Poke: what it does, what it costs, where it struggles
A personal AI assistant that lives in your text messages and connects to your email, calendar and apps.
- Made by
- The Interaction Company of California (part of Cognition since July 2026)
- Kind
- personal assistant
- Free to try
- Free plan (most features)
- Where
- Apple Messages, WhatsApp, Telegram; settings on poke.com
What it does
Poke is an assistant you talk to in your messaging app: Apple Messages, WhatsApp or Telegram. Cognition says it is the only AI agent approved to text natively on Apple Messages.
It connects to Gmail or Outlook, Google Calendar, Notion, Todoist and other apps. It sets reminders, starts tasks from a text or voice message, and reaches out on its own when something needs you.
'Recipes' are shareable setups for integrations and automations. Paid plans add background automations and Poke Human, where people help with real-world tasks; Poke says those operators see only the task details, not your chats or memories.
Cognition (maker of the Devin coding agent) acquired Poke's maker in July 2026 and says Poke keeps running as before.
Main features
- Text it in Messages, WhatsApp or Telegram
- Connects to Gmail, Outlook, Google Calendar, Notion and more
- Reminders and tasks from text or voice
- Reaches out to you first when something matters
- Recipes for automations
- Poke Human for real-world tasks (paid plans)
What it costs
| Plan | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Connect your apps, email and calendar; no credit card. Poke says most features are free. |
| Pro | $19/month | Frontier models for complex tasks, background automations, higher rate limits, Poke Human. Yearly billing offered; yearly price not shown. |
| Ultra | $199/month | Frontier models for every action, highest rate limits, pay-as-you-go usage beyond your credits, top-priority support. |
Who it's for
- People who want an assistant in the texting app they already use
- Busy people who want reminders and nudges without opening an app
- Gmail or Outlook users
Where it struggles
- iCloud and Yahoo Mail are not supported and not planned for now.
- Plan limits are described only as 'higher' or 'highest' rate limits, with no numbers.
- Account deletion can take up to 24 hours, and removal from backups may not be immediate.
- With Poke Human, people outside the AI see the details of tasks you hand them (such as a restaurant name and party size).
- Its maker was bought by Cognition in July 2026; Cognition says Poke keeps running but has not published long-term plans for it.
At a glance
| Poke | |
|---|---|
| What it is | A personal AI assistant that lives in your text messages and connects to your email, calendar and apps. |
| Price | Free: $0; Pro: $19/month; Ultra: $199/month |
| Free to try | Free plan (most features) |
| Does the task itself | partly acts in your connected apps and runs automations; real-world tasks go through Poke Human on paid plans |
| Its own email address | no it works with your own Gmail or Outlook (no Poke address found on the pages we checked) |
| You can text it | yes Apple Messages, WhatsApp and Telegram |
| Its own computer and browser | no not described on the pages we checked |
| Remembers you | Keeps memories about you and uses them with your apps to help at the right time |
| Where it lives | Apple Messages, WhatsApp, Telegram; settings on poke.com |
How it compares
If you want an assistant that does the work itself rather than helping you do it, see how Poke stacks up: Poke vs Your Own AI Assistant.
Listed in: The best AI personal assistants in 2026, The best AI assistants you can text in 2026.
Questions people ask
- Is Poke free?
- Yes, most features are free. Pro is $19 a month and Ultra is $199 a month.
- Does Poke work with Outlook?
- Yes, Gmail and Outlook are fully supported. iCloud and Yahoo Mail are not.
- Is Poke shutting down after the Cognition deal?
- No. Cognition said in July 2026 that people can keep using Poke as before.
Checked 2026-11-08 on The Interaction Company of California (part of Cognition since July 2026)'s own pages: Poke home page, Poke pricing, Poke FAQ, Cognition: Welcoming The Interaction Company (July 23, 2026). Prices change; check the maker's pricing page before you buy.
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