Short answer
Tab and Poke are both AI assistants you text. Poke is available now on iMessage, WhatsApp and Telegram with Free, $19 and $199 plans. Tab, on iMessage and WhatsApp, is waitlist-only with no published price as of October 2026, and says it has its own phone number, computer and wallet. Neither confirms business features.
Two assistants that live in your messages
A new kind of assistant has no app to learn. You text it, it does the thing, it texts back. Tab and Poke are two of the best-known examples, and people compare them because they look alike from the outside.
Underneath, they are at different stages. Poke, from The Interaction Company of California, is live and priced; its site now says "Poke is joining Cognition." Tab emerged from stealth in October 2026 and is open by waitlist only.
Comparison table
| Poke (poke.com) | Tab | |
|---|---|---|
| Status (Oct 2026) | Available | Waitlist; joining does not guarantee access, timing, pricing or availability |
| Price | Free; Pro $19/month; Ultra $199/month, pay-as-you-go beyond credits | None published |
| Messaging | iMessage, WhatsApp, Telegram | iMessage, WhatsApp |
| Pitch | Proactive assistant that works in your texts, with background "recipes" | Has its own phone number, computer and wallet; handles bills, bookings, groceries, gifts |
| Connected apps | Gmail, Outlook, Google Calendar, Notion, Asana, Linear, GitHub, Granola and more | Not detailed in sources we checked |
| Phone calls | Not confirmed | Reported to call businesses for users; details not confirmed |
| Data training | Site says private; no training statement found | Tab says user data is never used to train AI |
| Payments | Not described | Cards in a vault Tab says it never sees; approval before irreversible actions |
| Business or team features | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
Poke's case
- You can use it today. A free plan and a $19 Pro plan mean you can test it this afternoon.
- Three message apps. Telegram is included, which Tab does not list.
- Work-flavored connections. Notion, Asana, Linear and GitHub suit knowledge workers and small teams.
- Apple's blessing. Apple reportedly approved it as the first AI agent on its Messages for Business platform (reported June 4, 2026).
The cost of that is mostly in what is unconfirmed: calls, team features and a training statement.
Tab's case
- Real-world errands. The company says Tab has its own phone number, computer and wallet, aimed at things like bookings and bills.
- Calls. It is reported to call businesses on users' behalf (TechCrunch, TechJuice), though how this works is not confirmed.
- Privacy claims. Tab says user data is never used to train AI and that cards sit in a vault it never sees.
- Approval gate. Nothing irreversible without your approval, according to the company.
Against that: no price, waitlist access, and no confirmed business features. You cannot yet answer the first question a buyer asks, which is what it will cost.
Which one for what
| You want to... | Better fit today |
|---|---|
| Start texting an AI assistant this week | Poke |
| Keep email, calendar and tasks in one text thread | Poke |
| Hand off reservations and bill errands, and can wait | Tab, once you have access |
| Use Telegram | Poke |
| Know the price before you commit | Poke |
For personal use, Poke wins on availability and Tab wins on ambition. Neither is the right tool just because it lives in iMessage.
Privacy and trust questions to ask either vendor
An assistant that reads your email and texts on your behalf deserves a short checklist before you connect anything. The answers below are what each company has said publicly, which is not the same as an independent audit.
- Is my data used to train models? Tab says no. Poke has not published a training statement we could find.
- Who sees my payment details? Tab says cards are held in a vault it never sees. Poke is not described as handling payments.
- What happens before something irreversible? Tab says nothing irreversible happens without your approval. Ask Poke how its recipes handle approval.
- Can I leave and take my data? Neither source we checked says; ask before you invest time.
What neither is, and what to use for a business
Both are personal assistants. If you own a company, the problems are different: a phone that rings when you are with a client, leads waiting for an answer, staff who need nudging, invoices to chase. Neither vendor describes handling those.
That is the job of a managed AI employee. Oraculo answers and places calls on your business line 24/7, follows up with every lead in minutes, and tracks your team, and you can still text it on iMessage or WhatsApp. A person at Oraculo sets it up with you in four 1-hour Zoom sessions. See Oraculo vs Poke, Oraculo vs Tab AI and AI agent you can text.
Oraculo pricing
Starter is $12 per hour of work with a 6-hour weekly minimum, about $312 a month. Business is $8 per hour at 43 hours a week, about $1,500 a month. Setup is $499 one time, calls are $0.19 per minute, and there is a 30-day money-back guarantee. Book a 20-minute demo if you need more than a personal assistant.
Key takeaway
Poke is the texting assistant you can try today; Tab is the one to watch. If your goal is running a business rather than your own errands, neither is built for it.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better, Tab or Poke?
Poke is better if you want something now: it has Free, $19 and $199 plans and works on iMessage, WhatsApp and Telegram. Tab is waitlist-only with no published price as of October 2026, so it is hard to compare on value.
Can Tab or Poke make phone calls?
Tab is reported to call businesses for users, though details are not confirmed. Poke's phone-call ability is not confirmed. Neither is described as answering a business phone line.
Is Tab a new version of Poke?
No. They are separate companies with separate products. Tab was founded by Brennan Erbz, Stafford Schlitt and Ammar Amdani, and Poke is made by The Interaction Company of California.
Are either of them good for businesses?
Both are positioned as personal assistants, and business or team features are not confirmed for either. For customer calls, lead follow-up and staff tracking, look at a managed AI employee.
Which has better privacy?
Tab says its users' data is never used to train AI. Poke's site says it is private, but we found no training statement. Read each privacy policy before you connect your email.