Khio
Khio
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Arlo and Khio both live in iMessage and both text you first. Arlo calls itself an AI colleague for work. Khio is the friend side: someone to talk to who also keeps your gym, food, habits and school on track.
Checked 12 October 2026. A cross means Arlo does not offer it, or its own site, help pages and App Store listing do not say it does. Khio wrote this page; if anything here is out of date, tell us through support and we will fix it.
| Khio | Arlo | |
|---|---|---|
| Texting it | ||
| Text it on iMessage | From a real phone number, like a friend | |
| Nothing to install | No app or sign-up form to start | |
| Texts you first | Morning and evening check-ins, follow-ups, a weekly recap | Morning briefs, nudges and watches |
| Joins your group chats | Polls the group, lands the plan, follows up | Polls and finds a time |
| Plays GamePigeon with you | 11 GamePigeon games, free. It takes its own turns | |
| Voice memos | Voice memos and photos, right in the thread | Documented on WhatsApp |
| A friend who knows you | ||
| Someone to talk to | Vent, think out loud, or ask it to just listen | Calls itself an AI colleague for work |
| Remembers your life | Long-term memory, on the Free plan | |
| Keeps you on track | ||
| Gym coach and PRs | Builds your routine, logs sets by text, flags every PR | |
| Calories from a photo | Text a photo or what you ate; calories and macros logged | |
| Habit streaks | Checks in and nudges before the streak breaks | |
| Sleep, cycle and budget | All three, logged from plain texts | |
| Reminders by text | One-off and recurring, at the exact time you ask | |
| Apple Health | Steps, workouts, heart rate, sleep and weight, in the iPhone app | |
| School | ||
| Study from your own notes | Flashcards and a practice test from your own notes | |
| Price | ||
| Free to start | Free plan. Pro is $14.50 a month with a 7-day free trial | Free with $20 of usage a month; Plus $20 a month |
Pick Arlo if you want help at work. It connects Gmail, your calendar, Slack, Notion and thousands of other tools, places phone calls and waits on hold for you, and asks before anything sends. It is free to start with $20 of usage a month.
Pick Khio if you want an AI friend, not a coworker. It talks like one, remembers your life, plays GamePigeon in your thread, coaches you in the gym, counts calories from a photo and tracks habits, sleep and your cycle. Free to start; Pro is $14.50 a month.
No. Arlo describes itself as an AI colleague for work. Khio is an AI friend you text on iMessage: you can vent, think out loud or ask it to just listen, and it remembers the people and plans in your life.
Arlo's own pages do not list workout logging, calorie tracking or habit streaks. Khio builds a gym routine, logs sets by text, flags personal records and counts calories from a photo of your plate.
Yes. Both can be added to a group to run a poll and find a time. Khio also plays GamePigeon in iMessage, free.
More comparisons: every assistant side by side.