OpenAssistant vs Town
Town is a personal assistant ('Townie') with its own email address, routines, and team plans. OpenAssistant is an executive assistant for work that involves other people.
OpenAssistant
OpenAssistant
Town
Town
Who it is for
Built for
Presence
Where you use it
Its own phone number
Its own email address
Its own computer
Working with people
Contacts people on your behalf
Multi-person threads and hand-offs
Shared tasks, files, and workflows
Getting work done
Recurring and triggered work
Trust and control
Your say before it acts
No training on your data by default
Security and admin
Security certifications
SSO, SCIM, roles, and audit logs
Availability
Availability
Price
| OpenAssistant OpenAssistant | Town Town | |
|---|---|---|
| Who it is for | ||
| Built for | Professionals and teams whose work runs through colleagues, clients, and vendors | Professionals, solo founders, operators, and teams |
| Presence | ||
| Where you use it | Phone calls, iMessage, SMS, WhatsApp, email, and web | Its own email address, Slack, WhatsApp, Telegram, web, and desktop and iPhone apps |
| Its own phone number | Built in Its own number, for calls and texts | Not offered or not found No dedicated phone number found |
| Its own email address | Built in Including one on your company domain | Built in Each Townie has its own @town.com address |
| Its own computer | Built in Its own secure computer | Not verified Not verified |
| Working with people | ||
| Contacts people on your behalf | Built in Runs the whole exchange; the people it deals with never need an account | Partial Drafts and sends email and invites in your voice, with approval by default |
| Multi-person threads and hand-offs | Built in Many people on one thread, with hand-offs, approvals, and follow-ups | Partial Team Townies with shared routines and integrations |
| Shared tasks, files, and workflows | Built in Inside your company and across companies | Partial Team plans with shared routines, integrations, and pooled credits |
| Getting work done | ||
| Recurring and triggered work | Built in Plain-English workflows on demand, on a schedule, or on a trigger | Built in Routines on a schedule or a trigger |
| Trust and control | ||
| Your say before it acts | Built in Per-action autonomy you set; an admin can lock it team-wide | Built in Sends and invites need approval unless you grant broader permissions; audit log |
| No training on your data by default | Built in Never trains on customer data | Built in Training off by default; opt-in only |
| Security and admin | ||
| Security certifications | Built in SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, CCPA; encryption in transit and at rest | Built in SOC 2 Type II |
| SSO, SCIM, roles, and audit logs | Built in SAML SSO, SCIM, and RBAC on Team plans; audit logs on Enterprise | Partial Team and Enterprise plans with org analytics; Town says SSO and SCIM are not currently available |
| Availability | ||
| Availability | Private beta; request access | Out of beta in June 2026; self-serve with a free tier |
| Price | Paid plans per seat | Free; Starter $15 billed monthly; Pro $49 to Power Plus $199 per user billed annually; credit-metered; Team plans |
Town details reflect its public documentation and press coverage as of September 2026, last verified 2026-10-03. This market changes quickly, so re-check before relying on any single row.
Where Town shines
- Its own @town.com email address, so people can cc or forward to it
- Routines that run on a schedule or a trigger
- Approvals by default, an audit log, SOC 2 Type II, and training off by default
Pick Town if
- You want an email-first assistant with its own @town.com address, routines, approvals, and SOC 2.
- You want team plans and many integrations, and can live with credit-based pricing.
Where OpenAssistant fits better
- Its own phone number: Its own number, for calls and texts
- Its own computer: Its own secure computer
- Contacts people on your behalf: Runs the whole exchange; the people it deals with never need an account
- Multi-person threads and hand-offs: Many people on one thread, with hand-offs, approvals, and follow-ups
Pick OpenAssistant if
- You want an assistant with its own phone number that can make and receive calls and reach people over iMessage, SMS, and WhatsApp.
- You want shared tasks and workflows across companies, with assistants working together.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between OpenAssistant and Town?
Town is a personal assistant ('Townie') with its own email address, routines, and team plans. OpenAssistant is an executive assistant for work that involves other people.
Does Town have its own phone number?
No dedicated phone number found. OpenAssistant: Its own number, for calls and texts.
Can Town work with a team?
Team plans with shared routines, integrations, and pooled credits. OpenAssistant: Inside your company and across companies.
Does Town train on my data?
Training off by default; opt-in only. OpenAssistant: Never trains on customer data.
How much does Town cost?
Free; Starter $15 billed monthly; Pro $49 to Power Plus $199 per user billed annually; credit-metered; Team plans. OpenAssistant: Paid plans per seat.
Read more
- More about Town
- All AI assistants compared
- Best AI personal assistants in 2026
- OpenAssistant Trust Center
Sources
9 products tracked. Machine-readable version: /data/ai-assistants.json.