# OpenAssistant vs Lindy: pricing, phone, approvals and where each wins Published by 3Gen Internet Corporation, maker of OpenAssistant, Skej and AGNT. Comparisons use public documentation, without hands-on testing. ![Two equally sized ceramic desks in balanced comparison, each with a phone handset, envelope, blank pricing tags and a small approval stamp, one connected task hub and one branching workflow.](https://aiagentsranked.com/images/openassistant-vs-lindy-722afc084e70.webp) Pick [OpenAssistant](https://openassistant.us/?utm_source=aiagentsranked\&utm_medium=content\&utm_campaign=openassistant-vs-lindy) if you want an assistant with its own name, email address, phone number and computer, and with approval settings you set per type of action. Pick Lindy if entry price, a wider integration list and builder-style skills and routines matter more. Lindy's selected 5,000-credit Team tier is $49.99 per active user per month, against $72 per user per month (monthly billing) for OpenAssistant Pro at its 5,000-credit tier. Some public versions list $29.99 for 3,000 credits, while the live browser dropdown begins at 5,000; verify available tiers at signup. The two vendors count credits differently, so that is a price gap, not a like-for-like quote. ## Options at a glance We organised the judgment by the site rubric: whether the documented capabilities cover the job, the vendor-published evidence and its limitations, price for what you get, where it works across email, text, phone, Slack and calendar, and privacy, security and admin controls. For the job "an assistant that acts for me and my team across email, text, calls and Slack", OpenAssistant ranks first because its pages document a wide set of channels, including SMS and WhatsApp, its own identity (email, phone, calendar, computer), per-action approval levels that an admin can lock, a SOC 2 Type II statement and a free plan with ongoing bonus credits. Lindy costs less at the selected 5,000-credit tier and ranks first on how much its pages say about skills, routines and integrations. Lindy's pages also document HIPAA with a signed BAA on Enterprise, and OpenAssistant's pages do not state HIPAA at all. | If you want... | Pick | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | An assistant with its own email, phone number and computer, plus per-action approvals | OpenAssistant | | Texting, WhatsApp and calls in one assistant, with a free plan that keeps adding bonus credits | OpenAssistant | | Lower price at the selected 5,000-credit monthly tier | Lindy ($49.99 per active user per month; minimum tiers differ by public view) | | A Slack-native teammate with 40+ skills, your own routines and a long integration list | Lindy | | HIPAA with a signed BAA | Lindy (Enterprise) | Head-to-head, from the linked vendor pages: | Row | OpenAssistant | Lindy | | ------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | What it is | AI assistant with a persistent identity that works through email, text, calls and Slack ([OpenAssistant overview](https://openassistant.us/ai-executive-assistant.md)) | "the AI employee that plugs into your tools" ([Lindy home](https://www.lindy.ai)) | | Channels | Calls, iMessage, SMS, WhatsApp, email, web app ([OpenAssistant](https://openassistant.us/ai-executive-assistant.md)); Slack ([help center](https://help.openassistant.us/en/articles/15960822-using-openassistant-on-slack)) | Slack, iMessage, email, Chrome extension; Teams "coming soon" ([Lindy docs](https://docs.lindy.ai)); phone line on paid plans ([phone docs](https://docs.lindy.ai/features/phone-line.md)) | | Email | Own inbox or an address on your company domain | Email is a listed channel; whether Lindy has its own address is not stated | | Text | iMessage, SMS, WhatsApp; one-to-one only, not in group texts ([help center](https://help.openassistant.us/en/articles/16302208-waysto-work-with-openassistant)); not all countries supported ([phone number article](https://help.openassistant.us/en/articles/16276195-connecting-your-phone-number)) | iMessage and SMS named in the integration docs ([Lindy docs](https://docs.lindy.ai/integrations/overview.md)); group-text support not stated | | Calls | Places calls and takes calls like a receptionist ([OpenAssistant home](https://openassistant.us/)); credit cost per call not stated | Own number, calls out, takes messages; paid plan, "availability may vary by account"; from 25 credits a minute plus a separate monthly number fee | | Slack | DMs and channels once added; acts only when invoked; no Slack Connect channels with outside companies | Core channel; guardrails apply in shared Slack threads | | Own identity | Own name, email, phone, calendar and sandboxed computer | Own