GAIA vs Poke
Poke is a personal assistant you text in Messages, WhatsApp or Telegram, connected to your email, calendar and apps. GAIA works from the same chat apps and adds web and desktop apps, workflows across your tools and source-available code.
Poke made a good idea popular: an assistant you simply text, with no app to learn. It connects to your email and calendar, nudges you when something needs attention, and runs recipes from the chat. GAIA shares the messaging habit, working in iMessage, WhatsApp and Telegram, and goes past the chat window: a web and desktop app for longer work, workflows triggered by your tools, memory you can inspect, and code that is public under a source-available license.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | GAIA | Poke |
|---|---|---|
| Core approach | A personal AI assistant you reach from chat apps, the web and the desktop, working across email, calendar, tasks and your other tools | A text-based assistant from The Interaction Company, acquired by Cognition in July 2026; you reach it in Messages, WhatsApp and Telegram |
| Proactive automation | Workflows that run on a schedule or when something happens in Gmail, Google Calendar, Slack, GitHub, Linear and more | Proactive nudges from connected email, calendar and apps; background automations on its paid plan |
| Integrations | Gmail, Outlook, Google Calendar, Slack, Notion, GitHub, Linear, Todoist, Asana, HubSpot and more, plus custom MCP servers | Gmail, Google Calendar, Outlook, Notion, Linear, GitHub and more, plus custom integrations through MCP and shareable recipes |
| Memory | Long-term memory of your preferences and people that you can view, edit and delete in settings | Uses memory of past chats; what it stores and how you edit it is not documented publicly |
| Source-available | Source-available (PolyForm Noncommercial) with self-hosting via Docker | Proprietary, cloud-only |
| Workflow automation | Multi-step workflows with schedule and integration triggers, editable in the app | Recipes and plain-English automations, set up and run inside the chat |
| Where you use it | iMessage, WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack and Discord, plus a web app and a desktop app for macOS, Windows and Linux | No app to install; everything happens in Messages, WhatsApp or Telegram |
Why Choose GAIA
- +The same texting habit, plus web and desktop apps for longer work
- +Workflows triggered by your email, calendar and team tools
- +Memory you can see, edit and delete
- +A desktop app that can look at your screen and use your clipboard
- +Source-available, with self-hosting via Docker
Where Poke Excels
- +Nothing to install: it lives entirely in your text messages
- +Approved as the first AI agent on Apple's Messages for Business
- +A community library of shareable recipes
The Verdict
Choose Poke if you want an assistant that lives only in your texts and you like building with recipes. Choose GAIA if you want the same chat convenience plus a web and desktop app, workflows that run across your tools, memory you control and code you can inspect.
Frequently Asked Questions
Looking for the best Poke alternative? See our complete guide → Best Poke Alternative in 2026
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