradeoffs
- Closed beta with a waitlist
Pricing: Instinct is free. Access to its closed beta starts with a waitlist, and its terms say some features may require fees. Check latest pricing
Poke
Best for visible repeatable automations
Poke works across messaging apps and makes repeated tasks visible as Recipes.
Pros
- Named Recipes
Tradeoffs
- Calls and orders require Poke Human on its Ultra plan
Pricing: Poke has a permanent free plan with all app connections. Pro is $19 a month and adds frontier models for complex tasks and higher limits for real-time automations. Ultra is $199 a month, with frontier models for every action, the highest automation limits, Poke Human, and optional pay-as-you-go usage beyond its credits. Check latest pricing
Muse
Best for bookings from WhatsApp
Muse can book trips and reservations through its app and WhatsApp.
Pros
- Bookings inside Meta channels
Tradeoffs
- Limited testing in the US and Canada
Pricing: Meta's Help Center lists a Power plan at $20 a month with 500M Muse tokens per week, and a Max plan at $100 a month with 3B Muse tokens per week. "Muse is available for free with a usage limit." Paid tiers buy more usage, not extra features. The same page says Muse and its subscriptions are in limited testing and aren't available everywhere yet. Check latest pricing
Bottom line
How to choose
Pick Pally if you want to ask for a call or booking in a normal text thread and have an assistant handle the surrounding work. Pick Martin for voice, Poke for visible Recipes, Instinct for a text-and-call beta, or Muse for a Meta-based booking flow where available.
Questions
Common questions
Does Arlo charge by task?
Arlo meters tasks against monthly usage, according to its pricing page. Check the current plan limits before choosing it for frequent calls or bookings.
Which Arlo alternative makes calls?
Pally calls businesses for you from a request in your texts. Martin and Instinct also offer phone-based assistance, with different voice and availability tradeoffs.
Is there a free Arlo alternative?
Pally is free, with almost unlimited usage limits. Instinct describes its beta as free, but access is limited by a waitlist.