phone number is documented; own email address and own computer are not stated (computer use is listed for "Pro and Max") | | Approvals | Manual, Confirmation Window or Autonomous, set globally or per action type; admin can lock | "Anything with outside impact waits for approval"; per-integration Always allow, Require approval or Don't offer | | Admin | Team: admin dashboard, SSO and SCIM, role-based access, shared billing, pooled credits | Shared credit pool, per-person caps; SSO, SCIM and audit logs listed under Enterprise | | Price per seat | Pro $72 monthly or $60 annual; Team $120 monthly or $100 annual (per-user pricing confirmed by 3Gen); 5,000 credits a month; unit is OpenAssistant credits | Selected 5,000-credit Team tier $49.99 per month; some public versions list $29.99/3,000, not confirmed in the live dropdown; unit is Lindy credits; annual price not shown | | Free plan | Starter: 1,000 credits at signup, then 100 bonus credits a day once used up, up to 1,000 a month; no card | Free: "$50 in credits"; the credits last 7 days; no card | | Security statements | SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, CCPA, no training on your data | SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, PIPEDA, HIPAA controls mapped, no training on your data | | Limits | No group texts; no Slack Connect with outside companies; plan credits do not roll over | Free credits expire in 7 days; Teams not yet; monthly credits do not roll over; guardrails not applied in DMs, web chat, iMessage or SMS | The sections below give the source for each row. ## OpenAssistant OpenAssistant's homepage says "Each assistant has their own computer, email address, and phone number" ([OpenAssistant](https://openassistant.us/)). It works through email (Cc it or write to it like a person), text, calls and Slack, and it browses sites for you when there is no integration ([OpenAssistant overview](https://openassistant.us/ai-executive-assistant.md)). Coordinator Mode lets a scheduling professional use it on behalf of another person, the Principal; [the help article](https://help.openassistant.us/en/articles/15424173-coordinator-mode) describes scheduling only . Approvals are the main difference. Autonomy has three levels: Manual (nothing happens until you approve), Confirmation Window (you get a period to approve, change or cancel, and it proceeds if you do nothing) and Autonomous. You can set them globally or per action type: email from the assistant, email as you, messages from the assistant, calendar, files, contacts and third-party skills ([supervision and autonomy settings](https://help.openassistant.us/en/articles/15425929-supervision-autonomy-settings)). The help center says plainly that a Confirmation Window is not Manual approval ([choosing your settings](https://help.openassistant.us/en/articles/16302695-choosing-your-autonomy-and-supervision-settings)). An admin can lock the settings for everyone ([OpenAssistant overview](https://openassistant.us/ai-executive-assistant.md)), and the trust page says consequential actions are shown in full before they are sent ([Trust Center](https://openassistant.us/trust.md)). Price: Starter is free, with 1,000 credits at signup and 100 bonus credits a day once used up, up to 1,000 a month. Pro is $72 per user per month monthly or $60 annual, and Team is $120 monthly or $100 annual, both at 5,000 credits a month. Higher credit tiers cost more ([OpenAssistant pricing](https://openassistant.us/pricing); per-user pricing confirmed by 3Gen). The Team plan adds an admin dashboard, SSO and SCIM, role-based access, shared billing and pooled team credits ([pricing details](https://openassistant.us/pricing.md)). The Trust Center states SOC 2 Type II audited annually by an independent CPA firm, GDPR and CCPA compliance, and "We never train on your data." **Watch out for:** OpenAssistant does not take part in group texts or group WhatsApp chats and does not work in Slack Connect channels with outside companies ([help center](https://help.openassistant.us/en/articles/16302208-waysto-work-with-openassistant)). Not all countries are supported for texting ([phone number article](https://help.openassistant.us/en/articles/16276195-connecting-your-phone-number)). In Slack it responds only when invoked. Plan credits do not roll over. It is a general work assistant, not a builder platform: the help center lists 19 named third-party integrations plus MCP ([integrations overview](https://help.openassistant.us/en/articles/15426409-connections-integrations-overview)), and some are in Beta. ## Lindy Lindy's home page says "Lindy is the AI employee that plugs into your tools" ([Lindy](https://www.lindy.ai)), and the docs call it an "AI