Instinct vs Your Own AI Assistant: two texting assistants compared
These two are close cousins. You text both of them, both have an email address of their own, and both go out and do errands. The differences are in price, payments and the fine print.
Side by side
| Instinct | Your Own AI Assistant | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A personal AI assistant you text or call, which then does errands and tasks for you. | 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. |
| Price | Not published: not published | Free trial (no card); then from $99 a month |
| Free to try | No price published; the terms say some features cost money | Free trial, no card: up to $250 of use or 14 days |
| Does the task itself | yes it books, orders, signs up and contacts businesses for you | Yes on its own computer and browser, end to end |
| Its own email address | yes each user can claim an address for the assistant (since Sept 2026) | Yes its own address people can write to |
| You can text it | yes you text or call it | Yes you text it like a person |
| Its own computer and browser | partly its home page says it can use a phone and computer the way you do; it does not say how | Yes its own cloud computer with a browser |
| Remembers you | Its home page says it learns what you are working on and what matters to you; its Vault keeps materials you add | Keeps notes about you and your jobs between conversations |
| Where it lives | text messages and phone calls; web workspace at app.instinct.com | Text (iMessage, SMS) and email; no app to install |
Getting real tasks done
Instinct gives examples like ordering groceries, booking a train, sending flowers and finding a sports court. It connects to accounts such as Gmail and acts through them. TechCrunch reports partnerships with 1Password, to log in to your existing accounts, and Stripe, to pay for bookings and purchases. Its home page says it can use a phone and computer the way you do, without saying how.
Our assistant runs on its own cloud computer with a web browser, and does the work there: forms, price comparisons, new accounts, support pages. It can phone a business for you, and it asks before spending your money.
Email and texting
You reach Instinct by text or phone call. Since September 2026 each user can claim an email address for it, which it uses to make accounts, contact businesses and follow up. You can forward it emails or add it to group threads.
Our assistant is the same in spirit: you text it (iMessage or SMS) or email it, it has its own address anyone can write to, and it works in group texts. It follows up at the times you set and keeps notes about you between jobs.
What it costs
Instinct publishes no price. Its terms (revised August 26, 2026) say some features are paid, prices can change at any time, and payments are non-refundable except where the law says otherwise.
Our assistant has a free trial with no card: up to $250 of use or 14 days. Then plans run from $99 to $999 a month in $100 steps.
Privacy and control
Instinct's terms let it act as your agent, accept terms and make purchases for you, and say you carry the results. By default its terms allow your materials to be used to train AI models; you can opt out in settings, going forward only. Disconnecting an account doesn't delete what it already indexed; you delete that yourself. You must be 18 or older.
Our assistant asks before it spends your money. Like any AI it can make mistakes, so check anything important it sends in your name.
Pick Instinct if
- You want it to pay for bookings and purchases itself
- You want it to sign in through 1Password
- You'd like to phone your assistant, not only text it
- You don't mind an unpublished price
Pick Your Own AI Assistant if
- You want a clear price before you start
- You want a free trial with no card
- You want it to work on its own computer and browser
- You want it to phone businesses for you
Questions people ask
- How much does Instinct cost?
- Instinct doesn't publish a price. Its terms say some features are paid and payments are non-refundable except where the law requires. Our assistant is free to try (no card, up to $250 of use or 14 days), then from $99 a month.
- Do both have their own email address?
- Yes. Instinct users can claim an address for it since September 2026. Our assistant gets its own address when you sign up.
- Does Instinct use my data to train AI?
- Its terms allow it by default. You can opt out in settings, but only going forward; things stored in its Vault are not used for training.
Updated 2026-11-08. Product facts from each maker's own pages: see Instinct and Your Own AI Assistant for sources.
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.
Start free Free to try, no card. Ready in about a minute.