# OpenAssistant vs Instinct (2026): Feature Comparison

Facts last verified 2026-10-03.

Instinct is a proactive personal assistant you text. OpenAssistant is an executive assistant for work that involves other people.

## OpenAssistant vs Instinct at a glance

| | OpenAssistant | Instinct |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Built for** | Professionals and teams whose work runs through colleagues, clients, and vendors | Individuals: trips, bookings, groceries, subscriptions, life admin |
| **Where you use it** | Phone calls, iMessage, SMS, WhatsApp, email, and web | Text and phone calls; web settings |
| **Its own phone number** | Built in: Its own number, for calls and texts | Built in: Per press coverage |
| **Its own email address** | Built in: Including one on your company domain | Built in: Launched its own email addresses in September 2026, per press coverage |
| **Its own computer** | Built in: Its own secure computer | Built in: A persistent cloud computer |
| **Contacts people on your behalf** | Built in: Runs the whole exchange; the people it deals with never need an account | Built in: Makes calls and sends emails for you |
| **Multi-person threads and hand-offs** | Built in: Many people on one thread, with hand-offs, approvals, and follow-ups | Partial: Links to friends' agents who also use it |
| **Shared tasks, files, and workflows** | Built in: Inside your company and across companies | Not offered or not found: None found; appears single-user |
| **Recurring and triggered work** | Built in: Plain-English workflows on demand, on a schedule, or on a trigger | Partial: Proactive nudges; no workflow builder documented |
| **Your say before it acts** | Built in: Per-action autonomy you set; an admin can lock it team-wide | Not verified: Not documented |
| **No training on your data by default** | Built in: Never trains on customer data | Not offered or not found: On by default; opt out in settings |
| **Security certifications** | Built in: SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, CCPA; encryption in transit and at rest | Not offered or not found: None found on its site |
| **SSO, SCIM, roles, and audit logs** | Built in: SAML SSO, SCIM, and RBAC on Team plans; audit logs on Enterprise | Not offered or not found: None found |
| **Availability** | Private beta; request access | Invite-only private beta |
| **Price** | Paid plans per seat | Free during the beta; pricing not published |

## Where Instinct shines

- Proactive: it starts the conversation when something needs doing, like a flight check-in
- Finishes errands end to end, including calls, bookings, and cancellations
- Zero install: you start by texting it

## Pick Instinct if

- You want a private concierge for your own life: trips, bookings, subscriptions, errands.
- You want something proactive that you start by texting, and you can get an invite to the beta.

## Pick OpenAssistant if

- Your work runs through colleagues, clients, and vendors, and you need multi-person threads, hand-offs, and follow-ups.
- You need admin controls, SSO, and a security review your company can sign off on.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the difference between OpenAssistant and Instinct?

Instinct is a proactive personal assistant you text. OpenAssistant is an executive assistant for work that involves other people.

### Does Instinct have its own phone number?

Per press coverage. OpenAssistant: Its own number, for calls and texts.

### Can Instinct work with a team?

None found; appears single-user. OpenAssistant: Inside your company and across companies.

### Does Instinct train on my data?

On by default; opt out in settings. OpenAssistant: Never trains on customer data.

### How much does Instinct cost?

Free during the beta; pricing not published. OpenAssistant: Paid plans per seat.

## Sources

- [Instinct terms of service](https://instinct.com/terms)
- [Digital Today: Instinct launches dedicated email (Sep 2026)](https://www.digitaltoday.co.kr/en/view/101851/instinct-ai-assistant-launches-dedicated-email-to-handle-sign-ups-and-inquiries-directly)
- [TechCrunch: Instinct raises $1B Series C (Sep 28, 2026)](https://techcrunch.com/2026/09/28/viral-ai-agent-instinct-raises-1b-series-c-at-a-10b-valuation/)

## Read more

- [OpenAssistant vs Instinct: the full written comparison](https://openassistant.us/blog/instinct-alternative-for-work)
- [Best AI Personal Assistants and Agents in 2026, Compared](https://openassistant.us/blog/best-ai-personal-assistants-2026)
- [Instinct vs Meta Muse (2026): Which AI Personal Agent Is Better?](https://openassistant.us/blog/instinct-vs-muse)
- [Instinct vs Cue by Manus (2026): Which AI Agent Wins?](https://openassistant.us/blog/instinct-vs-manus-cue)
- [Instinct vs Grok Bot (2026): Which AI Agent Is Better?](https://openassistant.us/blog/instinct-vs-grok-bot)
- [All AI assistants compared](https://openassistant.us/ai-assistants-compared)
- [Best AI personal assistants in 2026](https://openassistant.us/blog/best-ai-personal-assistants-2026)