AI agents by the job they do
An AI agent is software that takes a whole job and does the steps itself: it browses websites, writes and runs code, moves data between your apps or answers your customers. A chatbot answers one question at a time and leaves every step after that to you. Pick the kind of agent by the job you want off your plate, then open the ranking to see which one fits.
34 agents
General agent (9)
Pick this when the job is "research this, then make the document, deck or site" and you want one assistant to plan and finish it end to end.
Pick one: Best general AI agent for multi-step jobs end to end
Claude
Claude Cowork now lives in the Claude app and is included in Pro, Max and Team plans, with no separate price; it works on files and tasks on your computer while you review the results.
Gemini
Gemini Agent can browse websites and complete multi-step tasks such as bookings (experimental, for Google AI Ultra in the US at the time of checking), and asks you before purchases or messages.
Genspark
Plans a task and runs it across search, slides, documents and other agents on its own; credits are spent per task, so check results before reusing them.
Grok
Grok searches the web and X and works through multi-step questions on its own; it mostly answers rather than acting inside your accounts, so you carry out any action.
Hermes Agent
Remembers your projects, writes its own skills, runs scheduled jobs and delegates to sub-agents from chat apps or the terminal; you set its permissions and pay for the model.
Kortix
Agents run code, browse and edit files on their own cloud computer from triggers or chat; you define their rules and review what they commit.
Manus
Takes a goal and carries out the research, document, slide or website work itself in a cloud sandbox; you still review the result and anything that spends credits.
Microsoft 365 Copilot
Copilot works inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams, and its agents can draft, analyze and act on your work data; you review before sending or sharing.
OpenClaw
Runs on your machine and handles inbox, email, calendar and check-ins on its own from a chat app; you choose the model and what it may access.
Browser agent (2)
Pick this when the job lives inside websites: comparing, booking, filling forms or working across tabs, with you confirming anything sensitive.
Pick one: Best AI browser agent for forms, comparisons and bookings
ChatGPT
OpenAI retired ChatGPT agent mode in August 2026 (Operator had been folded into it earlier, and the Atlas browser shut down on 9 August 2026). Paid plans now get ChatGPT Work for multi-step research and finished files, with a cloud browser inside ChatGPT that cannot log in to sites or make payments.
Perplexity
Comet, Perplexity's AI browser, is free to download; its browser agent (Comet Assistant) is included in Pro and Max with monthly limits and is not sold separately. It browses, summarizes and handles tasks across tabs; you review before anything sensitive.
Coding agent (8)
Pick this when you have a codebase and a task: fix a bug, add a feature or open a pull request, with a developer reviewing the diff.
Pick one: Best AI coding agent for a real task in your repo
Claude Code
Reads your codebase, edits files, runs commands and tests, and can open pull requests from the terminal or IDE; you approve actions and review changes.
Cursor
Its agent plans multi-file changes, edits code and runs terminal commands inside the editor; you review the diffs before keeping them.
Devin
Takes a ticket, plans the change, writes and tests the code in its own browser and environment, and opens a PR; a developer still reviews and merges.
GitHub Copilot
The Copilot coding agent can take a GitHub issue, work in the background and open a pull request; a developer reviews and merges it.
Google Antigravity
Agents plan, write, run and verify code across the editor, terminal and browser while you supervise; you review their output before shipping.
Jules
Plans the change, edits the code and tests it in a cloud VM, then opens a pull request; you approve the plan and review the PR.
OpenAI Codex
Reads your repo, makes changes, runs tests and proposes a pull request, locally or in the cloud; you review the diff before it merges.
Windsurf (now Devin Desktop)
Its Cascade-style agent edits files and runs terminal commands in the editor; windsurf.com now redirects to Devin Desktop, so it overlaps with the Devin listing. You review the changes.
App builder agent (4)
Pick this when you want a working app or website from a description, without writing code, and are happy to test and steer it.
Pick one: Best AI to build an app or website without coding
Bolt.new
Builds and runs a full-stack app in the browser from a prompt and can deploy it; you review the result and handle anything custom.
Lovable
Turns a prompt into a working web app with backend and hosting, then keeps editing it from chat; you test it and decide what ships.
Replit
Replit Agent builds, runs and deploys an app from a prompt inside the cloud IDE; you test it and steer it when it goes wrong.
v0 by Vercel
Generates React/Next.js interfaces and full apps from a prompt and deploys them to Vercel; you refine the design and logic.
Workflow agent (7)
Pick this when the job repeats across your apps: inbox triage, lead follow-ups, reports on a schedule. You design the flow once; it runs on its own.
Pick one: Best no-code agent builder for your team
Dify
Runs the agents and workflows you assemble on triggers, schedules or API calls; you design the logic and connect the models and data.
Gumloop
Runs the agents and workflows you define across your apps on triggers or schedules; you design the flow and set the guardrails.
Lindy
Lindy assistants handle email, meetings and routine workflows on their own; you set the instructions and approve sensitive actions.
Make
Runs visual scenarios and AI agents across your apps automatically; you build the scenario and fix runs that fail.
Microsoft Copilot Studio
Agents can plan, act across your business systems and escalate on their own; admins decide what they may touch and who reviews exceptions.
n8n
Runs the workflows and AI agents you build across your apps on triggers or schedules; you design the flow and handle errors it escalates.
Zapier
Zapier Agents and Zaps carry out multi-step tasks across thousands of apps on their own; you define the task and check its output.
Customer-support agent (4)
Pick this when customers write to you on WhatsApp, Instagram or your site and you want the common questions answered on their own, with a person taking the rest.
Pick one: Best tools for WhatsApp Business auto-replies
ManyChat
Automates replies and flows in Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger on its own; you design the flows and take over special cases.
respond.io
Its AI agents answer customers on WhatsApp, Instagram and other channels and route conversations; a human takes over the difficult ones.
Unifonic
Its AI agents handle customer conversations on WhatsApp and other channels; your team steps in when a case needs a person.
WATI
Its chatbot and AI replies answer common WhatsApp questions automatically; complex chats are handed to a human agent.
No agent of this kind yet. Ask for one →
Each note is written from the official pages and says what the agent does on its own and what stays with you. Prices are USD from official pricing pages, dated on each tool page; we have not run hands-on tests of these agents yet.