Arlo vs Hark Pro — an assistant you text, or an app you open

Hark Pro, from Brett Adcock's AI lab Hark, launched to everyone on 6 October 2026 (Hark). It's an app you open: one long conversation, a home screen that suggests what to do next, and a browser agent that runs errands on sites like DoorDash, Target and OpenTable. Arlo is an AI colleague you text for work, in the threads you already use. Both act for you across your accounts. They differ on where you reach them, who they're for, and what they do best. This page covers Hark Pro from hark.com; the Hark Audio app and the Hark app for Shopify stores are separate products.

This comparison is written by Arlo. Hark's facts come from its launch post, its terms and privacy policy (both updated 1 October 2026), its app-store listings and dated press, as of October 2026, and we say where Hark Pro is the better pick.

What Hark Pro is (as of October 2026)

• Made by Hark Labs, Inc. in San Jose, California, founded by Brett Adcock, who also founded Archer Aviation and Figure AI and still runs Figure. Its head of design, Abidur Chowdhury, presented the iPhone Air at Apple before joining.
• Backed by about $100 million of Adcock's own money and a $700 million-plus Series A at a $6 billion valuation in May 2026 (Hark), with NVIDIA and AT&T as partners. A Hark device is due in 2027 (TechCrunch, 6 October 2026).
• Where you use it: apps for iPhone and Android, and the web at hark.com. Hark hasn't announced a number to text, WhatsApp, or phone calls, though its terms include consent wording for automated texts.
• How it works: one long-running thread, Projects for separate pieces of work, and Handoff, Hark's computer-use agent, which gets its own cloud computer for each task and can run up to six browsers at once. It connects to Google, Outlook and Slack, and to other services through MCP connectors.
• Proactive Home: cards built from your email, calendar and connected services, one-tap Action Buttons (pay, cancel, RSVP, review), and Panels, small apps you describe in words.
• Approvals: it asks before it spends your money or sends a message for you unless you've told it otherwise, and you can grant standing permission for a category of purchases.
• Price: every feature free with a usage cap Hark hasn't published, then $20 a month for twice the usage or $100 a month for ten times, on the web. App-store prices are higher. Details are in Hark Pro pricing and alternatives.

What Arlo is

Arlo is an assistant you text on iMessage, SMS or WhatsApp, use inside Slack, or hand a phone call to. It places calls to people and businesses, and it can work through phone menus and wait on hold. It connects to Gmail, your calendar, Slack, Notion, Linear, HubSpot and 3,000+ other tools, and reaches sites with no API through a secure browser session you sign into once. Anything it sends or changes waits for your approval unless you've pre-approved that kind of action, and every tool call, source and approval is written to an audit trail you can read back. It texts you first with briefs and reminders over iMessage and SMS. Anyone can start today, with no invite or waitlist. It's free to start, no card, then plans from $20 a month.

Feature comparison

	Arlo	Hark Pro
Where you use it	iMessage, SMS, WhatsApp, Slack	iPhone, Android and web apps
Phone calls	Places calls to people and businesses, through phone menus and hold	None announced
Built for	Work: founders, operators, teams	One person's life
Proactive	Texts you briefs and reminders	A home screen of suggested tasks, Action Buttons and Panels
Acts across your accounts	3,000+ tools, plus a browser session you sign into once	Google, Outlook, Slack and MCP connectors, plus the Handoff browser agent
Checks with you before acting	Holds anything it sends or changes, unless you've pre-approved that kind of action	Asks before it spends or sends, unless you've told it otherwise; standing permission per category
Record of what it did	Audit trail of every tool call, source and approval	A live view of the agent browsing, and purchase confirmations
Training on your content	Not your messages, files, memories or calls, per its privacy policy	Its privacy policy says no; its terms allow use to improve the service
Price	Free to start, no card, then plans from $20 a month	Free with a usage cap; $20 or $100 a month on the web for more

The Hark Pro column reflects its public pages and press as of October 2026. Hark Pro launched on 6 October, so expect it to change quickly.

