Comma alternative
Comma is a free, open source AI agent. You hand it a request, it turns that into a Task, and it works the Task through to done on its own cloud computer.
We are the US and Canada number you can text right now, (305) 588-2170, from the Messages app you already have. Nothing to download, sign into or host, with 50 free messages and no credit card required.
Reminders arrive as texts, daily briefings cover any topic you pick, and /connect links Gmail, Google Calendar, and Outlook whenever you want them.
This is not a ChatGPT comparison. That post is already written: Why Use AI Chat SMS When You Can Just Use ChatGPT?.
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What Comma says
comma.surf describes Comma as a free, open source personal AI agent. The code is open source under AGPL-3.0, and you can self-host it with Docker Compose so your data stays in your own databases.
Every request becomes a Task on a board with three columns: In progress, Needs Review, and Done. Comma checks its own work and moves the cards itself. Anything that needs your decision waits in Needs Review.
The work runs on a cloud computer for each Workspace, so a Task keeps going when your Mac is closed. You use Comma in its Mac app or web app, and you can message it from Signal or Telegram. The Mac app also offers to record your calls, saves them to Drive, and follows up with a summary Task.
Comma's Routines doc says Routines "prepares a briefing before your day starts," listing what needs you in each app.
Free is $0 a month with unlimited chat. Pro is $80 a month, billed yearly, for about 300 to 600 agentic tasks a month. Comma for Teams is $80 per seat per month, and Enterprise is self-hosted with custom pricing.
Their site is comma.surf.
What you get if you text us
Text (305) 588-2170, a public number for the US and Canada. Native Messages. No app.
Fifty free messages. No credit card required. No signup first.
Real iMessage blue bubbles in your Messages app. On Android you get SMS or RCS through your carrier.
Remind me Friday at 5 to pick up the dry cleaning
Done. I'll text you Friday at 5:00 PM to pick up the dry cleaning.
Brief me on the stock market every weekday at 8
Set. Your market brief lands at 8:00 AM, Monday through Friday.
Reminders arrive as texts. Daily briefings on any topic you pick. Long-term memory across conversations.
Web search, /image, personas with /mode, bookmarks with /save, photo analysis, and quick actions like /weather, /math, and /translate.
Connect Gmail, Google Calendar, and Outlook, plus Google Docs and Sheets. Text /connect gmail or /connect calendar, or just ask. You get an OAuth link you control.
After the free messages, Unlimited is $15 a month (100 a day, 2,000 a month fair use), or pay as you go from $10.
If you want the product explanation, You can text an AI agent now and Your AI texting assistant are already written. Calendar setup is Google Calendar Just Met Your Texts.
Side by side
| AI Chat SMS | Comma | |
|---|---|---|
| Where you use it | Native Messages. Text (305) 588-2170. Nothing to download, sign into or host. US and Canada. | The Mac app and the web app. You can also message it from Signal or Telegram. |
| Price | 50 free messages. Then unlimited at $15/month (100 a day, 2,000 a month fair use), or pay as you go from $10. | Free is $0 a month. Pro is $80 a month, billed yearly, for about 300 to 600 agentic tasks a month. Teams is $80 per seat per month. Enterprise is custom. |
| Reminders by text | Yes. They arrive as texts. | Their site doesn't list reminders. |
| Memory | Long-term across conversations. | One agent keeps "your work, memory and context across your devices and conversations." |
| Briefing | Yes. Daily briefings on any topic you pick, as texts. | Comma's Routines doc says Routines "prepares a briefing before your day starts." |
| Gmail | Yes, on /connect. | Comma's Enterprise page lists Gmail. |
| Google Calendar | Yes, on /connect. | Comma's Enterprise page lists Google Calendar. |
| Their edge | Text it now from any phone, 50 free messages, reminders and any-topic briefings as texts, and real iMessage blue bubbles. | Open source under AGPL-3.0, self-hosting with Docker Compose, a Task board that runs on its own cloud computer, and a Mac call recorder. |
Where Comma wins
It is open source and self-hostable. The code is under AGPL-3.0, Docker Compose builds it on a machine you manage, and your data stays in your own databases.
It carries long, multi-step work to done. Each request becomes a Task that runs on its own cloud computer, you follow it on a board, and only your decisions land in Needs Review. The Mac app adds a call recorder that turns calls into summary Tasks.
Where we win
You can text us this minute from the phone you have. Nothing to download, sign into or host, a published number for the US and Canada, 50 free messages, and no credit card.
Reminders and any-topic briefings arrive as texts, with nothing to set up first. Gmail, Google Calendar, and Outlook are a /connect away. Pricing stays simple: a flat $15 a month for unlimited, or pay as you go from $10.
Which one you want
Want an open source agent you can self-host, one that runs long Tasks on its own cloud computer and tracks them on a board? That is Comma.
Want a personal assistant you can text right now on iPhone or Android, with 50 free messages, reminders, any-topic briefings, and Gmail, Google Calendar, and Outlook on /connect? That is us.
Questions people ask
How much does Comma cost?
Free is $0 a month with unlimited chat. Pro is $80 a month, billed yearly, for about 300 to 600 agentic tasks a month. Comma for Teams is $80 per seat per month, and Enterprise is custom.
Is Comma open source?
Yes. Comma's code is licensed under AGPL-3.0, and its GitHub repo shows how to self-host it with Docker Compose.
Can I message Comma from a chat app?
Yes. Comma's chat apps doc lists Signal and Telegram. Send it a request in either app, and Comma picks it up from there.
Does Comma send reminders?
Their site doesn't list reminders. With us, you text "Remind me Friday at 5" and the reminder arrives as a text.
What does AI Chat SMS cost after the 50 free messages?
Unlimited is $15 a month, with fair use of 100 messages a day and 2,000 a month. You can also pay as you go from $10.
Text it today
No download. No credit card. No signup first.
Text (305) 588-2170. Fifty free messages. US and Canada. Standard message rates apply.
Ready to text your AI?
No app to download. Text us to start — one tap opens Messages with our number. 50 free messages to start.
Text (305) 588-2170
US & Canada only. Standard message rates apply.