Instinct AI vs Poke: Personal Agent Comparison

Poke is available now with published pricing and bounded application access, while Instinct provides broader computer control and calling capabilities behind an invite-only waitlist.

At Layer3Labs, we build and run artificial intelligence (AI) systems inside other businesses, and across the workflows we have automated for small-business teams, the first decision is which accounts an assistant may sign into.

On price, Instinct AI vs Poke is easy to compare, because Poke lists Free, $19 and $199 monthly plans and Instinct has published none.

Instinct vs. Poke: Side-by-Side

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The Difference in One Table

Pick Poke if you want a text assistant for email and calendar work that you can start today. Pick Instinct only if you hold an invite and need an agent that works a browser and can place calls through Concierge.

Your pick depends on how much access you will give an assistant. Poke connects to Gmail, Outlook, calendars and contacts, plus Notion, GitHub, Linear and custom Model Context Protocol (MCP) integrations, per the Poke FAQ, without an app to install. Instinct asks for much broader device access: its privacy policy covers keystrokes, cursor positions, audio, and precise geolocation.

If you want an assistant today to triage messages and schedule meetings from your phone, Poke is ready to run. If you want an agent that navigates the web with cached credentials and makes voice calls, Instinct is the more ambitious option, provided you have an invitation.

• Poke operates today across Apple Messages, SMS, Telegram, and WhatsApp with clear Free, Pro, and Ultra tiers.
• Instinct operates as a private beta requiring a waitlist spot or an invite from an existing member, according to Vellum.
• Poke relies on direct application connections, while Instinct uses a persistent cloud computer with browser access, according to Vellum.
• Instinct Concierge handles phone calls, whereas Poke Human delegates complex bookings to human operators on its Ultra plan.

Access and Onboarding

Getting started with Poke requires only submitting a mobile phone number at poke.com, whereas Instinct access requires a waitlist spot or an invite from an existing member, according to Vellum.

Poke has no app to install. TechCrunch says Poke launched publicly in March 2026. Its April article also describes an earlier email-assistant product built about a year before.

In contrast, Instinct has operated an invitation-only beta since February 2026, according to SiliconANGLE and PYMNTS. The instinct.com homepage asks you to text Instinct to get started and links to a login page at app.instinct.com. The Instinct Terms of Service say: "You must be 18 years of age or older to use the Services."

PYMNTS reported that Instinct keeps its beta invite-only while it secures more compute, and that it sometimes runs at capacity with slower replies.

• Poke provides instant setup through poke.com with no credit card required on the Free tier.
• Instinct access requires a waitlist spot or an invite from an existing member, according to Vellum.
• Instinct requires users to be at least 18 years old under its terms of service.

Messaging Channels and Interfaces

Both Poke and Instinct interact through text messaging networks without requiring users to download a standalone mobile application.

Poke connects with users across Apple Messages, short message service (SMS), Telegram, and WhatsApp in select markets. On June 4, 2026, Poke became the first AI agent approved on Apple Messages for Business, according to TechCrunch. Poke uses Linq to work over messaging platforms such as iMessage, according to TechCrunch.

Instinct also relies on mobile messaging and telephone calls rather than a custom mobile app. Users can text Instinct or call it via text message or WhatsApp, according to TechCrunch. On its homepage, Instinct notes that it works through phones and computers by text or call.

Poke subscriptions can be paid with Apple Pay inside Messages for Business, according to TechCrunch. Instinct takes calls as well as texts, and its Concierge service places calls for select early-access users, according to TechCrunch.

Integrations and Device Reach

Poke works through app integrations such as Gmail and Notion, while Instinct also reads device inputs like keystrokes and location and runs a cloud computer with a browser.

Poke connects to Gmail, Outlook, calendars and contacts, plus Notion, GitHub, Linear and custom MCP integrations, per the Poke FAQ. TechCrunch reports additional connections to fitness trackers like Oura and Fitbit, as well as Granola, Strava, Withings, Philips Hue, and Sonos. Poke can also build and host simple websites at yourname.poke.site.

