# The 12 best AI agent apps in 2026, compared

> Source: https://myturnstone.ai/blog/best-ai-agent-apps
> By Aryan Vij, October 28, 2026

**The best AI agent app for most people in 2026 is one that runs on the AI plan you already pay for, lets you pick the model, and shows you what it remembers. We make Turnstone, so it's first, but the right pick depends on which AI you use and where you want the work to happen.**

An AI agent app is one where AI does tasks for you, not just answers questions. In 2026 every big AI company shipped one, and so did a dozen startups. Each entry below is a few lines, with a link to a longer comparison. Everything was checked on October 27, 2026.

## The best AI agent apps at a glance

| App | Best for | AI it runs on | Where it runs | Price to start | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Turnstone** (ours) | A team of Agents on the AI you already pay for | ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, Cursor, OpenRouter, Ollama or your own key | Your Mac. Cloud coming soon | Free | Mac. iPhone and web coming soon |
| Grok Bot | Named Bots in the cloud with zero setup | It picks the model for you | A Cursor-hosted cloud computer | $30 a month (X Subscription Premium) | Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android |
| ChatGPT dots and Work | ChatGPT users who want finished docs or an always-on agent | OpenAI models only | OpenAI's cloud, or your desktop for Work | $20 a month (Plus) for Work. $100 (Pro) for dots | Web, iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows |
| Claude Cowork and Duet | Claude users who want long tasks or a morning brief | Claude only | Anthropic's cloud | $20 a month (Claude Pro). Duet has a waitlist | Web, iPhone, Android. Cowork also on Mac, Windows, Linux beta |
| Tasks in Gemini | People who live in Google apps | Gemini only | Google Cloud | $19.99 a month (Google AI Pro) | Web, Android, iPhone, Mac |
| Squad | A cloud team of agents on your own AI accounts | Your accounts from 13 providers | Squad's cloud computer | $99 a month plus your AI plan | Web, Mac |
| OpenClaw | Open source inside your chat apps | Almost any model, including a ChatGPT sign-in | Your computer or server | Free | Mac, Windows, Linux, 20+ chat apps |
| Hermes Agent | Open source that writes its own skills | Almost any model. Claude plans only via a plugin | Your computer or Hermes Cloud | Free. Cloud billed per day | Mac, Windows, Linux, 20+ chat apps |
| Manus | One big job with a finished result | Manus's own, paid in credits | Manus's cloud | Free (300 credits a day) | Web, Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android |
| Perplexity Computer | Research-heavy work | Perplexity picks per step, paid in credits | Perplexity's cloud, or your Mac or PC | $20 a month (Pro) plus credits | Web, iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows |
| Lindy | A shared assistant for a team's Slack | Lindy's choice, paid in credits | Lindy's cloud | Free $50 of credits for 7 days | Web, Slack, iMessage, SMS |
| Poke | An assistant you text | Not chosen by you | Poke's cloud | Free. Pro $19 a month | iMessage, RCS, Telegram |

## Which AI agent should I use?

- **You pay for ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Grok and want one app for all of it:** Turnstone. Squad also runs on your own accounts, from $99 a month.
- **You only use one AI and want its own agent:** ChatGPT Work, Claude Cowork or Tasks in Gemini.
- **You want something running in the cloud right now with no setup:** Grok Bot, ChatGPT dots or Claude Duet.
- **You're happy in a terminal and want open source:** OpenClaw or Hermes Agent.
- **You want one finished deliverable, like a deck or a site:** Manus or ChatGPT Work.
- **Your team lives in Slack:** Lindy.
- **You just want to text an assistant:** Poke.

If you're specifically leaving Grok Bot, our longer [Grok Bot alternatives guide](https://myturnstone.ai/comparisons/best-grok-bot-alternatives) covers 19 options in more depth.

## Our pick: Turnstone

We make Turnstone. It's a free, model-agnostic AI agent app that runs on the AI subscriptions you already have. You build a team of Agents, and each one has its own model, which you can switch mid-chat. They work across 60+ apps built in (Gmail, Outlook, Slack, Notion, LinkedIn, iMessage, WhatsApp and more), any website through their own browser, the apps on your Mac, and connectors you add. They run on Schedules and can write and send email, Slack messages and iMessages from your own accounts. All your Agents share one memory of your people, projects and decisions, which you can open and correct.

For ChatGPT and Claude plans, Turnstone runs the official Codex and Claude Code apps on your Mac, and you sign in through the provider's own login. Usage counts against your own plan. Turnstone adds no credits and no meter. It can also import a Grok Bot from its public x.ai link.