Where Hark Pro is the better pick

• Design. Hark hired Abidur Chowdhury from Apple to lead design, and launch reviews praised the result. Gizmodo called the app polished, and Gizmodo and Fast Company both singled out how its proactive cards are presented. If you want an assistant you enjoy opening, Hark Pro is ahead.
• A proactive home screen. Hark's Home turns what's in your email and calendar into cards with a task ready to run, and Action Buttons let you pay, cancel, RSVP or review in one tap. Fast Company's example was Hark spotting a rental car booked at the wrong airport. Arlo's briefs arrive as plain texts, with nothing visual.
• A browser agent built for errands. Handoff gives each task its own cloud computer with a browser, file system and terminal, and runs up to six browsers at once. Hark reports the top score on the Online-Mind2Web benchmark, measured with its own test harness (Hark, August 2026).
• Consumer errands. DoorDash and Uber Eats orders, checkouts at Target, Walmart and Costco, OpenTable and Resy bookings, airline and Booking.com reservations, bills and subscription cancellations are Hark's home turf. Arlo is built for work.
• The free tier. Every Hark Pro feature is free up to a usage cap, and $20 a month doubles the usage. Arlo is free to start, then runs on plans from $20 a month.
• Funding and pace. More than $800 million raised, NVIDIA and AT&T as partners, and a device due in 2027. Hark announced its lab in March 2026 and shipped Hark Pro to everyone in October.

Where Arlo is the better pick

• You want to text it, or have it make the call. Arlo works in iMessage, SMS, WhatsApp and Slack, and it places calls to people and businesses, working through phone menus and waiting on hold. Hark Pro is an app and a website, and Hark hasn't announced texting or phone calls. Hark's terms already include consent wording for automated texts, so check again later.
• The work involves other people. Arlo works inside a team's Slack and connects to the tools a company shares: Gmail, Notion, Linear, HubSpot and 3,000+ others. Hark Pro is sold to one person for their own life, and we found no team plan or admin controls.
• You want a record you can read back. Both ask before spending or sending by default, and both let you widen that. Arlo also writes every tool call, source and approval to an audit trail. Hark shows a live window of the agent browsing and asks you to confirm purchases, but we couldn't find a published activity log.
• Your tools have APIs. Arlo connects to 3,000+ tools. Hark names a short list of integrations and relies on its browser agent for the rest.

For Hark Pro's pricing in full, its privacy terms, and the other options (Pally, Muse, Instinct and Poke), see Hark Pro alternatives.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Arlo and Hark Pro? Hark Pro is a free iPhone, Android and web app for your personal life, with a proactive home screen and a browser agent for errands. Arlo is an AI colleague for work that you text on iMessage, SMS or WhatsApp or use in Slack. It places calls, holds what it sends or changes for your approval unless you've pre-approved that kind of action, and keeps an audit trail.

Hark Pro vs Arlo: which should I use? For errands in your own life, such as food delivery, shopping, reservations and travel, Hark Pro is the stronger pick. Arlo is the better pick for work that involves other people, when you'd rather text it or hand it a phone call than open an app, and when you want approvals and an audit trail.

Is Hark Pro free? Yes. As of October 2026 every Hark Pro feature is free with a usage cap. Hark Pro² ($20 a month) and Hark Pro³ ($100 a month) buy two and ten times the usage on the web, and app-store prices are higher. Arlo is free to start, no card, then plans from $20 a month.

Can you text Hark Pro, or have it make phone calls? As of October 2026 Hark hasn't announced either; Hark Pro is an app and a website. Arlo places calls to people and businesses, works through phone menus and waits on hold, and you text it on iMessage, SMS or WhatsApp.

Can I use Hark Pro for work? It reads Gmail, Outlook, calendars and Slack, and it can message and recruit candidates on LinkedIn, so it helps with your own work tasks. It's sold to individuals, though, and we found no team plan or admin controls. Arlo is built for work with a team: it works inside Slack and keeps an audit trail of every action and approval.

Which is more private? Their policies say similar things. Hark's privacy policy says it doesn't train on your inputs, outputs, memory or connected-account data, though its terms let it use your content to improve the service. Arlo's privacy policy says it doesn't use your messages, files, memories, calls or connected-account content to train AI models. The difference is the record: Arlo keeps an audit trail of every tool call, source and approval, and we couldn't find a published activity log for Hark.

What are the alternatives to Hark Pro? Besides Arlo, there's Pally, which you text and which is free; Muse, Meta's agent, in the US and Canada; Instinct, which is invite-only; and Poke. See Hark Pro alternatives.