The Instinct privacy policy lists keystrokes, cursor positions, email, messaging, audio and voice data, and precise geolocation among collected inputs. Instinct runs a persistent cloud computer with browser access and cached credentials, according to Vellum, so it can sign in to websites with credentials it keeps.

Across the workflows we have automated, the failure mode we hit most often is credential sprawl: one assistant holding write access to whole accounts. Poke acts through the integrations you connect. Instinct's cloud computer keeps cached credentials, according to Vellum, so if you get an invite, connect a secondary inbox and only the logins a given errand needs.

Real-World Task Execution and Calling

Both products hand real-world errands to a calling service: Poke Human on Poke's Ultra plan, and Instinct Concierge for select Instinct users.

Poke handles offline logistics through Poke Human, a feature included in its $199 per month Ultra subscription. Poke Human routes real-world tasks like restaurant reservations, phone calls, orders, and ride bookings to human operators. Poke states in its FAQ that human operators cannot access chat histories, memories, or connected integrations, and real-world expenses are charged at cost without markup.

TechCrunch describes Instinct Concierge as "a white glove service meant to handle high-touch cases, such as making phone calls." Instinct has not said whether a person or software places the calls. CellCog reported that telephone calls through Instinct Concierge became available on September 16, 2026. Tasks highlighted by TechCrunch include booking restaurants without online reservations, getting on a dentist's cancellation list, and sorting out cable-bill problems.

Instinct's terms give it broad legal authority. Under the Instinct Terms of Service, users appoint Instinct as an agent to enter agreements, commitments, or transactions on their behalf that are binding as if entered directly. TechCrunch reported that Instinct sent an email on behalf of Katie Jacobs Stanton without checking with her first, so start Instinct on errands where a mistaken commitment costs little.

Pricing and Commercial Terms

Poke publishes three structured monthly subscription tiers, whereas Instinct has not published pricing for its invite-only beta.

Poke displays three tiers on poke.com/pricing: Free at $0 per month, Pro at $19 per month billed monthly, and Ultra at $199 per month billed monthly. Poke states on its pricing page that the Free plan requires no credit card. The Ultra plan includes Poke Human and supports pay-as-you-go usage beyond allocated credits. Poke shows a Yearly toggle but does not state the yearly price in the page text, so check it on Poke's pricing page.

Instinct has published no pricing schedule on instinct.com. Secondary reporting from Vellum and CellCog notes that Instinct is free during its current beta. However, the Instinct Terms of Service state that users may be required to pay fees to access certain features and that all payments are non-refundable. Chief Executive Officer Noah Shinn has indicated he does not want to charge users, suggesting advertising or other revenue streams, according to PYMNTS.

Poke previously allowed users to negotiate monthly pricing between $10 and $30 during its early beta, according to TechCrunch, before standardizing on its current tiers. Poke also pays recipe creators between 10 cents and 1 dollar for each user who signs up through their recipes.

• Poke Free costs $0 per month and requires no credit card to start.
• Poke Pro costs $19 per month billed monthly.
• Poke Ultra costs $199 per month billed monthly and includes Poke Human.
• Instinct pricing remains unpublished; terms state future fees will be non-refundable.
• Prices and beta terms change, so check Poke's pricing page and Instinct's terms before you sign up.

→ Compare per-token pricing for every AI model

Privacy and Model Training

Both Poke and Instinct may train models on your data, and each offers a way out: Maximum Privacy on Poke, and a settings opt-out plus Vault on Instinct.

Poke permits users to opt out of AI training by selecting its Maximum Privacy setting, according to the Poke privacy policy. Poke states that Google user data is not sold or used for advertising under Google Limited Use requirements. Poke told TechCrunch it runs regular penetration testing and that, by default, its team cannot see inside your tokens unless you opt in.

Instinct revised its Terms of Service and Privacy Policy on August 26, 2026. TechCrunch previously reported that the pre-August 26 terms granted a perpetual and irrevocable license to user materials for model training; the revised terms no longer contain those words. The current Instinct terms state Instinct does not claim ownership of user materials but may use them to train models unless users opt out at app.instinct.com/settings. Materials stored in Instinct Vault are excluded from model training.

