# Orchid vs Zo Computer > Zo Computer scores 43.1 (E) to Orchid's 20.2 (F) for assistants reached by message. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side. - Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/orchid-ai-vs-zo-computer - Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/orchid-ai-vs-zo-computer.md (~3,550 tokens) - Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/orchid-ai-vs-zo-computer.min.md (~680 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts) - JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/orchid-ai-vs-zo-computer.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 Zo Computer scores 43.1 (E) on agent readiness against Orchid's 20.2 (F), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Orchid leads on reliability. Both do assistants reached by message. - Orchid: grade F, 20.2/100, rank #992 of 1010. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/orchid-ai.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/orchid-ai.json - Zo Computer: grade E, 43.1/100, rank #915 of 1010. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/zo-computer.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/zo-computer.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 ### Orchid (F) Good for: A founder or operator who wants Gmail and calendar triage by text with approval before anything leaves. Ahead on: - Reliability, 50 against 15 Watch for: No API, MCP server or A2A endpoint for an outside agent. ### Zo Computer (E) Good for: One person who wants a hosted assistant with its own Linux machine, reachable by text message and chat apps, and who accepts that the assistant acts on connected accounts without a documented approval step. Ahead on: - Schema & documentation, 73 against 10 - Agent ergonomics, 34 against 0 - Security & auth, 37 against 0 - Payments & pricing, 40 against 10 - Maintenance & community, 68 against 24 Also in its favour: - A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install Watch for: The access token for the API and MCP endpoint grants full access to the workspace, with no scoped or read-only token documented ## Score by category | Category | Weight | Orchid | Zo Computer | Edge | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 50 | 15 | Orchid +35 | | Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run | | Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 10 | 73 | Zo Computer +63 | | Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 0 | 34 | Zo Computer +34 | | Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 0 | 37 | Zo Computer +37 | | Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 10 | 40 | Zo Computer +30 | | Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run | | Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 24 | 68 | Zo Computer +44 | | Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 60 | 60 | even | | Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | | | **Total** | | **20.2 · F** | **43.1 · E** | | ## Facts side by side | Fact | Orchid | Zo Computer | | --- | --- | --- | | Kind | Platform | HTTP API | | Vendor | Zero Email, Inc. | Zo Computer Company | | Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | `https://api.zo.computer/mcp` | | Transports | | HTTP | | Auth | OAuth or key | API key | | Pricing | Paid | Freemium | | x402 | no | no | | Licence | Closed service under Orchid's Terms of Service (Zero Email, Inc., last updated 16 January 2026). | Proprietary service under Zo Computer Company's terms of service | | Read-only variant documented | no | no | | llms.txt | yes | yes | | Last release | none | 2026-09-14 | | Terms last updated | | 2025-08-08 | | Privacy policy last updated | | 2026-05-20 | | Customer content may train models | | not found in the text | | Terms restrict automated access | | not found in the text | | Terms restrict benchmarking | | not found in the text | | Terms or service can change without notice | | not found in the text | | Arbitration or class-action waiver | | not found in the text | ## Verdicts **Orchid.** Orchid is a paid executive assistant over iMessage, SMS and Telegram that holds drafts and calendar holds until the owner approves, with a public status page and a named subprocessor list. No outside agent can call it, there's no free tier, and its privacy policy allows training a personal model while its blog says it never trains. **Zo Computer.** Zo publishes an OpenAPI file, Markdown docs, plan prices and a named list of the providers that receive user content. One access token grants full access to the workspace, no approval step before sending or buying was found in the reviewed docs, and no status page, rate limit or SLA is published. ## Before you call either ### Orchid 1. Don't plan to call Orchid from another agent. It answers only the owner's iMessage, SMS and Telegram threads. 2. Check status.orchid.ai before telling the owner Orchid is down. The 7 August incident moved it to a new number. 3. Tell the owner that drafts and holds wait for their approval unless they widen it. ### Zo Computer 1. Send `POST https://api.zo.computer/zo/ask` with `Authorization: Bearer zo_sk_...` and an `input` string. The owner creates the token under Settings > Advanced 2. Pass `persona_id` for a persona with a narrow tool set. The token itself carries every permission the owner has 3. Set `memory_mode` to `off` to keep workspace memory out of a request. The field is in the OpenAPI file and absent from the API guide 4. Do not retry `/zo/ask` blindly after a timeout. No idempotency key is documented and the request may already have sent a message 5. Append `.md` to any guide or reference URL for Markdown ## Questions ### Which is better for AI agents, Orchid or Zo Computer? Zo Computer scores 43.1 (E) on agent readiness against Orchid's 20.2 (F), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Orchid leads on reliability. ### Can an agent call Orchid and Zo Computer without installing anything? No hosted endpoint is listed for Orchid. Zo Computer has a hosted endpoint at https://api.zo.computer/mcp. ## For agents - This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/orchid-ai-vs-zo-computer.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/orchid-ai-vs-zo-computer.min.md - Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "orchid-ai", "b": "zo-computer"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare orchid-ai zo-computer` - Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/orchid-ai.