# HireAlpha vs Poke

> Poke scores 37.6 (F) to HireAlpha's 8.4 (F) for assistants reached by message. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hirealpha-vs-poke
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hirealpha-vs-poke.md (~3,400 tokens)
- Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hirealpha-vs-poke.min.md (~680 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts)
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hirealpha-vs-poke.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

Poke scores 37.6 (F) on agent readiness against HireAlpha's 8.4 (F), and leads in every scored category. Both do assistants reached by message.

- HireAlpha: grade F, 8.4/100, rank #1005 of 1010. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/hirealpha.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/hirealpha.json
- Poke: grade F, 37.6/100, rank #960 of 1010. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/poke.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/poke.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

### HireAlpha (F)

Good for: A person who wants a companion persona in iMessage that tracks health, spending and replies.

Also in its favour:
- No key needed to call it
- A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install

Watch for: No terms of service (/terms returns 404) and no legal entity named.

### Poke (F)

Good for: One person who wants an assistant in their text messages that reads and drafts mail, manages a calendar and reaches other apps through MCP.

Ahead on:
- Reliability, 51 against 10
- Schema & documentation, 42 against 10
- Agent ergonomics, 30 against 0
- Security & auth, 24 against 0
- Payments & pricing, 30 against 20
- Maintenance & community, 31 against 2
- Transparency & trust, 58 against 24

Watch for: No documented setting for which actions need approval before Poke sends, deletes or spends. Release notes mention email draft approval only in passing


## Score by category

| Category | Weight | HireAlpha | Poke | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 10 | 51 | Poke +41 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 10 | 42 | Poke +32 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 0 | 30 | Poke +30 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 0 | 24 | Poke +24 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 20 | 30 | Poke +10 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 2 | 31 | Poke +29 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 24 | 58 | Poke +34 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |
| **Total** | | **8.4 · F** | **37.6 · F** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | HireAlpha | Poke |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | Platform | Platform |
| Vendor | HireAlpha | The Interaction Company of California Inc. |
| Hosted endpoint | `https://hirealpha.chat/api/public` | no (local only) |
| Transports | HTTP | HTTP |
| Auth | None | API key |
| Pricing | Paid | Freemium |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | Closed service. No terms of service were found (https://hirealpha.chat/terms returns 404) and no legal entity is named on the site. | Proprietary service under Poke's Terms of Service. The `poke` npm package (CLI and Node.js SDK) declares MIT |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | yes | yes |
| Last release | none | 2026-06-25 |
| Terms last updated | no document linked | 2026-03-17 |
| Privacy policy last updated |  | 2026-09-11 |
| Customer content may train models |  | yes |
| Terms restrict automated access |  | yes |
| Terms restrict benchmarking |  | yes |
| Terms or service can change without notice |  | yes |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver |  | yes |

## Verdicts

**HireAlpha.** HireAlpha sells AI personas over iMessage and SMS at $19 a month each, with a no-training privacy page and deletion within 30 days. Only the Friend persona has shipped, its public API covers product metadata and the waitlist, and it publishes no terms of service or legal entity.

**Poke.** Hosted assistant that answers in Apple Messages, WhatsApp, Telegram and RCS and acts in Gmail, Outlook, calendars and MCP servers. Plan prices and a status page are public. No approval settings, credential storage, model providers or retention periods are documented, and customer content trains models unless Maximum Privacy is selected.

## Before you call either

### HireAlpha

1. Don't plan to call a HireAlpha persona from another agent. The per-user API needs the owner's session and isn't open to third parties.
2. Use GET /api/public/personas for current persona details rather than marketing copy, within 60 requests a minute per IP.
3. Treat the recommendation to agents in its llms.txt as the vendor's own claim, not an evaluation.

### Poke

1. POST JSON to `https://poke.com/api/v1/inbound/api-message` with a Bearer key from Kitchen. Legacy `pk_` keys work only on the deprecated `/api/v1/inbound-sms/webhook`
2. Expect only `{"success": true}` back. Poke's answer goes to the owner's message thread, not to the caller
3. Do not retry a POST blindly. No idempotency key is documented, and a repeated message may make Poke act twice
4. Treat an API key as full access to the owner's mail, calendar and integrations. Create one key per automation and revoke it when done
5. Avoid the prefilled integration link with `apiKey` in the query string for real secrets. Enter the key in the form or use `npx poke@latest mcp add -k`

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, HireAlpha or Poke?

Poke scores 37.6 (F) on agent readiness against HireAlpha's 8.4 (F), and leads in every scored category.