The catch: it's Mac only today, with no Windows, Linux or Android app. Turnstone Cloud, the iPhone app and the web app are coming soon. [Turnstone vs Grok Bot](https://myturnstone.ai/comparisons/grok-bot)

## Agents from the big AI companies

### Grok Bot

xAI's agent app launched in beta on August 11, 2026. Your named Bots share one cloud computer hosted by Cursor and keep working with your laptop closed. It has apps for every desktop and phone. But there's no model picker, usage comes from a shared weekly pool of unpublished size, and there's no memory screen. [Turnstone vs Grok Bot](https://myturnstone.ai/comparisons/grok-bot)

### ChatGPT dots and ChatGPT Work

ChatGPT Work, from Plus at $20 a month, turns a goal into finished docs, slides or a website, with memory you can view and edit. Dots, launched September 29, 2026, are always-on agents with their own cloud computer, but they need ChatGPT Pro at $100 a month or more, and you get one dot. Both use OpenAI models only. OpenAI says you "cannot view, delete, or directly modify individual dot memories." [Turnstone vs ChatGPT Work](https://myturnstone.ai/comparisons/chatgpt-work) and [Turnstone vs ChatGPT dots](https://myturnstone.ai/comparisons/chatgpt-dots)

### Claude Cowork and Claude Duet

Cowork is now part of the main Claude app. Scheduled tasks keep running while your computer sleeps, and you can edit its memory topic by topic. Anthropic says it "consumes limits faster than Chat." Duet, a research preview since October 21, 2026, is a proactive agent that sends a morning brief. It's waitlist only, for Pro and Max, and runs Claude Opus 5.5 with no model choice. [Turnstone vs Claude Cowork](https://myturnstone.ai/comparisons/claude-cowork) and [Turnstone vs Claude Duet](https://myturnstone.ai/comparisons/claude-duet)

### Tasks in Gemini

Google announced it as Gemini Spark in May 2026 and renamed it in October. It runs on Google Cloud with your devices off and works across Gmail, Calendar, Docs and Drive with no setup. It's Gemini only, it doesn't work on work or school accounts, and it requires Keep Activity, which lets Google use your activity to train models. [Turnstone vs Gemini Spark](https://myturnstone.ai/comparisons/gemini-spark)

## Agents on your own AI plan

### Squad

Squad gives you a team of named AI teammates on a dedicated cloud computer, running on your own AI accounts from 13 providers. It has a memory screen you can edit. It costs $99 a month before your AI plan. Its teammates can send email directly from your accounts. [Turnstone vs Squad](https://myturnstone.ai/comparisons/squad)

### OpenClaw

A free, MIT-licensed assistant with about 393,000 GitHub stars. You run it on your own computer or server and talk to it from WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal and other chat apps, with almost any model. Memory is plain files you can edit. It's built for technical users, it had several security problems in 2026, and jobs stop when the machine sleeps. [Turnstone vs OpenClaw](https://myturnstone.ai/comparisons/openclaw)

### Hermes Agent

Nous Research's open-source agent writes skills from experience and improves them over time. It works in 20+ chat apps, and Hermes Cloud can host it. Claude Pro and Max work only through an experimental plugin, and its memory is two small capped files. [Turnstone vs Hermes Agent](https://myturnstone.ai/comparisons/hermes-agent)

## Done-for-you cloud agents

### Manus

Hand Manus one big job and it comes back with a site, a deck or a report, built on its own cloud computer. There's a free plan with 300 credits a day. The downside is credits. The cost depends on how long a task runs, monthly credits don't roll over, and its Trustpilot score is 1.2 out of 5, mostly about credits. [Turnstone vs Manus](https://myturnstone.ai/comparisons/manus)

### Perplexity Computer

Built on Perplexity's search, it sends each step of a task to a model from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, xAI or others. It runs in the cloud, and the Mac app can run local models on Macs with 36 GB or more of memory. Pro is $20 a month plus credits, and you can't use your own AI plan. [Turnstone vs Perplexity Computer](https://myturnstone.ai/comparisons/perplexity-computer)

## Assistants in Slack or your texts

### Lindy

A shared Lindy works in your team's Slack, and each person gets a private one they can text over iMessage or SMS. Its memory is plain files you can read, edit and restore, and it has SOC 2 Type II and HIPAA. It's billed in credits per user, anyone who @mentions it takes a paid seat, and its Trustpilot score is 1.9 out of 5. [Turnstone vs Lindy](https://myturnstone.ai/comparisons/lindy)

### Poke

You text Poke like a contact on iMessage, RCS or Telegram, and it messages you first, follows up, and handles email, calendar and reminders. There's nothing to install and a free plan. You can't choose the model, there's no documented way to see what it remembers, and Cognition bought the company in July 2026. [Turnstone vs Poke](https://myturnstone.ai/comparisons/poke)

## How we chose

We read each product's own pages, docs, pricing and terms on October 27, 2026, plus reviews. We didn't run timed tests, so this is a guide to fit, not a benchmark. We favoured apps that run on an AI plan you already pay for, let you open and fix what they remember, and do real work in your apps. Turnstone is built around those, which is why it's first, and we've said where it falls short. We left out coding agents and developer frameworks.

## Questions

**What is the best AI agent app in 2026?**
For most people, one that runs on the AI plan you already pay for. We make Turnstone, which does that for free on a Mac. If you only use one AI, that company's own agent (ChatGPT Work, Claude Cowork or Tasks in Gemini) is the simplest start.

