Short answer
Instinct, Poke and Hark Pro are a new wave of consumer-style AI assistants. As of October 2026, Poke is the most open and lives in iMessage, WhatsApp and Telegram; Instinct is invite-only and can phone businesses for you; Hark Pro is a proactive app with free, $20 and $100 tiers. None has confirmed business or team features.
What these three have in common
All three aim to do things for you rather than answer questions. They connect to your accounts, act on your behalf and, in different ways, try to anticipate what you want next. They are aimed at individuals rather than companies.
That shared label hides big differences in access, channel and price. Facts below are as of October 2026 from each company's site and named press coverage.
Three-way comparison
| Instinct | Poke | Hark Pro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maker | Instinct (San Francisco; founder Noah Shinn, formerly of Sierra) | The Interaction Company of California; site says Poke is joining Cognition | Hark, founded by Brett Adcock |
| Access | Invite-only early access; waitlist | Open | Open; unveiled October 6, 2026 |
| How you reach it | Text or phone call | Apple Messages, WhatsApp, Telegram | Web, iOS, Android |
| Style | Agent with its own phone and computer; Concierge calls businesses | Proactive assistant in your texts; background automations called recipes | Proactive app built to act before you ask; runs on Handoff computer-use infrastructure |
| Typical tasks | Trips, groceries, tickets, cancelling subscriptions, phoning businesses | Email, calendar and app tasks across Gmail, Outlook, Notion, Asana, Linear, GitHub and more | Groceries, rides, bills, spreadsheets |
| Price | No published paid plans; reported free during beta | Free; Pro $19/month; Ultra $199/month; yearly billing | Free; $20/month (2x usage); $100/month (10x usage) |
| Phone calls | Concierge places calls to businesses | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Business or team features | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Data training | Reportedly allowed unless you opt out; not confirmed from the vendor | Not confirmed; site says private | Not confirmed |
How each one feels to use
- Instinct is the concierge. You text or call and say what you want, and it can ring a restaurant or a company on your behalf. Its strength is the phone, and its limit is access.
- Poke is the closest to a chat with a very capable friend. It sits in the apps you already text in and chips in with background automations. Apple reportedly approved it as the first AI agent on Apple's Messages for Business platform on June 4, 2026.
- Hark Pro is the app version. It is built around proactive suggestions and errands, with usage tiers rather than feature tiers, and caps are not published.
If you want a deeper look at any single one, the comparison pages Oraculo vs Instinct AI and Oraculo vs Hark Pro go through each against a business product.
Verdicts for individuals
| If you want... | Pick |
|---|---|
| Something you can use today in iMessage or WhatsApp | Poke |
| A concierge that phones places for you, and can wait for an invite | Instinct |
| An app that proposes and runs errands, with a free start | Hark Pro |
| A cheap trial | Poke Free or Hark Pro Free |
| The highest-usage plan | Poke Ultra at $199/month or Hark Pro at $100/month, with caps unpublished |
Approval controls are not documented in the sources we checked for any of the three, so test with low-stakes tasks first.
Do they work for a business?
As of October 2026, none of the three has confirmed business features, team seats or a business phone line. Poke is described as a personal assistant, Hark Pro as a consumer app and Instinct as a consumer agent. Using one for a company means running customer information and company accounts through a tool designed for one person.
The gaps that matter to an owner are consistent: no shared memory across staff, no way to answer your own business number, no published terms for client data, and no vendor accountable for business outcomes. See Tab vs Poke for the texting-assistant pair, and AI employee vs AI assistant vs AI agent for the underlying distinction.
What to use when the customer is on the other end
Oraculo is a managed AI employee for the business side of the line. An engineer connects your tools with you in four 1-hour Zoom sessions, and it then answers and places calls on your business line 24/7, texts and follows up with every lead, and reports back on WhatsApp, iMessage, Slack, Telegram or email. Starter is $12 per hour with a 6-hour weekly minimum, about $312 per month, plus $499 setup and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Use a personal assistant for your life and a business-grade employee for your company. To see the second one on your own call types, book a 20-minute demo.
Key takeaway
Poke, Instinct and Hark Pro are promising personal assistants with no confirmed business features. Use them for your own errands, and use a business-grade AI employee for customers and teams.
Frequently asked questions
Which is best: Instinct, Poke or Hark Pro?
Poke is the most accessible, living in iMessage, WhatsApp and Telegram. Instinct has the standout phone feature but is invite-only. Hark Pro is a proactive app with a free tier. The best depends on whether you value access, calls or an app.
How much do they cost?
Poke is free, $19 per month for Pro and $199 per month for Ultra. Hark Pro is free, $20 per month and $100 per month. Instinct has no published paid plans and is reported free during beta. All as of October 2026.
Can any of them answer my business phone?
Not as confirmed. Instinct's Concierge places calls to businesses for you, but answering your own line is not described. Poke and Hark Pro have not confirmed phone calls.
Are they safe for customer data?
Be cautious. Third-party reviews say Instinct's terms allow training unless you opt out, while Poke and Hark Pro have not confirmed training policies. Avoid sending customer data until business terms are published.
Which can I use right now?
Poke and Hark Pro are open to sign up. Instinct is invite-only with a waitlist. Tab, a related new assistant, is also on a waitlist.