Rick Boers vs Tomo
Explore what we can build. Examples describe possible workflows; integrations, hosting, and scope are agreed for your project.
Tomo is a personal AI assistant from San Francisco startup Mapo Labs: you text a phone number over iMessage and it learns your goals, remembers context across conversations, and proactively checks in to keep you on track with habits, fitness, budgeting, and daily life. It can search the web, manage your calendar and email, join group chats, and pairs texting with a companion iOS app that generates personalized goal-tracking interfaces that evolve with you. It emerged from stealth in June 2026 with a $5M seed round led by Bain Capital Ventures and more than 10,000 paying subscribers; its site now claims 500,000+ users.
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 | Tomo |
|---|---|---|
| Always-on computer | Hosting and runtime architecture are chosen for your project; dedicated VMs are one option. | No — Tomo is a hosted chat service reached by texting a phone number; it messages you proactively, but there is no dedicated machine, disk, or browser working on your behalf while you are away. |
| 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. | Small personal-life set: Google Calendar, Gmail, Notion, Google Drive, and Apple Health, plus built-in web search, photo editing, and video watching. |
| Messaging channels | Messaging or web interfaces are implemented where supported and included in the agreed scope. | iMessage-first (text a phone number), with group chat support and a companion iOS app (iOS 18+); no Slack, WhatsApp, or Telegram, and Android is not advertised. |
| Persistent memory | Storage and memory can be designed for the workflow, with retention and access controls agreed first. | Yes — context carries across every conversation so you never repeat yourself, including remembering photos and documents you text it; one independent review noted retention is imperfect. |
| Background automations | Scheduled and background jobs can be included with monitoring, limits, and human review where needed. | Proactive check-ins and reminders that Tomo initiates on its own cadence around your goals; no user-defined scheduled jobs or background task automation described. |
| 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 Tomo shines
- Genuinely frictionless setup: you just text a phone number over iMessage, no app install or configuration required, and users reportedly engage with it 20 out of 30 days a month.
- Proactive by design: Tomo initiates check-ins on your goals and habits ("Did you finish your blog post?") rather than waiting to be asked, which is the core of its accountability value.
- Persistent memory across conversations, including multimodal input: users text food photos for calorie tracking, bank-statement screenshots for budgeting, and screen-time reports for accountability.
- Companion iOS app generates personalized software interfaces (workout trackers, budgets, habit streaks) that adapt over time as it learns your goals.
- Strong early traction and credible backing: 10,000+ paying subscribers within 3.5 months of launch, a 4.9/5 App Store rating (on a modest number of early ratings), and a $5M seed led by Bain Capital Ventures with Accel, Align Fund, Basis Set, Conviction, and Pear VC participating.
Where it falls short
- Scoped to personal life coaching and organization, not delegated work: third-party reviews note it is limited for business workflows and not suited to advanced creation or research tasks.
- No computer of its own: Tomo has no dedicated VM or browser it can log into arbitrary websites with, so it cannot execute multi-step work on services outside its fixed integration list.
- Small integration surface: Google Calendar, Gmail, Notion, Google Drive, and Apple Health, versus the dozens of business tools an autonomous-agent platform connects to.
- iMessage- and iOS-centric: the companion app requires iOS 18+, no Slack, WhatsApp, or Telegram channels are advertised, and Android support is not mentioned anywhere on the site or in press coverage.
- Plans are metered by messaging limits and pricing "varies by user" due to promotions, which makes costs less predictable; one independent review also noted imperfect memory retention and occasionally repetitive responses.
Choose Tomo if…
- You want a coach, not an employee: daily accountability for fitness, habits, budgeting, or personal goals, delivered by an AI that texts you first.
- You want zero setup and zero new apps — texting a phone number in iMessage is the entire onboarding.
- You are an iPhone user who lives in iMessage and wants light personal admin (calendar, email, reminders, group chats) woven into your existing texting.
- You value a warm, personality-driven daily companion and check-in cadence more than task execution or tool breadth.
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 Tomo 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 Tomo 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.
What can Tomo actually do?
Tomo searches the web, manages your calendar and email, sends reminders, joins group chats, and remembers everything you tell it across conversations — including photos like food pics for calorie tracking or bank statements for budgeting. It integrates with Google Calendar, Gmail, Notion, Google Drive, and Apple Health, and its companion iOS app generates personalized trackers for your goals.