# GAIA vs Orbits > GAIA scores 49.5 (D) to Orbits's 15.6 (F) for assistants reached by message. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side. - Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-orbits - Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-orbits.md (~3,300 tokens) - Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-orbits.min.md (~630 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts) - JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-orbits.json (this page as data, same URL with Accept: application/json) - Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (full text: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt) - API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json - Updated: 2026-10-13 GAIA scores 49.5 (D) on agent readiness against Orbits's 15.6 (F), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Both do assistants reached by message. - GAIA: grade D, 49.5/100, rank #816 of 1010. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/gaia.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/gaia.json - Orbits: grade F, 15.6/100, rank #997 of 1010. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/orbits.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/orbits.json - Best AI personal assistants that act for one person: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/personal-assistants/index.md - All 834 assistants comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/personal-assistants/index.md ## Which one, for what ### GAIA (D) Good for: It suits one person who wants mail triage, meeting briefs, todos and scheduled workflows from one assistant reachable on WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Discord or iMessage, and who wants to read the source. Ahead on: - Reliability, 67 against 15 - Schema & documentation, 51 against 10 - Agent ergonomics, 54 against 0 - Security & auth, 54 against 0 - Maintenance & community, 78 against 54 - Transparency & trust, 60 against 43 Watch for: The default approval mode in the source is `always_allow`, commented as nothing gated, while the privacy policy and the 26 August release notes say destructive actions wait for approval. ### Orbits (F) Good for: Families who want one shared assistant for calendars, lists, meals, chores and household email. Also in its favour: - No incidents deducted, where GAIA loses 5 points for them Watch for: No public agent API, as llms.txt states. ## Score by category | Category | Weight | GAIA | Orbits | Edge | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 67 | 15 | GAIA +52 | | Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run | | Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 51 | 10 | GAIA +41 | | Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 54 | 0 | GAIA +54 | | Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 54 | 0 | GAIA +54 | | Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 20 | 20 | even | | Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run | | Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 78 | 54 | GAIA +24 | | Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 60 | 43 | GAIA +17 | | Negative events | ≤15 | -5 | 0 | | | **Total** | | **49.5 · D** | **15.6 · F** | | ## Facts side by side | Fact | GAIA | Orbits | | --- | --- | --- | | Kind | Platform | Platform | | Vendor | The Experience Company | Nemus AI, Inc. | | Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | no (local only) | | Transports | | | | Auth | OAuth | OAuth or key | | Pricing | Paid | Paid | | x402 | no | no | | Licence | PolyForm-Noncommercial-1.0.0 | Closed service under the Orbits Terms of Service (Nemus AI, Inc.). | | Read-only variant documented | no | no | | llms.txt | yes | yes | | Last release | 2026-09-14 | 2026-10-13 | | Terms last updated | 2026-08-14 | | | Privacy policy last updated | 2026-08-07 | | | Customer content may train models | not found in the text | | | Terms restrict automated access | yes | | | Terms restrict benchmarking | not found in the text | | | Terms or service can change without notice | yes | | | Arbitration or class-action waiver | yes | | | Popularity | 308 stars | none | ## Verdicts **GAIA.** GAIA's source is public, so its approval gate, memory store and token handling can be read. Three approval modes and per-tool overrides exist, but the default mode in the source runs every action unasked, which the privacy policy and release notes do not say. Pro costs $30 a month and self-hosting is limited to noncommercial use. **Orbits.** Orbits is a family household app whose assistant, Bit, runs shared calendars, lists and meals, reads household email and places restaurant calls after approval, with iOS releases every week or two. No outside agent can call it, prices appear only as App Store in-app purchases, and no status page, security contact or named subprocessors were found. ## Before you call either ### GAIA 1. Set Settings > Approvals to Always ask or Auto before connecting mail. The default in the source runs every action, including send and delete, without asking. 2. Expect no public API on the hosted service. The backend turns off its OpenAPI document in production, so reach GAIA through its apps, bots or CLI. 3. Check the plan before relying on the hosted service. The README and docs describe a Free plan, and the pricing page says GAIA is a paid product. 4. For self-hosting, prepare Docker, Node.js 20, a WorkOS account and a model key first, and confirm the use is noncommercial under the licence. 5. Add outside tools as MCP servers by URL on the Integrations page. GAIA asks before adding a server in every approval mode. ### Orbits 1. Don't plan to call Orbits from another agent. llms.txt says no public agent API is offered. 2. Tell the owner the assistant needs an Orbits subscription bought in the app, and that any trial appears only at purchase. ## Questions ### Which is better for AI agents, GAIA or Orbits? GAIA scores 49.5 (D) on agent readiness against Orbits's 15.6 (F), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. ## For agents - This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-orbits.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-orbits.min.md - Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "gaia", "b": "orbits"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare gaia orbits` - Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/gaia.