Under the Instinct terms and privacy policy, disconnecting a third-party integration does not automatically delete previously collected data; users must request deletion separately at app.instinct.com/workspace. Early testers encountered several issues reported by TechCrunch. Peter Yang noted emails were indexed without clear deletion options until a tool was added. Claire Vo disconnected Instinct from Google at 11 AM and got a summary of her emails at 2 PM. Instinct said the emails were "stored in plain text for later searches." Alex Cohen showed that Instinct could be phished, then deleted his account.

• Poke Maximum Privacy prevents user interactions from being used in model training.
• Instinct enables model training by default, with an opt-out available in account settings.
• Instinct Vault excludes stored materials from artificial intelligence model training.
• Disconnecting accounts from Instinct does not delete indexed data without a separate request.

Corporate Backing and Reliability

Poke operates as part of Cognition, while Instinct functions as an independent venture backed startup raising institutional capital.

The Interaction Company of California, which created Poke, raised $10 million on top of a $15 million seed round at a $300 million valuation from Spark Capital and General Catalyst, according to TechCrunch. In July 2026, Cognition agreed to buy Poke's maker in a deal TechCrunch put in the low nine figures. TechCrunch reported that nothing immediately changes for Poke through the end of the year, and that Poke's personality is coming to Devin. TechCrunch also reported that Poke handled more than 100 million messages in the previous three months from hundreds of thousands of people.

Instinct is operated by Spear Street Technology, Inc. According to TechFundingNews, Noah Shinn registered Spear Street Technology in California in April 2026. SiliconANGLE and PYMNTS date the invite-only beta to February 2026. TechCrunch reported $350 million raised in total, with the August Series B at a $2.5 billion valuation co-led by Index Ventures and Benchmark (PYMNTS later wrote $2.25 billion). PYMNTS, citing The Information, reported talks to raise $1 billion at a $10 billion valuation as user numbers passed 100,000.

Users reported an Instinct outage on September 22 and 23, 2026, according to TheStreet via Yahoo Finance. Jason Sobin, James Gui, Riya Agarwal, and John Harper observed that Instinct stopped replying and scheduled actions stalled without error notices, and Instinct posted no status page, so keep time-sensitive errands off Instinct until it publishes one.

Decision Framework for Personal Automation

Pick Poke for app-level tasks and Instinct for work that needs a browser or a phone call.

Poke fits people who want calendar and email help by text. It works from a phone number with no app, connects to Gmail, Outlook and calendars, and its Maximum Privacy setting keeps your data out of model training.

Instinct can drive a cloud computer and, through Concierge, place phone calls. It is invite-only, its privacy policy lists keystroke and cursor collection, and users reported an outage on September 22 and 23, 2026, so start it on low-stakes errands only. If your errands look like the ones Instinct users report, such as road-trip planning, phone-only restaurant bookings and subscription audits, join the waitlist at instinct.com.

Who this is not for: Avoid Poke if you need calls and bookings handled without paying $199 a month, since Poke Human comes only with Ultra. If you run a regulated business, skip both for company data and use auditable integrations that keep data on-premises or in a virtual private cloud instead of handing inbox credentials to a consumer agent.

What would change our answer: Instinct opening access and publishing prices, or Poke's plans changing after the Cognition deal.

• Select Poke for immediate text-based task management with published subscription tiers.
• Consider Instinct if your workflows require full browser interaction and telephone calling.
• Avoid Poke if you require phone calls and bookings without subscribing to the $199 Ultra tier.
• Check Poke's pricing page and Instinct's terms before you connect your main email account.

The Verdict

For most people seeking a text-based personal assistant today, Poke is the practical choice: you can start today, and you pick which accounts it can reach. Its plans start at $0, with Pro at $19 and Ultra at $199 a month.

Instinct is an invite-only agent suited to early adopters who want an agent capable of navigating websites and making telephone calls. However, its broad data intake, the plain-text email storage Instinct described after Claire Vo's report, and lack of published pricing make it less suitable for critical business operations.

To try Poke, start on the Free plan at poke.com and connect one calendar before you connect email.