Independent category guide
The best AI assistants you can text in 2026
A textable assistant should feel at home in a conversation, reach you without another app to check, and still be useful when the task leaves the chat. Channel labels matter: Apple Messages, RCS, SMS, WhatsApp, and Telegram are not interchangeable for every user.
This order favors the native phone-messaging experience first, then the depth of work behind it. Pally leads for native iPhone and Android texts, Poke has the broadest chat-app choice, Martin adds strong voice and classic assistant work over SMS, and Town is best viewed as a work assistant reached through chat apps and, newly, a text from your phone.
Pally
Best native texting experience across iPhone and Android
Pally lives in native texts on iPhone and Android, including typing indicators and read receipts, with no app required. Behind that thread it connects messages, email, calendar, files, tasks, and the web, and can complete approved actions instead of stopping at an answer.
Pros
- Native texts on iPhone and RCS on Android
- Typing indicators and read receipts
- Permanent free plan with proactive briefs and alerts
Tradeoffs
- No option to talk to Pally through Telegram
- Calls made on your behalf require Max
Pricing: Free $0, Pro $25/mo (or $250/yr - 2 months free), Max $100/mo (or $1,000/yr - 2 months free). See plan details
Poke
Best for a choice of messaging apps
Poke is built around messaging through Apple Messages, WhatsApp, and Telegram. It is the best fit when cross-app chat access and named Recipes matter more than RCS-style native Android texting or management of your own WhatsApp inbox.
Pros
- Available in Apple Messages, WhatsApp, and Telegram
- No app required
- Scheduled Recipes and background automations
Tradeoffs
- Apple Messages lacks typing indicators and read receipts
- Does not manage your own WhatsApp inbox
Pricing: Poke has a free plan, Pro at $19 a month, and Ultra at $199 a month. Check latest pricing
Martin
Best for SMS plus voice and an iOS app
Martin can be reached over SMS without installing its iOS app, while the app houses voice mode, notifications, and settings. Its broad calendar, inbox, reminder, and voice capabilities make it a strong assistant behind the texts, particularly for iPhone users who also want an app.
Pros
- SMS works without installing the app
- Strong voice, calendar, inbox, and reminder features
- Also reachable through phone, email, Slack, and WhatsApp
Tradeoffs
- Native text experience is SMS rather than iMessage or RCS
- No permanent free tier after seven days
Pricing: Martin costs $35 a month for Basic, or $21 a month billed yearly. Pro is $49 a month, or $30 a month billed yearly. Every plan starts with a seven-day free trial, and there's no free tier after that. Check latest pricing
Town
Best chat-based assistant for configurable team work
Town lets you message a Townie through WhatsApp or Telegram, as well as email, Slack, web chat, optional apps, and now a text from your phone. Its routines, wiki, and team controls are powerful for work, though Town doesn't say whether texting means SMS or iMessage, and your own message threads aren't an inbox it manages.
Pros
- Available through WhatsApp, Telegram, and now texting
- Specific routines and editable memory
- Permanent free plan and team controls
Tradeoffs
- Your own message threads aren't an inbox it manages
- Paid usage uses a credit system
Pricing: Town has a permanent free plan and a $15-a-month Starter plan. Pro is $49, Power $99, and Power Plus $199 per user per month, billed annually, with usage metered in credits. New signups get a 14-day Pro trial. Check latest pricing
Bottom line
How to choose.
Pally is the clearest first choice when “text” means the native thread already built into both iPhone and Android, and when the assistant should monitor connected accounts and finish approved work. Poke is more flexible about which chat app you use, while Martin offers the strongest voice companion to SMS.
Do not pick Pally if Telegram access or a visible Recipes system is essential; choose Poke. For a team's configurable work routines and shared controls, Town solves a different problem more directly, and you can now text your Townie from your phone as well.
Questions
The best AI assistants you can text in 2026 FAQ.
Which AI assistants work with iMessage?+
Pally uses native texts on iPhone, Poke uses Apple Messages, and Lindy's comparison record also shows iMessage on iPhone. Martin uses SMS. Town now supports texting your Townie but does not say whether that is SMS or iMessage.
Which AI assistant works with RCS on Android?+
Pally uses native texts on Android, described by Pally as RCS. Martin and Lindy use standard SMS on Android; Town supports texting your Townie without specifying the channel, alongside chat apps such as WhatsApp and Telegram.
Are textable AI assistants free?+
Pally, Poke, and Town have permanent free plans. Martin has a seven-day free trial and then requires a paid plan.
What is the difference between Pally and Poke for texting?+
Pally focuses on native iPhone and Android texts with typing indicators and read receipts. Poke offers Apple Messages, WhatsApp, and Telegram, but its Apple channel lacks typing indicators and read receipts; Poke also emphasizes visible Recipes.