Tell Koi when. It does it then.
Give Koi a task and a time: the news every weekday at 8, five new words a day, a website checked for what's new. It runs on your Mac and the notch says when.
Start here
What Lindy does, and what it costs
Lindy is an AI assistant that works in your accounts: Gmail, Slack, Google Calendar and more. Its routines are a trigger, a prompt and where the answer goes. They run daily, weekly or monthly, written in plain English like “every weekday at 9”, or on events like a new email or a meeting ending. It can search the web, draft emails and update your tools, and it reaches you on the web, in Slack or by text. A Mac app isn't listed.
The free plan gives $50 of credits for 7 days, with no card. Team starts at $49.99 a month for 5,000 credits, billed per active user, and more credits are $10 per 1,000.
We make Koi, so read this with that in mind. Every fact about another app comes from that app's own site, checked October 26, 2026.
The picks
Lindy alternatives for scheduled AI tasks in 2026
1. Koi
Best for: Scheduled AI answers on your Mac, in a plan you already have
The notch's Routines tab: write a task in your own words and pick once, every day, weekdays or chosen days. Koi searches the web for real, reads a page you name, your calendar or this week's notes when it needs them, and the notch says when the result is ready: read it aloud, open it or dismiss it. Tasks and results stay on your Mac.
Where Lindy is better, plainly: it acts in your email, Slack and calendar, starts on events, and runs with your Mac off. Koi's tasks run while your Mac is awake and online, and answer you rather than doing things for you. Koi is $20 a month or Lifetime, paid once, with dictation, call recording and an assistant in the same app.
2. Zapier
Best for: Automations across thousands of apps
Schedule by Zapier runs hourly, daily, weekly, monthly or on weekdays, and AI steps and Agents can do the thinking. Free for 100 tasks a month; Pro from $19.99 a month billed yearly. More in our Zapier alternatives.
3. Shortcuts, built in
Best for: Free automations on macOS 26
Since macOS 26 Tahoe, Shortcuts on the Mac runs personal automations at a time of day, and its Use Model action can call Apple Intelligence.
Comparison
Lindy vs the alternatives
From each app's own site. “Not listed” means the site doesn't mention it.
| Runs | Starts on | Acts in your apps | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lindy | Cloud | Time or events | Yes | Free 7 days; Team from $49.99 a month |
| Koi | Your Mac | Time | No, it answers | $20 a month, or Lifetime, $199 once |
| Zapier | Cloud | Time or events | Yes | Free 100 tasks; Pro from $19.99 a month |
| Shortcuts | Your Mac | Time or events | Mac apps | Free |
Honest take
When Lindy is still the better pick
Stay on Lindy if
- You want the AI to draft emails and update your tools, not just tell you things.
- Tasks should start when an email lands or a meeting ends.
- It has to run with your computer off.
Choosing
Which one should you pick?
- An AI that works in your accounts? Lindy.
- Many apps and steps? Zapier.
- A morning brief, news or new words, in your notch on your Mac? Koi.
See Koi's scheduled tasks, or the plans on the pricing page.
Keep exploring
Zapier alternatives for scheduled AI tasks
Zapier alternatives for scheduled AI tasks: Koi on your Mac, Lindy, Keyboard Maestro and Apple Shortcuts. Where each runs, what it can do and what it costs.
Keyboard Maestro alternatives for scheduled tasks
Keyboard Maestro alternatives for scheduled tasks on Mac: Koi's AI tasks in the notch, Apple Shortcuts automations and Zapier. What each runs and costs.
The best AI voice assistants for Mac in 2026
The best AI voice assistants for Mac: Koi, HeyClicky, VoiceOS, Siri AI, Raycast, Highlight, Guidy and more, compared on screen, actions and price.
Support
Frequently asked questions
Free with $50 of credits for 7 days. Team starts at $49.99 a month for 5,000 credits, billed per active user.
No. Koi's scheduled tasks search the web and read what they need on your Mac, then give you the answer in the notch.
On your Mac, with their last 20 results. When one runs, what it needs goes through our server to the AI provider, and our server keeps none of it.