Independent category guide
The best AI assistants for group chats in 2026
Pally is the best AI for an iMessage or Telegram group that wants help with plans and follow-through. It answers when named and handles each member's personal asks on that member's own accounts.
This ranking weighs which chat apps each assistant supports, what it can do in the group, and how it treats private information. Folk is the most fun in a friends' chat, and Cole covers work groups across many apps.
Pally
Best for iMessage and Telegram groups
Pally joins iMessage and Telegram groups and speaks only when someone says its name or replies to it. It keeps the group's decisions and plans, posts scheduled roundups or standups, and runs each personal ask on the asker's own connected accounts, with sensitive details sent to that person privately.
Pros
- Group memory of plans, decisions, and open loops
- Shares free and busy, not meeting titles, by default
- Scheduled posts such as standups and weekly plans
- Asks you privately before it joins a group
Tradeoffs
- In WhatsApp groups it works through your connected inbox, as you
Pricing: Pally is free, with almost unlimited usage limits. No waitlist or invitation. Cloud Mac is a paid add-on. See what's included
Folk
Best for fun in a friends' group chat
Folk joins iMessage and Telegram groups with a big personality: it roasts, talks like the group chat, and runs live Kalshi odds and play-money markets with your friends. It also handles real errands, and its base plan is free.
Pros
- Joins iMessage and Telegram groups
- Live odds and play-money markets with friends
- Free base plan; Pro is $9.99 a month
Tradeoffs
- Free background routines are limited to three at once
- Its WhatsApp channel is still rolling out by region
Pricing: Folk is free with every feature and unlimited chat, with up to three background routines or watchers and ten minutes a week of calls with Folk itself. Calls to businesses don't use those minutes. Pro is $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year, with a smarter engine, unlimited background routines and 120 call minutes a month. The first Pro subscription usually starts with a seven-day trial. Check latest pricing
Cole by Pocodot
Best for work groups across many chat apps
Cole is a team assistant that lives in Slack, Microsoft Teams, WhatsApp, Telegram, iMessage, LINE, email, and phone calls, with one memory across every channel. It is the broadest option for a working group that spans several chat apps, WhatsApp groups included.
Pros
- Eight channels, including WhatsApp and LINE
- One memory across every channel
- 150 free credits to try it
Tradeoffs
- Built for teams rather than friends and family
- Paid plans start at $19 a workspace a month
Sidekicks
Best lightweight helper for iMessage groups
Sidekicks is a textable AI you can add to an iMessage group, where it chimes in with shared reminders and to-do lists, quick polls, and tie-breakers. It is a light pick for friends and family who want a helper in the chat without connecting accounts.
Pros
- Shared group reminders and to-do lists
- Polls, random pickers, and tie-breakers
- Free plan to start
Tradeoffs
- No email or calendar connection
- The Free plan limits messages; Pro is $19.99 a month
Pricing: Sidekicks has a free plan with limited messages, image analysis, voice messages, memory, and reminders. Pro is $19.99 a month for unlimited messages, web search, image generation, and proactive check-ins. Check latest pricing
Perplexity
Best free fact-checker for Telegram groups
Perplexity's verified Telegram bot, @askplexbot, answers when you tag it in a group, which makes it useful for fact-checks and quick research during a conversation. It does not keep the group's plans or run tasks.
Pros
- Verified bot, free to use
- Web-backed answers inside the group
- Also works one-to-one
Tradeoffs
- No group memory, reminders, or scheduled posts
- Does not connect to anyone's accounts
Instinct
Best for coordinated errands by text
Instinct is a text-and-call assistant for errands, bookings, and purchases.
Pros
- Errands by text and phone
Tradeoffs
- Closed beta limits access
Pricing: Instinct is free. Access to its closed beta starts with a waitlist, and its terms say some features may require fees. Check latest pricing
Arlo
Best for polls and planning in a group
Arlo can join a group chat to run polls and coordinate a time.
Pros
- Group polls and scheduling
Tradeoffs
- Tasks count against monthly usage
Pricing: Arlo is free with $20 of usage each month, including calls and bookings. Plus is $20 a month for $100 of usage; Max is $100 a month for $500. Calls cost 25 cents per minute of talking and about 1.5 cents per minute on hold. Check latest pricing
Notis
Best for a work bot in Telegram groups
Notis runs connected work from chat, and its Telegram bot works in groups.
Pros
- Work tasks from Telegram
Tradeoffs
- Less focused on personal group plans
Pricing: Notis CLI is free. Messaging starts with Pro at $20 a month ($13 a month billed yearly) with $20 of monthly usage. Pro+ is $59 a month ($39 yearly) and Ultra is $149 ($99 yearly); a seven-day paid-plan trial grants $20 of usage. Check latest pricing
Bottom line
How to choose
Pick Pally for an iMessage or Telegram group that wants a member who remembers the plan, posts the roundup, and handles each person's asks privately on their own accounts.
Pick Folk when the group mostly wants entertainment. For a WhatsApp group, Pally works through your connected WhatsApp: it catches you up on the group and sends to it as you. Cole covers work groups across WhatsApp, Slack, and more, Sidekicks is a playful iMessage helper, and Perplexity is a free fact-checker for Telegram groups.
Questions
Common questions
How does Pally work with WhatsApp groups?
Through your connected WhatsApp. Pally catches you up on your WhatsApp groups and sends to them as you when you ask. It joins iMessage and Telegram groups as a member.
Which other assistants join group chats?
Folk joins iMessage and Telegram groups, Town joins group texts, and Poke and Lindy work in group chats too. ChatGPT dots work in Slack channels and Microsoft Teams.
Will everyone in the group see my private information?
Not with Pally. Answers in the group show only what the requester would want the group to see, such as free and busy instead of meeting titles, and sensitive results go to the requester's private chat. Payment wallets, site sign-ins, and the live browser view never appear in a group.
Facts checked October 12, 2026. Pally pricing comes from its pricing section. Competitor facts and pricing come from the public sources below.