**Is there a free AI agent app?**
Yes. Turnstone is free on your own AI plan. OpenClaw and Hermes Agent are free and open source, but you pay your AI provider. Poke has a free plan, and Manus gives 300 free credits a day.

**Can I use my ChatGPT or Claude subscription with an AI agent app?**
Some do. Turnstone runs the official Codex and Claude Code apps on your Mac with your own login, so usage counts against your plan. Squad and OpenClaw can also use these plans. OpenAI's and Anthropic's rules on this changed several times in 2026, so check their current terms.

**Which AI agents keep working when my computer is off?**
Grok Bot, ChatGPT dots, Claude Cowork and Duet, Tasks in Gemini, Squad, Manus, Perplexity Computer, Lindy and Poke all run in the cloud. Hermes Cloud hosts Hermes Agent. Turnstone Cloud is coming soon.

**Which AI agent lets me see what it remembers?**
Turnstone, Claude Cowork, ChatGPT Work, Tasks in Gemini, Squad, Lindy and OpenClaw all let you view or edit memory. Grok Bot has no memory screen, and ChatGPT dots only offers a full reset.

**What's the difference between an AI agent and a chatbot?**
A chatbot answers. An agent acts. It uses your apps, a browser or a computer to finish a task, often on a schedule.

## Sources

- [Grok Bot FAQ, xAI docs](https://docs.x.ai/grok-bot/faq) (checked October 27, 2026)
- [Bots and what a Bot remembers, xAI docs](https://docs.x.ai/grok-bot/bots) (checked October 27, 2026)
- [Grok Bot plans and billing, Cursor Help](https://cursor.com/help/grok-bot/plans) (checked October 27, 2026)
- [Introducing dots, OpenAI](https://openai.com/index/introducing-dots/) (checked October 27, 2026)
- [Dots privacy, security and safety FAQs, OpenAI Help](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/20001529-dots-privacy-security-and-safety-faqs) (checked October 27, 2026)
- [ChatGPT Work product page, OpenAI](https://openai.com/chatgpt-work/) (checked October 27, 2026)
- [Using your ChatGPT plan in other apps and sites, OpenAI Help](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/20001542-using-your-chatgpt-plan-in-other-apps-and-sites) (checked October 27, 2026)
- [Cowork is now Claude, Anthropic](https://claude.com/blog/cowork-is-now-claude) (checked October 27, 2026)
- [Claude Cowork product page, Anthropic](https://claude.com/product/cowork) (checked October 27, 2026)
- [Get started with Claude Duet, Claude Help](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/17631495-get-started-with-claude-duet) (checked October 27, 2026)
- [Use the Claude Agent SDK with your Claude plan, Claude Help](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/15036540-use-the-claude-agent-sdk-with-your-claude-plan) (checked October 27, 2026)
- [Manage your tasks and workflows in Gemini Apps, Google Help](https://support.google.com/gemini/answer/17094507?hl=en) (checked October 27, 2026)
- [9to5Google: Gemini Spark becomes Task](https://9to5google.com/2026/10/12/gemini-spark-task-redesign/) (checked October 27, 2026)
- [Squad pricing](https://squad.so/pricing) (checked October 27, 2026)
- [Squad docs: FAQ](https://squad.so/docs/faq) (checked October 27, 2026)
- [OpenClaw README (GitHub)](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw) (checked October 27, 2026)
- [GitLab advisory: CVE-2026-25253 (OpenClaw)](https://advisories.gitlab.com/npm/clawdbot/CVE-2026-25253/) (checked October 27, 2026)
- [Hermes docs: Providers and subscription plans](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/integrations/providers) (checked October 27, 2026)
- [Hermes docs: Persistent memory](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/features/memory) (checked October 27, 2026)
- [Manus pricing](https://manus.im/pricing) (checked October 27, 2026)
- [Manus credit rules, Manus Help](https://help.manus.im/en/articles/11711097-what-are-the-rules-for-credits-consumption-and-how-can-i-obtain-them) (checked October 27, 2026)
- [Manus reviews, Trustpilot](https://www.trustpilot.com/review/manus.im) (checked October 27, 2026)
- [What is Computer?, Perplexity Help](https://www.perplexity.ai/help-center/en/articles/13837784-what-is-computer) (checked October 27, 2026)
- [How credits work on Perplexity, Perplexity Help](https://www.perplexity.ai/help-center/en/articles/13838041-how-credits-work-on-perplexity) (checked October 27, 2026)
- [Lindy pricing](https://www.lindy.ai/pricing) (checked October 27, 2026)
- [Lindy reviews, Trustpilot](https://www.trustpilot.com/review/lindy.ai) (checked October 27, 2026)
- [Lindy docs: Memory](https://docs.lindy.ai/teammate/memory.md) (checked October 27, 2026)
- [Poke docs](https://poke.com/docs) (checked October 27, 2026)
- [Poke pricing](https://poke.com/pricing) (checked October 27, 2026)
- [Cognition: Interaction joins Cognition](https://cognition.com/blog/interaction) (checked October 27, 2026)