An AI that takes actions, not just answers: it clicks through websites, sends messages, makes files or books things. How far it goes, and whether it keeps going when you're away, varies a lot.

Which AI agent is free?

Manus and Genspark have free plans with credit limits, Muse is free with limits in the US, and Comet's browser is free (its agent needs a paid plan). Our assistant has a free trial with no card.

Do AI agents work on any website?

No. Many sites block automated visitors or ask for a code sent to your phone, so every agent sometimes needs you to step in.

The best AI agents in 2026, for people who aren't engineers

An AI agent is an AI that does something rather than just saying something: it clicks through the website, sends the email, makes the spreadsheet, books the time. In 2026 nearly every big AI company has one, and they're good at very different jobs.

Some make finished files from one request. Some work in your own browser while you watch. A few take a job and keep at it for days, out in the world. We've ranked the ones worth your time and said what each is for.

Short answer. For ordinary people who want jobs done out in the world, our pick is Your Own AI Assistant: text it a job and it works on its own computer, from its own email address, for as long as the job takes. For finished decks, reports and sites, Manus is the best. If you already pay for ChatGPT or Claude, try their agents first.

The list

Your Own AI Assistant · Best for jobs out in the world

Most agents work while you watch a screen. This one you text, like a person, and then put your phone away. It has its own cloud computer with a browser, its own email address that anyone can write to, and it can phone a business. So "get my deposit back from the old landlord" becomes: it writes to him, keeps the thread, chases on the day you set, and texts you when the money's agreed.

It keeps notes about you between jobs and keeps working for days: follow-ups, waiting for replies, reminders.

Good for: People who want errands, refunds, bookings and follow-ups done.
Watch out for: Plans start at $99 a month after the free trial; some sites block automated browsers or ask for a code from your phone.
Price: Free trial (no card); then from $99 a month

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Manus · Best for finished work from one request

Describe the deck, report, website or spreadsheet you want and Manus plans and makes it on cloud computers. Manus 2.0 added an always-on Cloud Computer and automations that start from a new email or calendar event. Free plan; Pro from $20 a month.

Good for: Anyone who needs documents, research or a site, fast.
Watch out for: Credits depend on task complexity, so costs are hard to know ahead.
Price: Free: $0; Pro: from $20/month; Pro (higher tier): from $40/month

ChatGPT · Best agent inside an app you already use

ChatGPT's agent mode, from the $20 Plus plan, clicks through websites in a virtual browser and hands back to you to sign in. Tasks can be scheduled or start when a Gmail message arrives. Always-on Dots, with their own cloud computers, are on Pro and up.

Good for: ChatGPT users who want the odd web task done.
Watch out for: Plus gets 40 agent messages a month, and OpenAI warns websites can trick the agent with hidden instructions.
Price: Free: $0; Go: $8/month; Plus: $20/month

Claude · Best for background work and coding

On paid plans, Claude can act in your own Chrome browser, and you can hand it a job or schedule a task that keeps running in the cloud with your laptop closed (still rolling out). Claude Code, for programming, comes with every paid plan. Pro is $20 a month.

Good for: People who write, read long documents or code.
Watch out for: Usage runs on 5-hour and weekly limits that handed-off tasks use faster, and computer use is still a research preview.
Price: Free: $0; Pro: $17/month billed yearly ($200 up front) or $20 month to month; Max: $100/month

Genspark · Best all-in-one workspace, with phone calls

Genspark's Super Agent makes slides, sheets and documents on its own cloud computer, in runs of up to 2 hours. Call For Me phones businesses and gives you a transcript, and Claw is a 24/7 assistant on WhatsApp, Telegram and Slack with its own email address.

Good for: Power users who want many AI tools in one place.
Watch out for: Calls cost 500 credits each even when they hit voicemail, and Claw's always-on computer is a separate subscription.
Price: Free: $0; Plus: $24.99/month ($19.99/month billed $239.99 a year); Pro: $249.99/month ($199.99/month billed $2,399.99 a year)

Muse · Newest errand agent (US only)

Muse works on its own lasting cloud computer with a full browser, keeps your logins in a store it can't read, uses one-time card numbers when shopping, and asks before sending email or buying. It's on iPhone, Android, the web and in WhatsApp chats in the US.

Good for: US users who want safeguards around logins and cards.
Watch out for: Amazon blocked it from shopping on Amazon.com, and shared conversation links exposed users' details before Meta suspended sharing.
Price: Free: $0; Power: $20/month (reported); Maximum: $100/month (reported)

Lindy · Best for teams

Lindy is an AI employee for a team: in Slack, over text and phone, connected to more than 1,500 apps, and able to drive a browser where an app has no connection. Team is $49.99 per active user a month.