employee" too. The pricing page lists 40+ skills with the option to create your own, plus routines, meeting recording, inbox management, MCP support and 1,500+ integrations ([Lindy pricing](https://www.lindy.ai/pricing)). The docs say 1,000+ tools instead ([integrations docs](https://docs.lindy.ai/integrations/overview.md)); this article uses the lower docs figure when it needs one. Phone: Lindy can have its own number, call out and take messages. The docs say a paid plan is required and availability may vary by account ([phone line docs](https://docs.lindy.ai/features/phone-line.md)). Calls cost from 25 credits a minute, and the number carries a separate monthly fee that the page does not price ([usage docs](https://docs.lindy.ai/account-billing/usage.md)). At the docs' rate of $0.01 per credit on base plans ([pricing docs](https://docs.lindy.ai/pricing.md)), 25 credits is about $0.25 a minute, and a 5,000-credit pool covers at most 200 minutes if it went only to calls. That is arithmetic from "from 25", not a Lindy quote. Approvals: the pricing page says "Anything with outside impact waits for approval." The docs add per-integration guardrails (Always allow, Require approval, Don't offer) and say they apply in shared Slack threads only. Your web app chat, Slack DMs with Lindy, and iMessage and SMS are not guarded, and reads are never guarded ([integrations docs](https://docs.lindy.ai/integrations/overview.md)). The docs are followed here for how the controls work, and the pricing page's broader wording is noted. Price: Free gives "$50 in credits" that last 7 days, no card. The 5,000-credit Team tier is $49.99 per active user per month. Some public versions also list $29.99 for 3,000 credits, while the live browser dropdown begins at 5,000 credits; check available tiers at signup. Top-ups are $10 per 1,000 credits, and Lindy pauses when credits run out ([Lindy pricing](https://www.lindy.ai/pricing)). Enterprise adds custom billing, SSO and SCIM, audit logs and HIPAA with a signed BAA. Security: SOC 2 Type II audited by Johanson Group, GDPR and PIPEDA, controls mapped to HIPAA, and "Lindy and our providers do not use your data to train AI models" ([Lindy security](https://www.lindy.ai/security)). **Watch out for:** The pricing page shows Free, Team and Enterprise, while the docs list Plus, Pro and Max, and the pricing page's feature list mentions "Computer use on Pro and Max" ([Lindy pricing](https://www.lindy.ai/pricing)). Those names are not tied to the prices shown. The page text shows "/mo" prices and no annual toggle, so annual pricing is not stated, and Teams support is "coming soon". Monthly credits do not roll over; purchased top-ups do ([pricing docs](https://docs.lindy.ai/pricing.md)). ## Price per seat, with both units shown Credits are not the same unit. OpenAssistant says simple tasks might use 10 to 50 credits and that deep research or multi-person meeting coordination use hundreds ([pricing details](https://openassistant.us/pricing.md)). Lindy lists everyday asks at 2 to 250 credits and deep work at 250 to 1,000 ([Lindy pricing](https://www.lindy.ai/pricing)). Both are vendor examples, so 5,000 credits at one vendor does not buy the same work as 5,000 at the other. | Item | OpenAssistant | Lindy | | -------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Selected 5,000-credit paid tier | Pro, $72 per user per month monthly ($60 annual), 5,000 credits (OpenAssistant credits) | Team, $49.99 per active user per month, 5,000 credits (Lindy credits); not a verified minimum | | Price at 5,000 credits a month | $72 monthly ($60 annual) | $49.99 | | Team-level plan with admin dashboard, SSO and SCIM | Team, $120 monthly ($100 annual) | SSO and SCIM listed under Enterprise (custom) | | Five users at 5,000 credits, monthly | 5 x $72 = $360 | 5 x $49.99 = $249.95 | At 5,000 credits and one seat the gap is $72 minus $49.99, or $22.01 a month in Lindy's favour. Against annual Pro at $60 the gap is $10.01 a month. At five seats it is $360 minus $249.95, or $110.05 a month. OpenAssistant bills a Team seat from the moment an invite is sent ([team billing](https://help.openassistant.us/en/articles/16276810-how-does-billing-work-for-teams)), and Lindy bills "every active user" in the workspace. For the free plans, OpenAssistant's Starter keeps renewing at up to 1,000 credits a month, while Lindy's free credits last 7 days. Lindy's lowest available paid tier is unresolved because its public price views differ. ## What to ask each vendor - What is the real plan name and price today (Lindy: Free, Team and Enterprise, or Plus, Pro and Max)? - Which actions can run without approval, in which channels, and can an admin lock that for everyone? - What