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How to Choose an AI Assistant: 7 Questions to Ask Before You Pay

Published by 3Gen Internet Corporation, maker of OpenAssistant, Skej and AGNT. Comparisons use public documentation, without hands-on testing.

A magnifying glass and seven small unmarked question cards beside a selection of calendar envelope and phone tools, a blank price tag inviting careful choice before purchase.

Every fact below comes from the vendor’s own pages, linked next to it. We have not run these products.

The best AI assistant is the one that does your actual job and asks before it does anything risky. Seven questions get you there: what you need it to do, where you will talk to it, what it can access, whether it asks first, whose name it sends under, what happens to your data, and what it costs.

If most of your list is acting for you with other people (scheduling, follow-ups, email), OpenAssistant is built for that and is where we would start. If it is mostly answers and documents, ChatGPT or Claude is usually enough and costs less.

“AI assistant” now covers everything from a chat box that answers questions to software with its own email address that books meetings while you sleep. For each question below we show where to find the answer for three assistants: OpenAssistant (made by 3Gen, which publishes this site), ChatGPT (OpenAI) and Claude (Anthropic). Use the same questions on any tool you are considering.

1. Do you need it to answer, or to act?

Write down the three tasks you most want off your plate. Then sort them:

How the three describe themselves today:

What to look for: if most of your list is “act in the world” and involves other people (scheduling, follow-ups), favor a tool built to deal with people on your behalf. If it’s mostly “answer” plus documents, a general chat assistant is usually enough and costs less.

2. Where will you talk to it?

An assistant you have to open a special app to use gets used less. Match the channels to where you already are.

Channel OpenAssistant ChatGPT Claude
Web, desktop, mobile app Web dashboard Yes Yes
Email it a task Yes, email or Cc it Not stated Not stated
Text (SMS) Yes, after you verify your number Limited US beta for “dots” on Pro Not stated
WhatsApp Yes Available again in the EEA, per OpenAI Not stated
Phone call Its marketing site says yes; not in its help docs 1-800-CHATGPT voice line (US and Canada) Not stated

Sources: OpenAI phone and WhatsApp, OpenAI dots, Claude pricing and surfaces, OpenAssistant ways to work, OpenAssistant executive assistant page, all.

“Not stated” means the vendor’s public help pages do not state it, not that it can’t be done some other way. Note that OpenAssistant’s texting is one-to-one only; its help center says it doesn’t join group texts or group WhatsApp chats. (OpenAssistant)

3. What will it need access to, and how do you take it back?

List the accounts each task touches: email, calendar, documents, CRM. Then check two things for every assistant on your shortlist: can it connect to them, and where’s the off switch.

What to look for: the smallest access that does the job. If a tool only needs to see the threads you Cc it on, don’t hand over your whole inbox.

4. Will it ask before it acts?

This is the question people skip and then regret. Look for controls that differ by type of action, so you can let it book routine meetings freely while still approving anything sent in your name.

What to look for: a setting that makes it wait for you, per action. And know the difference between “it asks first” and “it tells you after.” A confirmation window that proceeds if you don’t respond is the second kind.

5. Whose name goes on what it sends?

When an assistant emails a client, the client sees a sender. Decide which you want:

OpenAssistant assistants have their own @openassistant.us address, or, for a custom assistant on Pro and up, one on your company’s domain. (OpenAssistant, OpenAssistant pricing) They can also send from your own account if you allow it. (OpenAssistant) ChatGPT’s always-on “dots” (Pro and Business Premium; Pro not in the EEA, Switzerland or UK) can use your personal email account, and OpenAI says at launch you can’t give a dot its own standalone email address. (OpenAI) Claude’s Gmail connector sends from your connected Gmail. (Anthropic)

6. What happens to your data?

Three things to find for each tool: whether your conversations train its models, how to turn that off, and what it does with data from connected apps.

What to look for: a written policy you can link to, a setting you can find in under a minute, and a clear answer on connected-app data. If you’re buying for a company, ask for the security report.

7. What will it cost to use the way you plan to?

The sticker price matters less than what the plan lets it do. Check whether the “act” features from question 1 are on the plan you’re pricing.

Where the others do better: ChatGPT and Claude both have free tiers, and their cheapest paid plans (ChatGPT Go at $8 a month, Claude Pro at $17 a month billed annually) cost less per month than OpenAssistant Pro. If your work is mostly answers and documents, that is the cheaper route. (OpenAI pricing, Anthropic pricing, OpenAssistant pricing)

Check it yourself before you commit

This part is advice for you, not something we did. Pick one real task from your list in question 1 and give it to each assistant you’re considering, with every tool on its strictest approval setting. Then ask:

  1. Did it finish without you doing the steps yourself?
  2. Was the result right on the first try?
  3. Did it ask before acting where you told it to?
  4. Could you see what it did afterward (sent mail, changed events)?
  5. Could you switch it off in under a minute?

We have not run these steps with any of the three products; the sections above rest on the vendors’ public pages only.

FAQ

What is the difference between a chat assistant and one that acts for you?

A chat assistant answers questions and drafts text. One that acts needs a connection to your apps and permission to write to them, so it can send the email, create the event or update the record. If a task needs a browser, a phone line or its own email address, check that the tool has those.

Can I make an AI assistant ask before it acts?

Yes, in all three. OpenAssistant lets you set each kind of action to Manual, Confirmation Window or Autonomous. ChatGPT has Always ask, Allow read actions and Allow low-risk actions for apps. Claude lets each connector tool be Always allow, Needs approval or Blocked.

Does OpenAssistant use my data to train AI models?

Its data policy says customer data is never used to train foundation AI models, and that its agreements with AI providers prohibit it. It also lists SOC 2 Type II compliance.

How much does OpenAssistant cost?

It has a free Starter plan with 1,000 credits at signup, plus 100 bonus credits a day once those are used up, up to 1,000 a month. Pro is $72 per user per month billed monthly ($60 annually) and Team is $120 per user per month ($100 annually).

Which assistant can I text?

OpenAssistant works over SMS and WhatsApp after you verify your number. ChatGPT has a limited US beta for “dots” on Pro, and WhatsApp in the EEA. Claude’s public pages do not state texting.

Try OpenAssistant

If your list is mostly scheduling, follow-ups and email with other people, Try OpenAssistant. It starts free, and you set how much it may do without asking, action by action. Plans and credits are on the pricing page.

Sources