Poke alternatives and AI assistants
Compare messaging assistants, team tools and calendar planners. Then check how each one connects to the accounts you actually use.
For a self-hosted assistant, start with OpenClaw. For another assistant you can text, compare Pally with Poke. For phone calls as well as text, look at Martin. For household coordination, look at Ohai. For team work, compare Lindy. For calendar planning, explore Motion or Reclaim.
Already use ChatGPT, Claude, Codex or another MCP-capable AI? Pear connects your iCloud and Microsoft 365 services to that client. The assistant handles the conversation; Pear provides the permitted account tools.
Official product documentation checked . This comparison is published by Pear. It is a guide to documented capabilities, not a hands-on ranking or a claim that every product connects to Pear.
| Product | Consider it for | Connecting Pear |
|---|---|---|
| PokeMessaging assistant | Manage requests from the messaging apps you already use. | Pear setup guide available |
| OpenClawSelf-hosted assistant | Run an assistant on your own machine and reach it from the chats you already use. | Pear setup guide available |
| PallyMessaging assistant | Text an assistant from iMessage or Android RCS. | Separate MCP server |
| LindyTeam assistant | Bring an assistant into team workflows and connected apps. | MCP advertised; Pear setup unverified |
| MartinPersonal assistant | Reach an assistant by text, phone, email or Slack. | No Pear setup documented |
| OhaiHousehold assistant | Coordinate family calendars and turn incoming information into plans. | No Pear setup documented |
| MotionWork planning and scheduling | Organize tasks and projects around a connected calendar. | No Pear setup documented |
| ReclaimCalendar and scheduling assistant | Manage scheduling from Reclaim or a connected AI client. | Separate MCP server |
Messaging assistant
Poke works in Apple Messages, Telegram, WhatsApp and RCS. Cognition, the company behind Devin, acquired Poke’s maker on 23 July 2026. Poke remains available, with email, calendar and reminder features, plus recipes and custom MCP servers.
Poke documents an API-key field that becomes a Bearer header. Pear has a recipe and manual setup guide; a complete authenticated Poke lifecycle is still unverified.
Self-hosted assistant
OpenClaw is the self-hosted assistant people compare with Poke. It can reach WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Discord, Signal, iMessage and other channels, and it can call a remote MCP server over Streamable HTTP.
Pear documents an environment-backed Bearer header for OpenClaw. A complete authenticated OpenClaw lifecycle is still unverified. A separate ClawHub skill is an external Apple-focused package, not this hosted connection.
Messaging assistant
Pally is the closest hosted texting assistant to Poke. It works over iMessage on Apple devices and RCS on Android, and it connects mail, calendars and other apps through its own product.
Pally publishes its own MCP server so another AI app can read Pally conversations. That does not make Pally a client of Pear. A compatible AI client may connect to each service separately.
Team assistant
Lindy advertises external MCP connections alongside its app integrations. Its MCP page describes asking Lindy to connect, approving the connection, and using the tools from Slack.
The reviewed page does not specify the API-key or custom-header configuration Pear needs. Confirm that authentication path in Lindy before supplying a Pear key.
Personal assistant
Martin is the Poke comparison people use when they also want a phone call. It presents inbox search and drafts, scheduling, reminders and briefings, and it can call you or place calls.
The public integration documentation reviewed here does not establish a custom Pear MCP connection. Check Martin’s own account integrations against the services you need.
Household assistant
Ohai connects Google, Apple or Outlook calendars. It can organize information shared by text, forwarded email, screenshots, PDFs and photos into events, tasks and reminders.
Its reviewed setup page describes Ohai’s own connections, rather than a custom MCP endpoint. Apple calendar support by itself does not establish iCloud Mail or Pear support.
Work planning and scheduling
Motion’s integration page lists Google, Outlook and iCloud calendars alongside services such as Gmail and Zapier. Start with those native integrations when evaluating a Motion workflow.
The reviewed integration page does not establish a custom Pear MCP client. Confirm each required service instead of treating a calendar integration as full mailbox access.
Calendar and scheduling assistant
Reclaim documents its own MCP server for bringing Reclaim scheduling capabilities into clients such as Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor.
Reclaim exposing an MCP server does not make it a client of Pear. A compatible AI client may connect to each service separately, using that service’s setup and permissions.
Use Pear when your chosen client needs access to iCloud Calendar, Contacts or Mail, or Microsoft 365 Calendar, To Do, Contacts and Outlook Mail. Connect the provider in Pear, follow your client’s setup guide, and start with a small read such as checking your available calendars.
Pear’s Apple Reminders access is limited to legacy CalDAV data; it cannot read Apple’s upgraded Reminders store. Microsoft To Do is unaffected. Google Workspace remains coming soon. Tools also depend on your permissions, plan and the client’s own controls.
Pear does not provide a standalone chat assistant, household coordinator or automatic calendar planner. Your AI client decides when to call tools. For writes, review the proposed recipients, dates and content before approval.
No. Cognition acquired The Interaction Company, Poke’s maker, on 23 July 2026. Poke remains a messaging assistant. Pear’s Poke setup guide is unchanged, and a complete authenticated Poke lifecycle is still unverified.
The public comparison is OpenClaw for a self-hosted assistant, Pally for another assistant you can text, and Martin when you also want phone calls. OpenClaw can use Pear’s hosted endpoint. Pally publishes its own MCP server, which is a different connection. Martin’s public docs do not show a custom Pear MCP client.
Pear supplies provider tools to an AI client through MCP. Poke is an assistant you talk to. You can use the documented Pear connection in Poke, or choose another compatible client for your connected iCloud and Microsoft 365 accounts. Pear does not replace an assistant’s chat, memory or scheduling engine.
The app needs a remote Streamable HTTP MCP client and an authentication method Pear supports. A product offering its own MCP server is not enough. Follow a named client guide or check the custom MCP requirements; a documented configuration is not a completed interoperability test.
Apple iCloud Calendar, Contacts and Mail, plus Microsoft 365 Calendar, To Do, Contacts and Outlook Mail are live. Apple Reminders access is limited to legacy CalDAV data, not Apple’s upgraded Reminders store. Google Workspace is coming soon. Available tools depend on your accounts, permissions and plan.
No. A local AI application can still call a hosted MCP server and a cloud model. With Pear, requests reach Pear and the connected provider; what the client sends to its model depends on that client. Review the full data path before connecting sensitive accounts.