does a phone call cost in credits, and what is the monthly number fee (Lindy), or the credit cost of a call (OpenAssistant)? - How does the product defend against prompt injection, where text in an email, web page or document tells the agent to do something you did not ask for? - Is there a HIPAA BAA, and is it needed for your data (Lindy Enterprise lists one; OpenAssistant does not state HIPAA)? - What happens when credits run out in the middle of a job? ## What to keep for humans Keep money movement, contract terms, legal or medical advice, anything sent in your own voice to a new contact, and anything hard to undo behind a manual approval. Read what a call or email says before it goes. Keep an eye on credit use for the first weeks, because both vendors say cost depends on the task. For help setting levels, see [how to choose an AI agent](https://aiagentsranked.com/how-to-choose-an-ai-agent/) and [are AI agents safe](https://aiagentsranked.com/are-ai-agents-safe/). ## Related reading - [OpenAssistant vs ChatGPT: which AI agent should you use for work?](https://aiagentsranked.com/openassistant-vs-chatgpt/): ChatGPT agent is no longer available; OpenAssistant and ChatGPT Work compared on identity, channels, approvals, security and price. - [OpenAssistant vs Manus: two ways to hand work to an AI agent](https://aiagentsranked.com/openassistant-vs-manus/): Channels, approvals, prices, free plans, security statements and limits for OpenAssistant and Manus. - [Best AI agents that send emails, make calls and text for you in 2026](https://aiagentsranked.com/ai-agents-that-send-emails-make-calls-and-text/): Six picks for agents that send emails, make calls and text, ranked on prices, approval controls and consent rules. - [Best AI agents for small business in 2026: top picks and prices](https://aiagentsranked.com/best-ai-agents-for-small-business/): Eight agents for a 5 to 50 person business, with list prices, a ten-person seat cost and what each will not do. - [AI agent pricing in 2026: credits, seats and per-resolution fees explained](https://aiagentsranked.com/ai-agent-pricing-explained/): Credit plans, tasks, per-resolution fees, subscriptions and enterprise fees, with published prices and a worked example. ## Frequently asked questions **Is OpenAssistant cheaper than Lindy?** No, at the selected 5,000-credit tier Lindy costs $49.99 per active user per month, while OpenAssistant Pro is $72 per user per month monthly or $60 annual at 5,000 credits (per-user pricing confirmed by 3Gen). Some public Lindy versions also list $29.99/3,000; the live dropdown begins at 5,000. The credits are different units, so compare real tasks, not the credit counts. **Does Lindy make phone calls like OpenAssistant?** Lindy's docs say it can have its own phone number, call out and take messages on a paid plan, from 25 credits a minute plus a monthly number fee. OpenAssistant's pages say it places calls and takes them like a receptionist, and they do not state a credit cost per call. **Which one asks for approval before it acts?** Both. OpenAssistant lets you choose Manual, Confirmation Window or Autonomous per action type, and an admin can lock the settings. Lindy says outside-impact actions wait for approval and gives per-integration guardrails, which its docs say apply in shared Slack threads only. **Do both have a free plan?** Yes. OpenAssistant's Starter plan gives 1,000 credits at signup, then 100 bonus credits a day once used up, up to 1,000 a month, with no card. Lindy's Free plan gives "$50 in credits" that last 7 days, with no card. ## Try OpenAssistant If you want an assistant with its own email, phone and computer, and approvals you set per action, start with the free Starter plan at [openassistant.us](https://openassistant.us/?utm_source=aiagentsranked\&utm_medium=content\&utm_campaign=openassistant-vs-lindy). You can see current plans on the [pricing page](https://openassistant.us/pricing?utm_source=aiagentsranked\&utm_medium=content\&utm_campaign=openassistant-vs-lindy). ## Disclosure and Method Disclosure: 3Gen Internet Corporation publishes this site and makes OpenAssistant, Skej and AGNT. We publish these comparisons to explain our products alongside documented alternatives. Method: We have not run hands-on tests. This article rests on public information (vendor pages, documentation, pricing and published terms), with sources linked. Ranking basis: public information only, not hands-on use. Published by 3Gen Internet Corporation, the company behind OpenAssistant, Skej and AGNT. We review our own products alongside competitors. [How We Research](https://aiagentsranked.com/how-we-research/) Canonical: https://aiagentsranked.com/openassistant-vs-lindy/