Rick Boers vs Prio
Explore what we can build. Examples describe possible workflows; integrations, hosting, and scope are agreed for your project.
Prio (prio.sh) is an EU-hosted AI chief of staff aimed at founders, CEOs, agency owners, freelancers, and accountants. It connects to your email, calendar, and business tools to triage the inbox, draft replies in your tone, protect focus time, chase follow-ups, and prepare meetings, with an approval-required-by-default model where high-risk actions always need explicit sign-off. It runs on Anthropic's Claude and other AI models via API, with all data hosted in Frankfurt and no-training terms binding its AI providers.
Rick Boers is an independent AI product builder. I design and build custom agents, document workflows, internal tools, and complete web and mobile applications, with one person owning the work from brief to delivery.
At a glance
| Comparison dimension | Rick Boers | Prio |
|---|---|---|
| Always-on computer | Hosting and runtime architecture are chosen for your project; dedicated VMs are one option. | No — runs as a managed EU-hosted cloud service (Claude and other models via API); operations are on-demand plus scheduled briefings/anticipation, with no per-user VM or browser. |
| Tool integrations | I build integrations around the tools your workflow needs. Access, permissions, API availability, and any service subscriptions are checked and scoped before implementation. | 10 native integrations (Gmail, Outlook, Google Calendar, Slack, Notion, GitHub, Google Drive, LinkedIn, Attio, Moneybird) plus MCP support for compatible tools; Starter is limited to Gmail + Google Calendar. |
| Messaging channels | Messaging or web interfaces are implemented where supported and included in the agreed scope. | Web chat primarily (a progressive web app, voice-first on mobile); Business plan (€199) adds a bot on Slack, Telegram, and Microsoft Teams; Pro adds AI voice calling; no iMessage/SMS or WhatsApp and no native mobile app. |
| Persistent memory | Storage and memory can be designed for the workflow, with retention and access controls agreed first. | Yes — year-over-year contact and preference memory (gifts, restaurants, introductions) and behavior learning over time. |
| Background automations | Scheduled and background jobs can be included with monitoring, limits, and human review where needed. | Daily morning briefings, a 1-30 day anticipation engine that starts prep work early, and workflow automations on Pro+ (it also suggests automations from detected repeating patterns); execution stays risk-tiered — low-risk auto-executes, high-risk always needs approval. |
| Pricing | The first 20-minute fit call is free. Paid work is scoped individually. We agree the deliverables, price, and payment milestones before work begins; hosting and model costs depend on the system we build. | Check the provider’s current pricing and plan limits. |
Where Prio shines
- Purpose-built executive-assistant workflows out of the box: inbox triage and drafting in your tone, calendar defense with buffers and focus-time protection, meeting prep, follow-up chasing, voice-note transcription, and daily morning briefings.
- An anticipation engine that looks 1-30 days ahead (board prep, contract renewals, key meetings, birthdays) and starts the work before you ask.
- Strong, verifiable privacy posture: all data stored in Frankfurt (eu-central-1) with no replication outside the EEA, GDPR compliance, AI providers bound by API terms and DPAs prohibiting training on your data, and a full action log for every operation.
- Year-over-year relationship memory — it recalls last year's gift, the restaurant that worked, and who introduced you — plus behavior learning over time.
- A carefully staged trust model: risk-tiered approvals (low-risk actions like thread replies and personal events auto-execute, medium-risk requires review, high-risk actions like external API calls and bulk operations always require sign-off), which suits executives who want control over anything sent in their name.
Where it falls short
- No dedicated computer or browser per user: Prio operates through API integrations (10 native ones plus MCP), so it cannot log into arbitrary websites, run code, or handle work outside its integration surface.
- Approval-required by default and high-risk actions always need explicit confirmation — it is designed as a supervised assistant, not an autonomous employee, so it cannot fully complete external-facing work while you are away beyond its low-risk auto-execute tier.
- Chat caps on lower tiers (30 chats/day on Starter, 100/day on Pro) limit heavy or continuous use, and Starter connects only Gmail and Google Calendar.
- Narrow channel reach: web chat (a progressive web app, voice-first on mobile) is the primary interface; the multi-platform bot (Slack, Telegram, Teams) is gated to the €199 Business plan, and there is no iMessage/SMS or WhatsApp channel and no native mobile app.
- Scope is deliberately focused on email, calendar, tasks, and relationships for executives; it is not a general-purpose worker for coding, data work, or broad multi-step projects, and background execution is mostly scheduled briefings and anticipation rather than continuous operation.
Choose Prio if…
- EU data residency is a hard requirement: Prio stores and processes everything in Frankfurt with no replication outside the EEA, GDPR compliance, and no-training terms binding its AI providers.
- You want a focused email-and-calendar chief of staff with tight, risk-tiered approval controls over anything sent in your name, rather than broad autonomy.
- You mainly need executive-assistant work — briefings, triage, drafting, meeting prep, follow-ups, relationship memory — working immediately at a €29-79/month price point.
- You want an AI phone agent for outbound voice calls (included in the Pro plan).
Choose Rick Boers if…
- You need a custom workflow or product built around your team.
- You want one builder to own design, implementation, and delivery.
- Your project needs integrations or behavior beyond a packaged tool.
- You need a custom workflow or product built around your team.
Common questions
Is Prio better than Rick Boers?
This comparison is between using a packaged tool and commissioning a custom system. Provider features change; check current documentation. For a custom build, we agree the specific workflow, infrastructure, integrations, and operating responsibilities.
How much does Prio cost?
The first 20-minute fit call is free. Paid work is scoped individually. We agree the deliverables, price, and payment milestones before work begins; hosting and model costs depend on the system we build.
Can Prio work autonomously in the background?
This comparison is between using a packaged tool and commissioning a custom system. Provider features change; check current documentation. For a custom build, we agree the specific workflow, infrastructure, integrations, and operating responsibilities.