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/orbits.json ## Other comparisons with GAIA or Orbits - [asaply vs GAIA](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/asaply-vs-gaia.md) - [asaply vs Orbits](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/asaply-vs-orbits.md) - [Asmi vs GAIA](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/asmi-vs-gaia.md) - [Asmi vs Orbits](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/asmi-vs-orbits.md) - [AstrBot vs Orbits](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/astrbot-vs-orbits.md) - [Boba vs GAIA](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boba-vs-gaia.md) - [Boba vs Orbits](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boba-vs-orbits.md) - [Boski vs Orbits](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boski-vs-orbits.md) - [Brea vs GAIA](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/brea-vs-gaia.md) - [Brea vs Orbits](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/brea-vs-orbits.md) - [Caddy vs Orbits](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/caddy-app-vs-orbits.md) - [CowAgent vs Orbits](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-orbits.md) - [Del vs GAIA](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/del-vs-gaia.md) - [Del vs Orbits](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/del-vs-orbits.md) - [folk vs Orbits](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/folk-nozomio-vs-orbits.md) - [GAIA vs HireAlpha](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-hirealpha.md) - [GAIA vs OpenInstinct](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-openinstinct.md) - [GAIA vs Orchid](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-orchid-ai.md) - [GAIA vs szn](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-szn.md) - [GAIA vs Tab](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-tab-bot.md) - [GAIA vs Zapia](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-zapia.md) - [Grok Bot vs Orbits](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grok-bot-vs-orbits.md) - [Haven vs Orbits](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/haven-vs-orbits.md) - [Hermes Agent vs Orbits](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-orbits.md) - [HireAlpha vs Orbits](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hirealpha-vs-orbits.md) - [Instinct vs Orbits](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-orbits.md) - [IronClaw vs Orbits](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ironclaw-vs-orbits.md) - [Lindy vs Orbits](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lindy-vs-orbits.md) - [nanobot vs Orbits](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanobot-vs-orbits.md) - [NanoClaw vs Orbits](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanoclaw-vs-orbits.md) - [Dots vs Orbits](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-dots-vs-orbits.md) - [OpenClaw vs Orbits](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openclaw-vs-orbits.md) - [OpenInstinct vs Orbits](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openinstinct-vs-orbits.md) - [Orbits vs Orchid](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/orbits-vs-orchid-ai.md) - [Orbits vs Pally](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/orbits-vs-pally.md) - [Orbits vs PicoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/orbits-vs-picoclaw.md) - [Orbits vs Poke](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/orbits-vs-poke.md) - [Orbits vs QwenPaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/orbits-vs-qwenpaw.md) - [Orbits vs szn](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/orbits-vs-szn.md) - [Orbits vs Tab](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/orbits-vs-tab-bot.md) - [Orbits vs Tomo](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/orbits-vs-tomo.md) - [Orbits vs Town](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/orbits-vs-town.md) - [Orbits vs Zapia](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/orbits-vs-zapia.md) - [Orbits vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/orbits-vs-zeroclaw.md) - [Orbits vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/orbits-vs-zo-computer.md) - [AstrBot vs GAIA](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/astrbot-vs-gaia.md) - [Boski vs GAIA](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boski-vs-gaia.md) - [Caddy vs GAIA](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/caddy-app-vs-gaia.md) - [CowAgent vs GAIA](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-gaia.md) - [folk vs GAIA](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/folk-nozomio-vs-gaia.md) - [GAIA vs Gemini Spark](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-gemini-spark.md) - [GAIA vs Grok Bot](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-grok-bot.md) - [GAIA vs Haven](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-haven.md) - [GAIA vs Hermes Agent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-hermes-agent.md) - [GAIA vs Instinct](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-instinct.md) - [GAIA vs IronClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-ironclaw.md) - [GAIA vs Leon](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-leon.md) - [GAIA vs Lindy](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-lindy.md) - [GAIA vs nanobot](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-nanobot.md) - [GAIA vs NanoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-nanoclaw.md) - [GAIA vs Dots](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-openai-dots.md) - [GAIA vs OpenClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-openclaw.md) - [GAIA vs PicoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-picoclaw.md) - [GAIA vs Poke](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-poke.md) - [GAIA vs QwenPaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-qwenpaw.md) - [GAIA vs Town](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-town.md) - [GAIA vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-zeroclaw.md) - [GAIA vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-zo-computer.md) - [GAIA vs Natura tinyNature](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-natura.md) - [GAIA vs Pally](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-pally.md) - [GAIA vs Tomo](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-tomo.md) - [GAIA vs Wajo (Fo)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-wajo.md) - [Gemini Spark vs Orbits](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-spark-vs-orbits.md) - [Leon vs Orbits](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/leon-vs-orbits.md) - [Natura tinyNature vs Orbits](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/natura-vs-orbits.md) - [Orbits vs Wajo (Fo)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/orbits-vs-wajo.md) - [GAIA vs Talorys](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-talorys.md) - [Orbits vs Talorys](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/orbits-vs-talorys.md) ## Disclosure - Orbits competes with LocalGhost, which Anchor Terminal's founder builds. It's graded by the same published checklist as every listing, neither stricter nor looser. Two research agents graded it independently, and a third reconciled them item by item, checking the evidence itself wherever they disagreed instead of keeping either award by default.