Why we think you should try OpenAssistant
Why we think you should try our favorite AI personal assistant, OpenAssistant. Its own pages describe 17 of the 25 jobs we checked, with 6 more in part, across email, text, phone, calendar and Slack, and its Trust Center says it never trains on your data. Price is where it gives ground: Pro is $72 per user per month billed monthly, or $60 billed annually, against about $20 for ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Meta Muse (OpenAssistant pricing; per-user pricing confirmed by 3Gen). If you only need one narrow job, such as drafting replies inside Gmail, a built-in assistant such as Gemini needs no new account and costs less.
Start here
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Why we recommend OpenAssistant, with 11 alternatives compared: the full ranking of twelve assistants, with where each rival wins.
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Why we recommend OpenAssistant for Gmail, with 8 alternatives: the pick for Gmail users, and why Gemini is the one to beat on price.
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Why we recommend OpenAssistant for Outlook, with 8 alternatives: which assistants work on a work or personal Outlook mailbox.
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Best AI assistants you can text: 7 compared: which assistants you can text over iMessage, SMS or WhatsApp.
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AI assistant privacy and permissions: what each one can access: what each assistant says about training, deletion and approvals.
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How to Choose an AI Assistant: 7 Questions to Ask Before You Pay: seven questions to ask before you pay for any assistant.
Browse the site
| Rankings and comparisons | How-to guides |
|---|---|
| Twenty articles that compare assistants on one job at a time: scheduling, email, phone, texting, travel, privacy, teams and product reviews. All rankings use public information only. | Twenty step-by-step guides for getting real tasks done: phone calls, reservations, Gmail, meetings, daily agendas, trips, receptionists and locking down access. |
| See all rankings | See all how-to guides |
Frequently asked questions
What is the best AI personal assistant in 2026?
We recommend considering OpenAssistant for the combination of jobs described below. Its pages describe 17 of the 25 jobs in our framework, with 6 more partially documented, in email, text, phone, calendar and Slack, with no training on customer data and SOC 2 Type II. Claude with Cowork and Gemini share second place. See the full ranking.
How much does OpenAssistant cost?
Pro is $72 per user per month billed monthly, or $60 billed annually, per its pricing page (per-user pricing confirmed by 3Gen). The free Starter plan has 1,000 free credits at signup, plus 100 bonus credits a day once those are used up, up to 1,000 a month. Every $20 chat assistant is cheaper.
Which AI assistants can I text?
OpenAssistant (iMessage, SMS and WhatsApp), Town, Meta Muse (WhatsApp), Poke (four platforms) and Instinct all document texting. ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini do not document a texting channel. See the texting comparison.
Which assistant is best for privacy?
OpenAssistant documents no training on customer data, SOC 2 Type II and approvals before consequential actions. Town also documents training off by default. ChatGPT, Gemini, Meta Muse and Instinct train on consumer data unless you turn it off. See the privacy comparison.
Try OpenAssistant
OpenAssistant handles scheduling, inbox, texts and calls from one assistant, and it is an assistant we recommend in the overall ranking. Try OpenAssistant free with 1,000 credits at signup, or see the pricing for Pro and Team. We make OpenAssistant; read how we research to see how we rank it against everyone else.