Iris alternative
Iris is an AI you text. Same job family as us.
They are a personal AI you text over iMessage and SMS, with optional iOS and Android apps plus browser chat. Free to start on iMessage with no login. Their differentiator is Agent Mode (Premium+) plus a specialized agents library. We are the public US and Canada number you can text today with 50 free messages, no account, native Android SMS/RCS on that same number (no separate Android app required), Docs and Sheets on /connect, and clear $15 unlimited pricing.
This is not a ChatGPT comparison. That post is already written: Why Use AI Chat SMS When You Can Just Use ChatGPT?.
We already compared Instinct, Homer, Dunnit, Pally, Poke, Sidekicks, Martin, TwoThumbs, Olly, Sarai, Tomo, and Caddy. Provider pages cover Sendblue and Twilio. Iris is the next Direct page.
What Iris says
From irisai.app: "The #1 AI assistant you can text." Core path is texting. No apps required for that path. Optional iOS app, Android app, and browser chat exist too.
Channels: iMessage (dedicated /imessage flow: free, no login, Messages opens with starter text). SMS is also marketed. For Android, the site steers non-iPhone users toward the Iris Android app or browser, not native carrier SMS/RCS as the primary path. We are not claiming they lack SMS.
Pricing published on-site (cite carefully):
- Iris Starter: chat via text, no app needed. 200 monthly credits from $11.99 (annual option around $129.60). Latest models, iMessage or SMS, image analysis and generation, private/encrypted, buy more credits.
- Iris Premium (Most Popular): Agent Mode as a personal AI executive assistant. Credit tier around $19.19 (list $23.99;
/premium-upgradealso shows $19.99/mo). Everything in Starter plus email, calendar, and web tools, proactive outreach and scheduled tasks, up to 5 projects and 10 agents, agents dashboard. Messaging upsell pages also list unlimited iMessage/app/browser messages, 400 SMS/mo, creative tools, unlimited group chats, faster replies. - Iris Pro: $99/mo (annual $999). Unlimited agents/projects, 2,000 credits with rollover, model choice, team collab.
Reminders: yes. Proactive reminders and scheduled check-ins under Agent Mode. Memory: long-term memory marketed (learns name, kids, work, preferences). Briefings: Morning Briefing agent at agents.irisai.app (calendar, weather, news, priorities; delivery via SMS, email, or Slack). Not the same as our any-topic daily briefs.
Email and calendar: Premium Agent Mode lists "Email, calendar & web search tools." About page claims agents can send email and book meetings. Morning Briefing lists Google Calendar, Outlook, and Apple Calendar. We are not inventing a named Gmail OAuth button or Docs/Sheets on their side.
Agents library: agents.irisai.app for specialized agents (sales, support, scheduling, research, and more). Support: [email protected]. Cancel portal: cancel.irisai.app.
We are not going to publish any of their phone numbers. Link irisai.app. Keep the logo.
We are not inventing Docs or Sheets on their side. We are not claiming we book travel, outbound-call, or operate a computer.
What you get if you text us
A public number. (305) 588-2170. US and Canada. Native Messages. No app. Fifty free messages. No account or card to start. No waitlist.
On iPhone and Mac you get real iMessage blue bubbles. Android and other phones get SMS or RCS through the carrier.
Remind me Thursday at 10am to renew the domain
Got it. I'll text you Thursday at 10:00 AM to renew the domain.
Brief me on AI news every weekday at 8
Set. Weekday AI news brief at 8:00 AM.
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. Quick actions like /weather, /math, and /translate.
Connect Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Outlook. Text /connect gmail or /connect calendar, or just ask. You get an OAuth link you control.
We answer when you text. We do not call your contacts for you. We do not book reservations for you. We do not claim computer control.
After the free messages, Unlimited is $15 a month (100 a day, 2,000 a month fair use), or pay-as-you-go packs 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 | Iris | |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | Today. Public number (305) 588-2170. US and Canada. Native Messages on iPhone and Android. No app. No account to start. | Live via irisai.app. Free to start on iMessage, no login. Public number exists; we do not publish digits. Android path marketed via Iris app or browser. |
| Price | 50 free messages. No card to start. Then unlimited at $15/month, or pay as you go from $10. | Starter from $11.99/mo (200 credits). Premium Agent Mode about $19.19 to $23.99/mo (also $19.99 on premium-upgrade). Pro $99/mo. Credit top-ups. |
| Product | Built-for-you personal AI assistant in Messages. | Text AI + Agent Mode executive assistant + specialized agents library. |
| Reminders | Yes. They arrive as texts. | Yes. Proactive reminders and scheduled check-ins (Agent Mode). |
| Memory | Long-term across conversations. | Long-term memory marketed (learns life/preferences). |
| Briefings | Yes. Daily briefs on any topic you pick. | Morning Briefing agent (calendar/weather/news/priorities). |
| Gmail / email | /connect gmail (we text email). | Email tools via Agent Mode (Premium+). We do not invent a named Gmail button. |
| Google Calendar | /connect calendar (we text calendar). | Calendar tools via Agent Mode; Morning Briefing lists Google Calendar / Outlook / Apple Calendar. |
| Extra connects | Docs, Sheets, Outlook on the same /connect list. | Agents dashboard; web tools; Slack delivery on some agents. No Docs/Sheets claimed. |
| Differentiator | Public US/Canada number + native Android SMS/RCS + Docs/Sheets + clear $15 unlimited + /mode + any-topic briefs. | Agent Mode that acts on email/calendar/web + agents library + group chats + creative tools on messaging Premium. |
Where Iris wins
Agent Mode: a personal executive assistant with email, calendar, and web tools that can run proactive outreach and scheduled tasks, plus a deployable specialized agents library at agents.irisai.app. If someone wants autonomous agents that "do the work" (their framing) beyond chat-in-Messages, that is their product.
Where we win
Published public number with a clear 50 free start and no account. Native Android SMS and RCS on that same number with no separate Android app required. Transparent $15 unlimited for all features. Docs and Sheets on /connect. /mode personas. /image. Any-topic daily briefs. Simpler pricing than Starter / Premium / Pro credit ladders.
Which one you want
Want Agent Mode that acts on email, calendar, and the web, plus a specialized agents library, and you are fine with their credit tiers? That is Iris.
Want a built-for-you assistant on a public number you can text today on iPhone and Android, with 50 free messages, Docs and Sheets, and clear pricing? That is us.
Text it today
No download. No waitlist. No account.
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.