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Pally vs Poke
The two assistants that live in your texts, and how to choose between them.
Checked October 11, 2026 · Poke was acquired by Cognition in July 2026. The assistant and its pricing remain live. See their site for the latest.
So, Poke or Pally?
The case for Poke
Pick Poke if you want automations you build, name, and schedule yourself. Recipes are the heart of the product, and they're polished. On Ultra, Poke Human hands calls, reservations, and orders to a real person.
The case for Pally
Pick Pally if you want the errands done without a paid tier. It calls businesses, books travel, and checks out with your payment wallet. It reads your WhatsApp, iMessage, LinkedIn, and X inboxes, and answers a number you hand out. You can also email it, call it, or reach it from ChatGPT or Claude.
| Feature | PokeFree | PallyFree |
|---|---|---|
| Inbox management | ||
| Email and calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Slack | Yes | Yes |
No | Yes | |
| iMessagePally: Only via the Mac app | No | PartialOnly via the Mac app |
| LinkedIn DMsPally: Only via the Mac app | No | PartialOnly via the Mac app |
| X DMsPally: Only via the Mac app | No | PartialOnly via the Mac app |
| Capabilities | ||
| Browser use, sign-ins and deep researchPally: Signs in with your saved logins | Yes | YesSigns in with your saved logins |
| Long-term memory | Yes | Yes |
| Long-running tasks | Yes | Yes |
| Reminders and routinesPoke: Reminders and scheduled recurring automationsPally: One-off, recurring and location-based | YesReminders and scheduled recurring automations | YesOne-off, recurring and location-based |
| Inbound email address | Yes | Yes |
| Personal CRM of your contactsPoke: Syncs and searches Google and Outlook contacts | PartialSyncs and searches Google and Outlook contacts | Yes |
| Outbound callsPoke: Poke Human makes calls; Ultra plan onlyPally: Waits on hold, gets through phone menus | PartialPoke Human makes calls; Ultra plan only | YesWaits on hold, gets through phone menus |
| Takes calls for youPally: A number you give out. Pally picks up, handles the call and tells you what happened. | No | YesA number you give out. Pally picks up, handles the call and tells you what happened. |
| Bookings and travelPoke: Reservations via Poke Human, Ultra plan only; TripIt import; rides via Poke Human on UltraPally: Restaurants, appointments, travel; fare-drop watch, check-in | PartialReservations via Poke Human, Ultra plan only; TripIt import; rides via Poke Human on Ultra | YesRestaurants, appointments, travel; fare-drop watch, check-in |
| Shopping and checkoutPoke: Poke Human places orders; Ultra plan onlyPally: With your payment wallet | PartialPoke Human places orders; Ultra plan only | YesWith your payment wallet |
| Add to your group chats | Yes | Yes |
| Creates apps and websitesPoke: Builds and publishes sites at yourname.poke.site | YesBuilds and publishes sites at yourname.poke.site | Yes |
| Generates images, video and musicPoke: Charts and PDFs | PartialCharts and PDFs | Yes |
| Escalate to a humanPoke: Poke Human; Ultra plan only | YesPoke Human; Ultra plan only | No |
| Integrations | ||
| Gmail and Google servicesPoke: Gmail, Google Calendar and contacts | YesGmail, Google Calendar and contacts | Yes |
| Outlook and Microsoft 365Poke: Outlook mail, calendar and contacts | YesOutlook mail, calendar and contacts | Yes |
| Apple Mail, Calendar and Contacts | No | Yes |
| Apple Photos | No | Yes |
| Notion, Linear, GitHub, JiraPoke: Notion, Linear, GitHub | YesNotion, Linear, GitHub | Yes |
| Granola and other meeting notes | Yes | Yes |
| LinkedIn and X | No | Yes |
| Bank accountPoke: Ramp spend data only | PartialRamp spend data only | Yes |
| Partiful | No | Yes |
| School portalsPally: Google Classroom, Canvas, Moodle, Brightspace, Blackboard | No | YesGoogle Classroom, Canvas, Moodle, Brightspace, Blackboard |
| Any MCP or APIPoke: Any MCP server, plus an inbound API | YesAny MCP server, plus an inbound API | Yes |
| Ways to message it | ||
| iMessagePoke: Apple Messages for Business | YesApple Messages for Business | Yes |
Yes | No | |
| RCS | Yes | Yes |
| Telegram | Yes | Yes |
| ChatGPT, Claude and other AI tools | No | Yes |
| Phone call | No | Yes |
No | Yes | |
| Privacy and security | ||
| Encrypted in transit and at rest | No | Yes |
| Doesn't train on your conversations and tool outputsPoke: Opt out. Off only if you choose Maximum PrivacyPally: Trains by default; turn it off in settings | PartialOpt out. Off only if you choose Maximum Privacy | PartialTrains by default; turn it off in settings |
| Doesn't train on your connected dataPoke: Opt out. Google data under Limited Use; others via Maximum PrivacyPally: Your email, calendar and other connected accounts | PartialOpt out. Google data under Limited Use; others via Maximum Privacy | YesYour email, calendar and other connected accounts |
| Never sells your dataPoke: Shares data with ad partners for targeted ads | NoShares data with ad partners for targeted ads | Yes |
| No paid placement in recommendations | No | Yes |
| View, edit and delete your dataPoke: Delete account in settings; other requests by email | PartialDelete account in settings; other requests by email | Yes |
| Price | ||
| PlansPoke: Free · $19/mo Pro · $199/mo Ultra (Ultra adds Poke Human and pay-as-you-go usage)Pally: Free | Free · $19/mo Pro · $199/mo UltraUltra adds Poke Human and pay-as-you-go usage | Free |
Features neither one offers are left out. See every assistant on one grid.
