Instinct AI assistant review: price, privacy and alternatives
Short version: Instinct publishes no price, runs a waitlist, trains on your data unless you opt out, and its terms give the assistant wide room to act. If you want a texting assistant you can sign up for today, OpenAssistant publishes its prices, has open signup and says it never trains on your data.
Instinct is a personal assistant you text or call. There is no app to learn and, on its public site, almost nothing to read: a short homepage, a privacy policy and terms of service. This article sets out exactly what those three documents say, what the press has reported, and what they leave unstated.
What Instinct says it is
From Instinct’s own pages.
- What it does: “Instinct is a personal assistant that understands what you’re working on and what’s important to you.” You “can text or call it”, and “It can use a phone and computer in the same way that you do.” Examples on the homepage: ordering ingredients for a recipe, booking a train home, ordering groceries, sending flowers, finding a court for the weekend (Instinct).
- Who makes it: Spear Street Technology, Inc., doing business as Instinct (privacy policy).
- Who can use it: adults: “You must be 18 years of age or older to use the Services.” Access comes by waitlist, with “a welcome text when your spot becomes available” (terms).
- Price: none published. The terms say you “may be required to pay us fees to access or use certain features” and that “all payments are non-refundable” except where the law says otherwise (terms).
- Connections: linking Google Workspace gives Instinct access to Gmail, Google Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides and Tasks (privacy policy). Its homepage, privacy policy and terms do not mention Outlook or Microsoft 365.
What the terms say about acting for you
This part deserves reading before you sign up, because it is broader than most assistants put in writing. These are quotes from the terms and privacy policy, not a description of how the product behaves:
- The terms say “You hereby appoint the Services as your agent” and that you authorize actions it deems responsive, including purchases (terms).
- They say Instinct “may implement safeguards, confirmation requirements, or other controls on certain Actions”, which is a may, not a promise (terms).
- The privacy policy warns of risks “including unintended payments or communications to outside parties” (privacy policy).
The written terms give the assistant wide room to act, and confirmation steps are optional on Instinct’s side. Anyone connecting a payment card should read the terms first.
What it says about your data
- Training: your information is used to train AI models unless you opt out, at app.instinct.com/settings. Even after you opt out, data flagged for safety review “may still” be used for training (privacy policy).
- Google data: “We do not use information received from Google Workspace APIs” to train models (privacy policy).
- Disconnecting: “disconnecting a third-party integration does not automatically delete data”. Indexed data is deleted separately, at app.instinct.com/workspace (privacy policy).
- Certifications: none are listed on its homepage, privacy policy or terms.
What others have reported
These come from press coverage, not from Instinct’s own pages, so treat them as reported claims that Instinct’s pages do not confirm:
- TechCrunch reported on 28 September 2026 that Instinct raised $1 billion at a $10 billion valuation, and that it has a “concierge” that “can make phone calls for you” (TechCrunch).
- TechCrunch reported on 9 September 2026 that Instinct is “giving everyone Instinct email addresses” (TechCrunch).
What the public information covers, job by job
The suite’s jobs are listed in the evaluation framework. This table shows what Instinct’s own pages say about each one that fits a text-and-call assistant. “Not stated” means the three Instinct pages (homepage, privacy policy, terms) are silent. This is a table of published facts and does not rank.
| Job | What public sources say |
|---|---|
| Job 3: Tell everyone you are running late | Not stated |
| Job 7: Find the thread you forgot to answer | Gmail access is described in the privacy policy (privacy policy); thread follow-up is not stated |
| Job 10: Remember what the user promised | Homepage says it “understands what you’re working on and what’s important to you” (Instinct); promise tracking is not stated |
| Job 13: Phone someone to book a table | Homepage says you “can text or call it” and that it “can use a phone and computer in the same way that you do” (Instinct); outbound calls to businesses are described only by TechCrunch, as a “concierge” (TechCrunch) |
| Job 14: Answer an incoming call and take a message | Not stated |
| Job 15: Move a meeting by text | Texting and Google Calendar access are described; moving meetings is not stated |
| Job 16: Turn a screenshot into a calendar event | Not stated |
| Job 21: Work from its own email address | Reported by TechCrunch: Instinct is “giving everyone Instinct email addresses” (TechCrunch); not on Instinct’s own pages |
| Job 22: Audit what it can see, then revoke it | Linking Google Workspace gives access to Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides and Tasks; disconnecting does not automatically delete data, and indexed data is deleted at app.instinct.com/workspace (privacy policy) |
| Job 23: Respect “ask me first” | Terms say Instinct “may implement” confirmation requirements on certain actions; no approval setting is described (terms) |
Who it looks like it is for
Everything on Instinct’s own homepage is a personal errand: groceries, trains, flowers, a court. Its terms appoint it as your agent with broad authority to act, and its privacy policy trains on your data unless you opt out. On paper, it is for people who want life admin taken off their hands and are comfortable giving an assistant room to act.
What the public pages do not settle: a price, an approval setting, whether it covers Outlook, any security certification, and how its reported phone and email features work. Access is by waitlist, so most readers cannot try it today.
An alternative that publishes those answers. For work email, calendar, texting and calls, OpenAssistant lists its prices, works with Gmail and Outlook, stages consequential actions for your review, says it never trains on your data and publishes SOC 2 Type II. Where Instinct may do better: its homepage points to personal errands such as groceries, trains and flowers, which OpenAssistant’s pages do not lead with.
Related reading
- Best AI assistants you can text: 7 compared: seven products compared on iMessage, SMS and WhatsApp.
- Poke review after the Cognition deal: price, privacy and what changes: what Poke and Cognition have said about the deal, and what Poke documents today.
- Why we recommend OpenAssistant, with 11 alternatives compared: twelve assistants ranked on documented jobs, price, channels and privacy.
- How to Text an AI Assistant to Get Things Done: steps for OpenAssistant, Poke and Gemini in Google Messages.
- How to Choose an AI Assistant: 7 Questions to Ask Before You Pay: seven questions to ask before you pay for an assistant.
Frequently asked questions
Does Instinct have a published price?
No. Its terms say you may be required to pay fees for certain features, and access is by waitlist.
Does Instinct train on my data?
Yes, unless you opt out at app.instinct.com/settings. Its privacy policy says it does not use information received from Google Workspace APIs to train models.
Does Instinct work with Outlook?
Its homepage, privacy policy and terms do not mention Outlook or Microsoft 365. Linking Google Workspace gives it access to Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides and Tasks.
What is a good Instinct alternative?
OpenAssistant publishes its prices, has open signup, works with Gmail and Outlook and says it never trains on your data.
Looking for an alternative?
OpenAssistant gives you a texting and calling assistant with open signup, published prices and approvals before consequential actions. Try OpenAssistant free with 1,000 credits at signup, or see the pricing.