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/zo-computer.json ## Other comparisons with Orchid or Zo Computer - [asaply vs Orchid](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/asaply-vs-orchid-ai.md) - [asaply vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/asaply-vs-zo-computer.md) - [Asmi vs Orchid](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/asmi-vs-orchid-ai.md) - [Asmi vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/asmi-vs-zo-computer.md) - [AstrBot vs Orchid](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/astrbot-vs-orchid-ai.md) - [Boba vs Orchid](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boba-vs-orchid-ai.md) - [Boba vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boba-vs-zo-computer.md) - [Boski vs Orchid](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boski-vs-orchid-ai.md) - [Brea vs Orchid](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/brea-vs-orchid-ai.md) - [Brea vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/brea-vs-zo-computer.md) - [Caddy vs Orchid](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/caddy-app-vs-orchid-ai.md) - [CowAgent vs Orchid](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-orchid-ai.md) - [Del vs Orchid](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/del-vs-orchid-ai.md) - [Del vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/del-vs-zo-computer.md) - [folk vs Orchid](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/folk-nozomio-vs-orchid-ai.md) - [GAIA vs Orchid](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-orchid-ai.md) - [Grok Bot vs Orchid](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grok-bot-vs-orchid-ai.md) - [Haven vs Orchid](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/haven-vs-orchid-ai.md) - [Hermes Agent vs Orchid](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-orchid-ai.md) - [HireAlpha vs Orchid](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hirealpha-vs-orchid-ai.md) - [HireAlpha vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hirealpha-vs-zo-computer.md) - [Instinct vs Orchid](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-orchid-ai.md) - [IronClaw vs Orchid](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ironclaw-vs-orchid-ai.md) - [Lindy vs Orchid](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lindy-vs-orchid-ai.md) - [nanobot vs Orchid](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanobot-vs-orchid-ai.md) - [NanoClaw vs Orchid](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanoclaw-vs-orchid-ai.md) - [Dots vs Orchid](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-dots-vs-orchid-ai.md) - [OpenClaw vs Orchid](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openclaw-vs-orchid-ai.md) - [OpenInstinct vs Orchid](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openinstinct-vs-orchid-ai.md) - [OpenInstinct vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openinstinct-vs-zo-computer.md) - [Orbits vs Orchid](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/orbits-vs-orchid-ai.md) - [Orbits vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/orbits-vs-zo-computer.md) - [Orchid vs Pally](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/orchid-ai-vs-pally.md) - [Orchid vs PicoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/orchid-ai-vs-picoclaw.md) - [Orchid vs Poke](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/orchid-ai-vs-poke.md) - [Orchid vs QwenPaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/orchid-ai-vs-qwenpaw.md) - [Orchid vs szn](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/orchid-ai-vs-szn.md) - [Orchid vs Tab](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/orchid-ai-vs-tab-bot.md) - [Orchid vs Tomo](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/orchid-ai-vs-tomo.md) - [Orchid vs Town](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/orchid-ai-vs-town.md) - [Orchid vs Zapia](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/orchid-ai-vs-zapia.md) - [Orchid vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/orchid-ai-vs-zeroclaw.md) - [szn vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/szn-vs-zo-computer.md) - [Tab vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/tab-bot-vs-zo-computer.md) - [Zapia vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/zapia-vs-zo-computer.md) - [AstrBot vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/astrbot-vs-zo-computer.md) - [Boski vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boski-vs-zo-computer.md) - [Caddy vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/caddy-app-vs-zo-computer.md) - [CowAgent vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-zo-computer.md) - [folk vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/folk-nozomio-vs-zo-computer.md) - [GAIA vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-zo-computer.md) - [Gemini Spark vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-spark-vs-zo-computer.md) - [Grok Bot vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grok-bot-vs-zo-computer.md) - [Haven vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/haven-vs-zo-computer.md) - [Hermes Agent vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-zo-computer.md) - [Instinct vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-zo-computer.md) - [IronClaw vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ironclaw-vs-zo-computer.md) - [Leon vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/leon-vs-zo-computer.md) - [Lindy vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lindy-vs-zo-computer.md) - [nanobot vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanobot-vs-zo-computer.md) - [NanoClaw vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanoclaw-vs-zo-computer.md) - [Dots vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-dots-vs-zo-computer.md) - [OpenClaw vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openclaw-vs-zo-computer.md) - [PicoClaw vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/picoclaw-vs-zo-computer.md) - [Poke vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/poke-vs-zo-computer.md) - [QwenPaw vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/qwenpaw-vs-zo-computer.md) - [Town vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/town-vs-zo-computer.md) - [ZeroClaw vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/zeroclaw-vs-zo-computer.md) - [Gemini Spark vs Orchid](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-spark-vs-orchid-ai.md) - [Leon vs Orchid](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/leon-vs-orchid-ai.md) - [Natura tinyNature vs Orchid](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/natura-vs-orchid-ai.md) - [Natura tinyNature vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/natura-vs-zo-computer.md) - [Orchid vs Wajo (Fo)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/orchid-ai-vs-wajo.md) - [Pally vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pally-vs-zo-computer.md) - [Tomo vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/tomo-vs-zo-computer.md) - [Wajo (Fo) vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/wajo-vs-zo-computer.md) - [Orchid vs Talorys](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/orchid-ai-vs-talorys.md) - [Talorys vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/talorys-vs-zo-computer.md) ## Disclosure - Orchid 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.