Short answer: Kiwi is a free, proactive AI assistant you text on iMessage or WhatsApp. It keeps track of your trips, plans, bills and the people in them, messages you before you ask when something needs doing, and then books, orders or replies on any app or website once you say yes. It launched on Product Hunt on 26 October 2026.

By Agent Playbox Editorial · Published · Updated

Kiwi AI assistant: a free helper that texts you first

Key facts

What is Kiwi and when did it launch?

Kiwi calls itself “your proactive assistant” (Kiwi). Its builder, Aneesh Modi, put it on Product Hunt on 26 October 2026, where it was featured and finished 11th of the day with 110 upvotes (Hunted.space). The Product Hunt listing describes it as an assistant that keeps track of “your trips, plans, bills and the people in them” and texts you at the right moment, and says it is free during the pilot (Product Hunt).

Kiwi’s own blog goes back to 12 October 2026, and on 31 October the team published a run of new guides explaining how it works (Kiwi). The company behind it is The Nudge L.L.C-FZ, registered in the Meydan Free Zone in Dubai, and its terms say the service is at an early stage of development (Kiwi terms). Funding, team size and user numbers are not published.

What does it mean that Kiwi texts you first?

An assistant that speaks up

Most assistants wait for a question. Kiwi’s pitch is the opposite: it watches what is coming up and messages you when something needs doing (Kiwi). Examples on its homepage include a heads-up that your flight is an hour late with an offer to book a taxi from arrivals, a note that your Saturday afternoon is free with an offer to plan something with the kids, a parcel that needs a signature while you are at the office, a phone bill due on Friday and a good-morning text with your day (Kiwi).

Saying yes is the whole job

When you reply, Kiwi does the work on any app or website (Kiwi). In Modi’s launch note, a free Saturday turns into booked tickets, lunch and a taxi after one yes, and Kiwi only says something is booked once the company confirms it (Hunted.space). You can also ask it directly, with requests like “Book a table for four on Friday” or “Tell me when Marta replies about the deposit” (Kiwi). If you like this style of help, our use cases and chief of staff template show how proactive agents fit into a day.

How do you start using Kiwi?

There is nothing to install. You tap Text Kiwi on heykiwi.co, pick iPhone or Android, and Messages or WhatsApp opens with “Hi Kiwi” already written; you press send (Kiwi). Kiwi then asks for your name, birthday and email and asks you to accept its terms, all inside the chat. Your phone number is your account, so there is no password (Kiwi).

To let it see your schedule and inbox, you say “connect Gmail” or “connect Google Calendar” and it walks you through it (Kiwi). Kiwi says it works with apps you already use, such as Gmail, Outlook, Google Calendar, Slack, Spotify and Uber, and uses the website when there is no app (Kiwi). You need to be at least 18 to use it (Kiwi terms).

How much does Kiwi cost?

Kiwi is free to use, with no subscription, no trial and no card needed to get started (Kiwi). When it books a ride or orders dinner, you pay the company directly, just as if you had booked it yourself, and Kiwi shows the price first. If the price changes before booking, it checks with you again (Kiwi).

The homepage makes the case with a playful receipt: it cites Payscale’s figure of USD 67,567 a year as the average base pay of a US executive assistant in 2026, then shows an example week of Kiwi’s help at USD 0 (Kiwi). Kiwi has not said whether paid plans will follow the pilot.

Is Kiwi safe and private?

Kiwi publishes clear rules. It acts only on what you asked for or on something it offered and you accepted, and text inside an email or on a website cannot give it instructions (Kiwi). It reads only the apps you connect, one at a time; with Gmail connected it does not access Google Drive, Docs, Sheets or Slides (Kiwi).

It reads your email and calendar when needed without keeping copies, storing only a short note about each message that needs you. Saved sign-ins are encrypted with AES-256-GCM and the AI never sees them, nobody at Kiwi reads your conversations, and it does not use your data to train general-purpose AI models. There are no ads, and no business can pay to change what it suggests (Kiwi). You can delete everything at app.heykiwi.co (Kiwi). Our inbox triage skill page explains what email access an agent typically needs.

How does Kiwi compare with Poke and Instinct?

Texting assistants are one of the busiest corners of the market. Poke is a proactive assistant on Apple Messages, WhatsApp, Telegram and more, with a free plan and a Pro plan at USD 19 a month (Poke). Instinct is an assistant you text or call that uses a phone and computer the way people do (Instinct).

Kiwi’s angle is going first from day one, with nothing to set up, and staying free with no ads. See Kiwi vs Poke and Kiwi vs Instinct for side-by-side facts, and our round-up of the best personal AI agents of 2026. Other recent text-first launches include Zest’s restaurant concierge and Sundae.

What should you watch next?

Kiwi is in its pilot, so the things to watch are how far its errands reach and what happens to pricing afterwards. Modi has been open that it is not perfect yet, noting that some sites ask you to prove you are human, and he invited users to say where it breaks (Hunted.space). Its terms and privacy policy also mention Kiwi hardware, though no device has been announced (Kiwi terms).

We will keep the Kiwi profile updated as it grows. Browse the full agent directory for more assistants you can text.

Timeline: how did we get here?

Agent snapshot: what do we know so far?

Facts below come from the agent profiles in our directory, each linked to its source.

Kiwi at a glance

Full Kiwi profile

Poke at a glance

Full Poke profile

Instinct at a glance

Full Instinct profile

Related comparisons and guides

Agents in this story

Kiwi

personal agent

A proactive AI assistant you text on iMessage or WhatsApp: it keeps track of your trips, plans, bills and the people in them, texts you first when something needs doing, and books, orders or replies on any app or website once you say yes.

Poke

personal agent

Proactive assistant on iMessage, WhatsApp, Telegram with many integrations

Instinct

personal agent

Personal assistant you text or call; it uses a phone and computer the way people do to handle everyday tasks.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kiwi?

Kiwi is a proactive AI assistant you text on iMessage or WhatsApp. It tracks your trips, plans and bills, texts you first when something needs doing and acts on any app or website when you say yes.

Is Kiwi free?

Yes. Kiwi is free to use with no subscription, trial or card to start. You pay companies directly for anything it books, and it shows the price first.

Do I need to download an app?

No. Kiwi is a contact in Messages on iPhone or in WhatsApp on any phone, and your phone number is your account.

Does Kiwi do anything without asking?

It adds your own plans to your calendar and sets reminders without asking. Anything that costs money or messages someone waits for your yes.

Who makes Kiwi?

Kiwi is built by Aneesh Modi and operated by The Nudge L.L.C-FZ, a company registered in the Meydan Free Zone in Dubai. Funding is not published.

Sources

Updated