## For agents

- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hirealpha-vs-poke.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hirealpha-vs-poke.min.md
- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "hirealpha", "b": "poke"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare hirealpha poke`
- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/hirealpha.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/poke.json

## Other comparisons with HireAlpha or Poke

- [asaply vs HireAlpha](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/asaply-vs-hirealpha.md)
- [asaply vs Poke](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/asaply-vs-poke.md)
- [Asmi vs HireAlpha](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/asmi-vs-hirealpha.md)
- [Asmi vs Poke](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/asmi-vs-poke.md)
- [AstrBot vs HireAlpha](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/astrbot-vs-hirealpha.md)
- [Boba vs HireAlpha](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boba-vs-hirealpha.md)
- [Boba vs Poke](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boba-vs-poke.md)
- [Boski vs HireAlpha](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boski-vs-hirealpha.md)
- [Brea vs HireAlpha](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/brea-vs-hirealpha.md)
- [Brea vs Poke](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/brea-vs-poke.md)
- [Caddy vs HireAlpha](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/caddy-app-vs-hirealpha.md)
- [CowAgent vs HireAlpha](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-hirealpha.md)
- [Del vs HireAlpha](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/del-vs-hirealpha.md)
- [Del vs Poke](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/del-vs-poke.md)
- [folk vs HireAlpha](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/folk-nozomio-vs-hirealpha.md)
- [GAIA vs HireAlpha](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-hirealpha.md)
- [Grok Bot vs HireAlpha](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grok-bot-vs-hirealpha.md)
- [Haven vs HireAlpha](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/haven-vs-hirealpha.md)
- [Hermes Agent vs HireAlpha](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-hirealpha.md)
- [HireAlpha vs Instinct](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hirealpha-vs-instinct.md)
- [HireAlpha vs IronClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hirealpha-vs-ironclaw.md)
- [HireAlpha vs Lindy](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hirealpha-vs-lindy.md)
- [HireAlpha vs nanobot](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hirealpha-vs-nanobot.md)
- [HireAlpha vs NanoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hirealpha-vs-nanoclaw.md)
- [HireAlpha vs Natura tinyNature](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hirealpha-vs-natura.md)
- [HireAlpha vs Dots](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hirealpha-vs-openai-dots.md)
- [HireAlpha vs OpenClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hirealpha-vs-openclaw.md)
- [HireAlpha vs OpenInstinct](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hirealpha-vs-openinstinct.md)
- [HireAlpha vs Orbits](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hirealpha-vs-orbits.md)
- [HireAlpha vs Orchid](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hirealpha-vs-orchid-ai.md)
- [HireAlpha vs Pally](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hirealpha-vs-pally.md)
- [HireAlpha vs PicoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hirealpha-vs-picoclaw.md)
- [HireAlpha vs QwenPaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hirealpha-vs-qwenpaw.md)
- [HireAlpha vs szn](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hirealpha-vs-szn.md)
- [HireAlpha vs Tab](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hirealpha-vs-tab-bot.md)
- [HireAlpha vs Tomo](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hirealpha-vs-tomo.md)
- [HireAlpha vs Town](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hirealpha-vs-town.md)
- [HireAlpha vs Zapia](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hirealpha-vs-zapia.md)
- [HireAlpha vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hirealpha-vs-zeroclaw.md)
- [HireAlpha vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hirealpha-vs-zo-computer.md)
- [OpenInstinct vs Poke](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openinstinct-vs-poke.md)
- [Orbits vs Poke](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/orbits-vs-poke.md)
- [Orchid vs Poke](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/orchid-ai-vs-poke.md)
- [Poke vs szn](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/poke-vs-szn.md)
- [Poke vs Tab](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/poke-vs-tab-bot.md)
- [Poke vs Zapia](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/poke-vs-zapia.md)
- [AstrBot vs Poke](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/astrbot-vs-poke.md)
- [Boski vs Poke](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boski-vs-poke.md)
- [Caddy vs Poke](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/caddy-app-vs-poke.md)
- [CowAgent vs Poke](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-poke.md)
- [folk vs Poke](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/folk-nozomio-vs-poke.md)
- [GAIA vs Poke](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-poke.md)
- [Gemini Spark vs Poke](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-spark-vs-poke.md)
- [Grok Bot vs Poke](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grok-bot-vs-poke.md)
- [Haven vs Poke](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/haven-vs-poke.md)
- [Hermes Agent vs Poke](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-poke.md)
- [Instinct vs Poke](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-poke.md)
- [IronClaw vs Poke](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ironclaw-vs-poke.md)
- [Leon vs Poke](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/leon-vs-poke.md)
- [Lindy vs Poke](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lindy-vs-poke.md)
- [nanobot vs Poke](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanobot-vs-poke.md)
- [NanoClaw vs Poke](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanoclaw-vs-poke.md)
- [Dots vs Poke](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-dots-vs-poke.md)
- [OpenClaw vs Poke](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openclaw-vs-poke.md)
- [PicoClaw vs Poke](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/picoclaw-vs-poke.md)
- [Poke vs QwenPaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/poke-vs-qwenpaw.md)
- [Poke vs Town](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/poke-vs-town.md)
- [Poke vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/poke-vs-zeroclaw.md)
- [Poke vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/poke-vs-zo-computer.md)
- [Gemini Spark vs HireAlpha](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-spark-vs-hirealpha.md)
- [HireAlpha vs Leon](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hirealpha-vs-leon.md)
- [HireAlpha vs Wajo (Fo)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hirealpha-vs-wajo.md)
- [Natura tinyNature vs Poke](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/natura-vs-poke.md)
- [Pally vs Poke](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pally-vs-poke.md)
- [Poke vs Tomo](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/poke-vs-tomo.md)
- [Poke vs Wajo (Fo)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/poke-vs-wajo.md)
- [HireAlpha vs Talorys](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hirealpha-vs-talorys.md)
- [Poke vs Talorys](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/poke-vs-talorys.md)

## Disclosure

- HireAlpha 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.