Meta Muse vs Mates
Muse is Meta's personal AI agent at muse.ai, on iOS, Android, the web and WhatsApp. It runs in a dedicated secure VM with its own browser, handles email, calendar, shopping and payments, keeps working after you close the app, and a separate reviewer agent called Sentinel checks every internet-bound action. Muse for Small Business adds connectors like Slack, Notion, Shopify and HighLevel.
You're in the US and want one personal assistant on your phone and WhatsApp for errands, shopping and your calendar.
You want AI workers for business tasks, each on its own computer, on a schedule, with an inbox and a record of everything they did.
The short version
Muse is one personal assistant for your life. Mates is a team of AI workers for your business: several mates, each with a job, its own computer you can watch and take over, routines on a schedule, its own email address and replays of the work.
Feature by feature
| Feature | Mates | Meta Muse |
|---|---|---|
| Its own computer for each agent | YesOne isolated Linux computer per mate | YesMuse Secure VM with its own browser |
| Live desktop you can watch and take over | YesWatch live, take control, give it back | Not documented |
| Replays of finished work | YesStep-by-step and video replays | Not documented |
| Several agents, each with its own job | YesAs many mates as your plan allows | NoOne personal agent |
| Agents working together in one chat | YesGroup chats with handoffs | No |
| Scheduled routines | YesSchedules in your timezone, Run now | PartlyWorks in the background, resurfaces on changes |
| Starts on events (email, webhooks, apps) | PartlyInbound email and a webhook per mate; app events not yet | Partly |
| Its own email address | YesIts own address, with approvals for outgoing mail | AnnouncedA dedicated Muse email address is announced |
| App connectors (OAuth, MCP) | YesGmail, Calendar, Notion, Slack, GitHub, HubSpot and more, plus any MCP server | YesEmail, calendar, payments; Small Business adds Slack, Notion, Shopify |
| Asks before risky actions | YesChanges in connected apps and outgoing email ask first | YesNothing sends or spends without approval; Sentinel reviewer |
| Reusable skills | YesSkills library; mates write their own too | Not documented |
| Your docs and repos as knowledge | YesGitHub repos and .zip uploads, read-only | Not documented |
| Publishes apps and pages | YesPublished apps at their own web address | Not documented |
| Works inside Slack or Teams | NoWeb app for now | NoWhatsApp rather than Slack or Teams |
| Mobile app | NoWorks in a phone browser; no native app yet | YesiOS, Android and WhatsApp |
| Voice and phone | PartlyVoice input; no calls yet | AnnouncedReal-time video avatar announced |
| Shared team workspace | NoOne person per workspace for now | No |
| Price | Invite-only early access; plans not published yet | Free tier; Power $20/mo and Maximum $100/mo (as reported) |
Mates is our product. Competitor details come from their public docs and announcements, linked under Sources, and were checked on . Spot something out of date? Tell us.
Where Meta Muse is ahead
- Built for everyday life: shopping, travel, payments (Stripe Link checkout) and smart home.
- On your phone and in WhatsApp, with a free tier.
- A separate Sentinel agent approves every internet-bound action, with a full audit trail.
- Credentials are stored where the agent can't see them.
Where Mates is ahead
- Several mates with separate jobs instead of one assistant.
- A live desktop you can watch and take over, and replays of each task.
- Scheduled routines that run on their own in your timezone.
- Its own email address per mate, live today.
- Not limited to the US.
Questions people ask
Is Mates a Meta Muse alternative?
For work, yes. Muse is a personal assistant for one person's life. Mates is a set of AI workers for business tasks, each with its own computer, email address and routines.
Where is Muse available?
At launch, in the US on iOS, Android, muse.ai and WhatsApp. Muse for Small Business launched in the US and Canada. Mates runs in any modern browser.
Do both ask before acting?
Yes. Muse asks before it sends, publishes or spends, and its Sentinel agent reviews internet-bound actions. Mates asks before changes in connected apps and before outgoing email.
Can I run several Muse agents for different jobs?
Meta describes Muse as a single personal agent. In Mates you create a mate per job, like a researcher, an inbox manager and a builder.