Best paid AI assistant: plans from $20 a month
Which AI assistants with a paid plan of $20 a month or more are worth paying for?
Updated · 7 assistants ranked
Among the seven assistants in our catalog with a listed price of $20 a month or more, Muse ($20) scores highest at 9.0 over seven tests, ahead of Hark ($20, 8.5), Neo ($49, 8.1), Dots ($100, 8.0) and Ollie ($25, 7.8). Price does not track score: Joshu at $95 is last at 4.5 over four tests.
Top picks
- 19.0MuseTop pick
Tested on 7 of 10Best: Purchasing10, Email10
- 28.5HarkBest free option
Tested on 6 of 10Best: Purchasing10, Memory10
- 38.1
Tested on 10 of 10Best: Travel9, Phone calls9
- 48.0DotsFastest that's still good
Tested on 7 of 10Best: Email10, Online tasks9Time to finish 6m 51s
- 57.8
Tested on 8 of 10Best: Online tasks9, Routines9
Top pick: highest average here. Best free option: highest among assistants you can use for free. Fastest that's still good: quickest median time to finish among those averaging 7 or more.
Full ranking
| # | Assistant | Online tasks | Travel | Purchasing | Phone calls | Proactive | Routines | Connected apps | Permissions | Memory | Average | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Muse | 8 | 7 | 10 | — | 10 | — | 10 | 9 | 9 | — | 9.0 |
| 2 | Hark | 8 | 9 | 10 | — | 9 | — | — | 5 | — | 10 | 8.5 |
| 3 | Neo | 7 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8.1 |
| 4 | Dots | 9 | 6 | 7 | N/A | 10 | 9 | — | — | 7 | 8 | 8.0 |
| 5 | Ollie | 9 | 7 | 7 | N/A | 7 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 8 | — | 7.8 |
| 6 | Vellum | 4 | — | 4 | — | — | 6 | 8 | — | 7 | 7 | 6.0 |
| 7 | Joshu | 5 | — | — | — | 5 | — | — | 5 | — | 3 | 4.5 |
How this report works
Included are assistants whose catalog entry (checked 2026-10-26) lists a monthly price of $20 or more, tested on at least four of the ten tests. Prices are the monthly price listed in the catalog and can change. They are ranked by the average of the tests they took. Scores come from the published score sheet and are dated 2026-10-27. 3 of the 7 ranked assistants (Neo, Vellum and Joshu) carry pre-filled scores, which are placeholder estimates the site has not yet replaced with its own test runs, so treat their places as provisional. Muse, Hark, Dots and Ollie are not pre-filled.
How to choose
- Compare price to score, not to the label. Muse and Hark cost $20 a month and average 9.0 and 8.5, while Joshu costs $95 and averages 4.5.
- Check what the free tier gives first. Muse, Hark, Neo, Ollie and Vellum list a free tier or allowance (Neo gives 750 credits once, Ollie 50 messages a month), so you can test before you pay; Joshu offers a 14-day free trial.
- Look at the number of tests behind each average. Joshu's 4.5 rests on four tests and Hark's 8.5 on six, while Neo has all ten.
What is the best paid AI assistant?
Muse averages 9.0 over seven tests at a listed $20 a month, Hark 8.5 over six at $20, and Neo 8.1 over ten at $49. Muse and Hark are not pre-filled; Neo is, so its place is provisional.
Is a more expensive AI assistant better?
Not in our scores. Dots ($100) averages 8.0, but Joshu ($95) averages 4.5 and Vellum ($30) 6.0, while the two $20 plans lead the table.
Are there cheaper options?
Yes. The report on assistants that are free or under $10 a month covers them, and the free-assistant report lists those with no price at all.
What users say
The agent, which Meta launched on September 8, booked a Friday date night and made a packing schedule for my upcoming move. It also emailed a friend about a trip next month and made a planning document with places we want to visit.
Open sourceWhen I asked for a list of places to go for date night, it pulled up two options in my neighborhood that had been closed for years.
Open sourceUse Ollie if you want a text-only assistant that quietly watches your inbox and calendar and pings you; use Ohai if you want an app-based shared household workspace the whole family uses together.
Open sourceFrequently asked questions
Which assistant is best for this?
Muse leads with an average of 9.0, ahead of Hark and Neo.
Is there a good free option?
Muse is the highest-ranked assistant with a free plan, averaging 9.0.
How did you test these assistants?
Every assistant got the same published tests, word for word, scored from three checkpoints and the number of corrections it needed. Each test is on the Dimensions page.