Comparison
Cole vs Instinct
Cole and Instinct both live in your messaging thread, keep a browser signed in to your accounts, hold your logins in a vault, run jobs in the background and watch pages for you. The differences: Cole works on eight channels including Slack and Teams for teams, asks for a typed approval code before it spends money, sends a message or changes an account, publishes its privacy and security terms, and is open to anyone on a free plan. Instinct is a personal assistant on iMessage and WhatsApp, invite-only, and acts without a confirmation step. Instinct details are from public reports as of September 2026; it has no public documentation.
Cole* Instinct: Invite-only personal AI assistant reached by text on iMessage and WhatsApp. No public documentation; features and pricing reconstructed from public reports as of September 2026.
The verdict
If you want one assistant on iMessage that acts on its own and you have an invite, Instinct is worth trying, and it currently answers faster than Cole. If you want the same mechanism for a team, on WhatsApp, Slack, Teams, Telegram or LINE, with a code you type before anything costs money or goes out in your name, and with privacy terms you can read, choose Cole. You can start today on the free plan.
Frequently asked questions
What is the main difference between Cole and Instinct?+
Both are AI assistants you text, and both keep a browser signed in to your accounts, hold your logins in a vault, run jobs in the background and watch pages for you. Cole also works for teams on Slack and Microsoft Teams, asks for a typed approval code before it spends money, sends a message on your behalf or changes an account, and publishes its privacy policy, terms and sub-processor list. Instinct, according to public reports, is a personal assistant on iMessage and WhatsApp that keeps going until a task is done without a confirmation step, and is invite-only.
Does Cole ask before it spends money?+
Yes. Before a purchase, a message sent in your name or a change to one of your accounts, Cole sends a short summary and a code, and waits until you reply with that code. Stored cards are only charged for the exact total you approved, there is a monthly spending cap, and every payment is listed in a ledger.
How does Cole sign in to my accounts without seeing my password?+
Three ways. A vault drop link opens a one-time page where you type the username and password straight into Cole's encrypted vault, so the chat and the model never see them. For sites that log in by phone number, Cole enters the number and you reply with the code you receive. For Google, Apple, Facebook and captchas, Cole sends a one-time link that shows his browser on your phone so you log in yourself and he keeps the session. Cole does not copy cookies out of your own browser.
Which channels does each one support?+
Cole works on WhatsApp, Slack, Telegram, LINE, iMessage, Microsoft Teams, web chat and email, and you can call him on the phone. Instinct works on iMessage and WhatsApp according to first-hand reviews; some users also report SMS, which we have not verified independently.
How much do Cole and Instinct cost?+
Cole has a free plan with 150 credits and paid plans that start at the Starter price shown on the pricing page, in US dollars. Instinct is reported to be free while it is invite-only; it has not published paid plans.