Shortlist by what you need
Start here if you know why you are leaving Carly AI.
Want the closest match?
Sidekick AIMost similar to Carly AI in what it does, its category and its price.
Visit (opens Sidekick AI in a new tab)Need a free plan?
minimiHas a free plan, rated 3.6 out of 5.
Visit (opens minimi in a new tab)Want the best rated?
ClaraRated 4.2 out of 5 in our review, against 3.9 for Carly AI.
Visit (opens Clara in a new tab)
At a glance
Green means better than Carly AI, red means worse. Prices are starting prices per month.
| Tool | Our rating | Starts at | Free plan | Best for | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Carly AIBaseline | 3.9 | $30/mo | Yes | Email-native AI assistant that runs scheduling, CRM and research tasks by CC | |
| Sidekick AI | 3.7−0.2 | Free | Yes | Forward a meeting email to it and it books the meeting for you. | vs Carly AI |
 Saidar | 3.5−0.4 | Free | Yes | An email and calendar assistant you talk to in iMessage, with no app to open. | vs Carly AI |
| Clara | 4.2+0.3 | $80/mo$50 more | No | AI scheduling assistant that works by email: copy Clara on a thread and she proposes times, handles every reply and reschedule, follows up with attendees and confirms the meeting on Google or Outlook calendars. | vs Carly AI |
 SkimIt | 3.5−0.4 | Free | Yes | Email any article link and get a summary back in about ten minutes - no app, no signup, no account. | vs Carly AI |
| minimi | 3.6−0.3 | Free | Yes | Builds a personal memory of your work so open loops stop getting lost. | vs Carly AI |
The alternatives in detail
In order of how closely each one matches Carly AI.
Sidekick AI
3.7Free
vs Carly AI−0.2
Forward a meeting email to it and it books the meeting for you.
- Forward to Schedule from an email thread
- Individual and team booking pages
- AI time-finding across multiple participants
Forwarding fits the cases where sending a booking link is awkward
No pricing figures published for paid tiers
Saidar
3.5Free
vs Carly AI−0.4
An email and calendar assistant you talk to in iMessage, with no app to open.
- Email and calendar management over iMessage
- Daily schedule summaries
- Surfaces messages needing a decision
Lives in a thread you already have open, removing a step rather than adding one
Needs standing access to your email and calendar, a very large grant
Clara
4.2$80/mo
vs Carly AI$50 more+0.3
AI scheduling assistant that works by email: copy Clara on a thread and she proposes times, handles every reply and reschedule, follows up with attendees and confirms the meeting on Google or Outlook calendars.
- Schedules by email: copy Clara on a thread
- Proposes times, follows up and confirms meetings
- Group, internal and multi-time-zone scheduling
Free 14-day trial with no credit card
Trial is capped at 5 meetings
SkimIt
3.5Free
vs Carly AI−0.4
Email any article link and get a summary back in about ten minutes - no app, no signup, no account.
- Summaries requested by emailing a link
- No app, signup or account required
- Roughly ten-minute turnaround
No account or app to adopt - email already works everywhere
Ten-minute delay makes it triage, not on-demand reading
minimi
3.6Free
vs Carly AI−0.3
Builds a personal memory of your work so open loops stop getting lost.
- Personal memory built from your own work
- Surfacing of unfinished threads
- Memory you own rather than locked to one assistant
Memory is portable rather than trapped in one assistant
Long-term business model is unclear
FAQ
Questions people ask
Is Carly AI free?
Carly AI has a free plan, and paid plans start from $30/mo.
What is the best free alternative to Carly AI?
Sidekick AI is the highest-rated alternative here with a free plan (3.7 out of 5). Other free options: minimi, Saidar, SkimIt.
What is the cheapest alternative to Carly AI?
Among paid plans, Clara has the lowest starting price (from $80/mo). If you need it free, start with Sidekick AI.
How did you pick these alternatives?
We match tools on what they do, their category and their price, using the details in our directory. Ratings come from our reviews and reader reviews.