All the AI agents that can live in your text messages

A growing number of AI agents can be reached by texting them like ordinary contacts instead of requiring a separate app, according to a TechCrunch roundup of notable options in the space. The list covers general-purpose personal assistants as well as agents built for families, travel and work.

Instinct is described as one of the buzziest agents, having raised $1 billion in September 2026 at a $10 billion valuation, after an earlier $350 million raise at a $2.5 billion valuation. It remains in private beta and began giving users dedicated email addresses for their assistants, and has started rolling out support for placing calls. The article notes that this level of autonomy has raised privacy and security concerns.

Family-focused agents include Fambot, Ohai and Ollie. Fambot launched in beta in early September 2026 and has raised $3.5 million in pre-seed funding; it connects to Gmail and Google Calendar, with Outlook and Apple Calendar planned. Ollie launched in June 2026 and is described as one of the first mainstream, family-focused AI assistants to achieve SOC 2 compliance. Ohai subscriptions start at $9.99 per month.

Other entries include Caddy, in public beta since April 2026; Folk, in beta since May 2026 with a Pro tier at $8.33/month; Iris, powered by the Hermes agent; Martin, with subscriptions starting at $21 per month; Miso, focused on travel; Orbits; Pally; Poke; Rene; Skye; Stanley; Tomo, with plans starting at $19.99 per month; Town, which raised a $55 million Series A in June 2026; and Wajo, whose agent Fo launched publicly in September 2025.

Poke launched in March 2026 and in June 2026 Apple approved it as the first AI agent on the Apple Messages for Business platform, according to the roundup. A month later, parent company The Interaction Company of California was acquired by AI coding startup Cognition in a deal valued in the low nine figures.