Good for: Small teams that work in Slack.
Watch out for: Credit costs per job vary from 2 to 2,500, so the bill is hard to predict.
Price: Free: $0; Team: $49.99 per active user per month; Enterprise: Custom

Comet · Best AI browser

Comet is a free browser for Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android with an assistant beside every page. On paid Perplexity plans its agent opens pages, clicks and fills in steps for you.

Good for: People who want AI help inside the browser they use every day.
Watch out for: The agent needs a paid plan, and Brave's security team showed it could be tricked by hidden instructions on web pages.
Price: Free: $0; Pro: $17/month billed yearly; Max: $167/month billed yearly; $200/month or $2,000/year on Perplexity's Max help page

The top picks side by side

	Your Own AI Assistant	Manus	ChatGPT	Claude
What it is	A personal AI assistant with its own email address and its own computer: you text or email it a job, it does the work and writes back.	An AI agent that takes a whole job, such as research, slides or a website, and does it on its own computer in the cloud.	OpenAI's chat assistant, which can now also browse the web and work on longer jobs for you on paid plans.	Anthropic's assistant for writing, thinking and work, which on paid plans can also use a browser and a computer to finish jobs.
Price	Free trial (no card); then from $99 a month	Free: $0; Pro: from $20/month; Pro (higher tier): from $40/month	Free: $0; Go: $8/month; Plus: $20/month	Free: $0; Pro: $17/month billed yearly ($200 up front) or $20 month to month; Max: $100/month
Free to try	Free trial, no card: up to $250 of use or 14 days	Free plan with daily credits; 7-day trial on the $40 Pro tier	Free plan with limits	Free plan with limits
Does the task itself	Yes on its own computer and browser, end to end	yes it plans and carries out whole jobs on its own cloud computer	yes agent mode and Work tasks click through websites on paid plans; Free mostly answers and drafts	yes on paid plans it acts in Chrome and its own browser and runs handed-off tasks; Free mostly answers and drafts
Its own email address	Yes its own address people can write to	yes a personal @manus.bot address that turns emails into tasks	no it can read and act on your connected Gmail, but has no address of its own	no it can work in your connected email, but has no address of its own
You can text it	Yes you text it like a person	no no SMS, iMessage or WhatsApp on the pages we checked (its separate Cue app gives agents a phone number, in early access)	no the WhatsApp number stopped working in January 2026	no no official SMS, iMessage or WhatsApp number
Its own computer and browser	Yes its own cloud computer with a browser	yes tasks run on cloud virtual machines, and Cloud Computer keeps projects running	partly agent mode uses a virtual browser; Dots get their own cloud computers on Pro and up	partly handed-off tasks keep running in the cloud; Claude in Chrome uses your own browser
Remembers you	Keeps notes about you and your jobs between conversations	Not described on the pages we checked; work lives in projects and tasks	Remembers facts and past chats across conversations; limited on Free, more on paid plans	Remembers things across chats, including on the Free plan
Where it lives	Text (iMessage, SMS) and email; no app to install	web, desktop app, iOS and Android apps, Slack, email (Mail Manus)	web, iOS, Android, Mac and Windows desktop apps	web, iOS, Android, Mac and Windows desktop apps, Chrome extension

How we chose

We asked each agent the same things. Does it finish the job, or stop halfway and hand it back? Does it keep working when you close the laptop? Can people reach it while it waits for an answer? How does it handle sign-ins and payments? And how predictable is the bill?

Every fact comes from the maker's own pages, or from the named publication where we say so (TechCrunch, GeekWire, Ars Technica, Brave), checked on the date at the top.

Questions people ask

What is an AI agent?: An AI that takes actions, not just answers: it clicks through websites, sends messages, makes files or books things. How far it goes, and whether it keeps going when you're away, varies a lot.
Which AI agent is free?: Manus and Genspark have free plans with credit limits, Muse is free with limits in the US, and Comet's browser is free (its agent needs a paid plan). Our assistant has a free trial with no card.
Do AI agents work on any website?: No. Many sites block automated visitors or ask for a code sent to your phone, so every agent sometimes needs you to step in.

Updated 2026-11-08. Every product fact is from the maker's own pages, linked on each tool's page.

Want an assistant that does the job, not just the draft?

Our pick gets its own email address and its own computer. You text it the job; it does the work and texts you back.

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