Rick Boers vs Pi by Inflection AI
Explore what we can build. Examples describe possible workflows; integrations, hosting, and scope are agreed for your project.
Pi ("personal intelligence") is Inflection AI's conversational companion, designed around emotional intelligence: a patient, warm chatbot you talk to about your day, decisions, feelings, and ideas via text or voice. As of July 2026 it is still live at pi.ai and in iOS/Android apps, still completely free, and still receiving app updates — but it is a side product for Inflection, which pivoted to enterprise AI after Microsoft hired away its founders and most of its team in March 2024.
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 | Pi by Inflection AI |
|---|---|---|
| Always-on computer | Hosting and runtime architecture are chosen for your project; dedicated VMs are one option. | No — Pi is a hosted chat companion with no per-user machine or browser; nothing runs for you between conversations. |
| 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. | None with third-party apps (no Gmail, Slack, calendar, etc.); built-in capabilities are limited to real-time web search, reminders/checklists, shareable plans, and a Daily Brief. |
| Messaging channels | Messaging or web interfaces are implemented where supported and included in the agreed scope. | Web (pi.ai) plus iOS and Android apps with text and voice; WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, SMS, and other messaging-app channels were discontinued in 2024. |
| Persistent memory | Storage and memory can be designed for the workflow, with retention and access controls agreed first. | Remembers past conversations and recalls them across sessions, adapting to your style; no user-managed memory store or file system. |
| Background automations | Scheduled and background jobs can be included with monitoring, limits, and human review where needed. | Reminders, checklists, and a Daily Brief only; no scheduled jobs, background task execution, or proactive work. |
| 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 Pi by Inflection AI shines
- A genuinely distinctive conversational style: warm, patient, and emotionally attuned — Pi remains one of the better AI products for talking through feelings, decisions, and everyday life rather than issuing commands.
- Completely free with no card, no subscription, and no feature paywall; the App Store listing shows no in-app purchases at all.
- Polished voice mode that works well for hands-free conversation on walks and commutes, with voice and notification improvements shipping as recently as mid-2026.
- Remembers past conversations and picks up where you left off, with reminders, checklists, shareable plans, real-time web search, and a Daily Brief built in.
- Still actively maintained in 2026 — a redesigned app with a new logo shipped in the weeks before July 2026, and Inflection's status page shows 100% uptime for pi.ai.
Where it falls short
- Pi converses but does not act: it has no integrations with Gmail, Slack, calendars, or other external apps, cannot log into websites, and cannot execute tasks on your behalf beyond reminders and built-in web search.
- Nothing runs while you are away — there is no background work or scheduled jobs beyond simple reminders and a Daily Brief, and Pi never has its own computer or browser.
- Development has been deprioritized since the March 2024 Microsoft reverse-acquihire; Inflection's roughly 70-person team focuses on enterprise models, so Pi evolves slowly compared with frontier assistants.
- Channels have shrunk rather than grown: Inflection ended Pi's WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, SMS, and other messaging-app support in 2024, leaving only the website and mobile apps.
- It runs only on Inflection's own models — no choice of Claude, GPT, Gemini, or other frontier models — and there is no paid tier to buy higher limits or priority if you ever hit the free-usage caps Inflection reserves for extreme power users.
Choose Pi by Inflection AI if…
- You want a free, emotionally supportive companion to think out loud with — processing a hard day, rehearsing a conversation, working through a decision — not an agent that does work for you.
- You value natural voice conversation for casual daily chat and want it at zero cost with zero setup and no credit card.
- You want a calm, non-technical AI with no integrations, configuration, or permissions to manage — just open the app and talk.
- You are specifically drawn to Pi's high-EQ personality, which most task-oriented assistants and agent platforms do not replicate.
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 Pi AI still available in 2026?
Yes. Pi is live at pi.ai and in the iOS and Android apps, Inflection's status page shows full uptime through mid-2026, and the mobile app received a redesign with a new logo in the weeks before July 2026. That said, Inflection's business focus is now enterprise AI, so Pi develops more slowly than it did before the 2024 Microsoft deal.
Is Pi AI free, and is there a paid plan?
Pi is completely free with no subscription or in-app purchases, and there is no paid consumer tier at all. Inflection makes money from custom enterprise licensing of its models; in 2024 it announced usage caps aimed only at extreme power users, and everyday use remains effectively unlimited with no published message limit.
Is Pi 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.