Where Poke shines.
Texting-native, WhatsApp included
Messaging is Poke's whole interface. You can reach it in Apple Messages, RCS, Telegram, and WhatsApp.
Automations you can see and name
Poke Recipes give repeated requests a visible identity. If you like building a little system, scheduling it, and watching it run, Poke makes that satisfying, and recipe authors earn from the people who install theirs.
A real person on call
On Ultra, Poke Human sends a real person to make calls, book reservations, place orders, and book rides. Pally has no human backup, so for the errand a person has to finish, Poke has one ready.
Big backing
Cognition, the company behind the Devin coding agent, acquired Poke in July 2026. The product is live, with the resources of a much larger AI company behind it.
What each one costs.
Poke
Free · $19/mo Pro · $199/mo Ultra
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.
Pally
Free
Pally is free, with almost unlimited usage limits. No waitlist or invitation. Cloud Mac is a paid add-on. Every connection, every automation, calls, and its own number and email.
Switching from Poke.
Pally's setup is texting a number, and connecting accounts is tapping a link it sends you. No account to create first.
Connect your email and calendar first
Gmail, Outlook, or iCloud Mail, and your calendars. Pally flags what needs you, summarizes the rest, and checks availability, books and moves events.
Then add the rest
Slack, Notion, Linear, GitHub, Drive, your own WhatsApp, your bank, and your own MCP servers. Save logins to its password vault and Pally runs web errands in a browser with them. Add it to group chats, with per-capability grants controlling what it shares from your accounts.
What carries over
Your accounts: Pally works from the email, calendars, and apps you already use. It remembers the people in your life and what matters to them, and you can browse and edit that memory in its web dashboard.
Pally vs Poke FAQ.
Is Poke cheaper than Pally?
Pally is free, with almost unlimited usage limits, and that covers daily briefs, alerts, calls, bookings, and custom automations. Poke has a free plan, Pro at $19 a month, and Ultra at $199 a month. Paid Poke tiers add frontier models and higher automation limits, and calls, reservations, and orders through Poke Human need Ultra.
Do Poke and Pally both work without an app?
Yes. Neither asks you to install anything. Poke talks to you in Apple Messages, RCS, Telegram, and WhatsApp. Pally talks to you in iMessage, RCS, and Telegram, and also takes email, phone calls, and messages from ChatGPT, Claude, and other AI tools, and it reads your own WhatsApp as an inbox it watches for you.
What can Poke connect to?
Poke connects to Gmail, Outlook, your calendars and contacts, Slack, Notion, Linear, GitHub, Granola, and any MCP server, and it runs scheduled recipes and background automations. Both browse the web, remember what matters, and join group chats. Pally also connects Apple Mail, Calendar, Contacts, and Photos, LinkedIn and X, your bank, Partiful, and school portals.
How do Poke and Pally handle my data?
Poke trains AI models on your data unless you choose Maximum Privacy, and Google data falls under Google's Limited Use rules. Its privacy notice allows sharing data with ad partners for targeted ads. Pally never trains on your connected accounts and never sells your data. It trains on your conversations by default, and you can turn that off in settings.
What happened to Poke?
Cognition, the company behind the Devin coding agent, acquired Poke in July 2026. The product is still live and sold on its own site.
Which is better, Pally or Poke?
Poke fits people who want to build and schedule recipes; its free plan includes app connections, while $199-a-month Ultra adds Poke Human for calls and orders. Pally is free and fits connected inboxes, calls, bookings, and checkout without a paid tier.
So how does Pally make money?
Pally plans to earn a fee from merchants when you buy through it. Merchants can never pay to change what Pally recommends to you. Cloud Mac, an optional add-on, is paid.