Pi vs Sesame (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Sesame grades higher than Pi: 3.2 against 2.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Sesame grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Which one is for you
Pick Pi if
- Fits if you want to talk a decision or a worry through before you act on it
- Works for people who'd rather speak than type, since there's a live voice mode
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you need files read, images made or code written, as its listings mention none of them
- Not for you if you want the app in your own language, because the App Store shows English only
- Not for you if you're choosing for a teenager, since the App Store rates it 18+
- Watch out: there's no desktop app, nothing it connects to and no API, so on a computer it's a browser tab
Pick Sesame if
- Fits if you want to talk to an AI by voice on your phone for free
- Works for iPhone owners who want it to reach Gmail and Calendar
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a desktop or web app, as only phones are listed
- Watch out: the maker calls the iOS release a preview and has published no later pricing
- Not for you if you need a language other than English, which the maker calls early and less reliable
- Watch out: the app is limited to a list of supported countries
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAPiGood | 3.2GPASesameVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AIt costs nothing. Pi is listed as free on the App Store and Google Play, and neither listing shows a paid plan or in-app purchase, where the middle of this category wants about $12 a month. | AFree to download, and no paid plan or usage limit is published on the App Store page or sesame.com. Free and full counts as top value, though it may not stay that way. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree outright, text chats and the live voice mode alike, on the web, iPhone, iPad and Android. There's no paid tier, so nothing is being held back for one. | AFree outright, with no plan to buy. The open question is future pricing, which the maker has not said anything about. |
| Features | CIt does its one job fully — conversation, typed or spoken, for decisions, hard talks, learning a topic or practising a language — and that's a smaller job than this category's. The listings mention no file reading, no image making and no coding, and the App Store shows English as the only language. | CVoice and text chat, four characters, connected apps, skills and an incognito mode. English is the only officially supported language, and the iOS release is still a preview. |
| Ease of use | C4.4 from about 2,500 App Store ratings, which is the ordinary middle of this category rather than the top. There's nothing to set up: open it and start typing, or talking. | A4.9 on the App Store from about 2,000 ratings. There is no plan to pick before you start talking. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb, iPhone, iPad and Android, and no more than that. No desktop app is listed, nothing it connects to, and no API. | CPhones only: an iOS listing, with Android mentioned on the maker's site but not read. No web or desktop app, and only some countries are supported. |
| Best for | talking things through, by text or out loud | talking to an AI by voice on your phone |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Pi and Sesame. How we grade
Price against what you get
Pi has no paid plan and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Sesame has no paid plan and scores 2.7.
Sesame scores higher for the same starting price. Of the other AI assistants on the chart, none scores higher than Pi for less, and none scores higher than Sesame for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Pi also covers natural-language input.
- Sesame also covers dictation and AI agents.
In commonFree planiOSAndroidAI featuresChat assistant
At a glance
| Pi | Sesame | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | The app is listed as free on the US App Store and on Google Play, and neither listing shows in-app purchases. | The iOS app is free to download, and no paid plan is listed on the App Store page or on sesame.com. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Inflection AI | Sesame AI, Inc. |
| Price read from | apps.apple.com | apps.apple.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Pi
- The app listings describe conversation only, with no mention of file analysis, image generation or coding tools.
- The App Store listing shows English as the app's only language.
- The App Store gives the app an 18+ age rating.
- The listings cover iPhone, iPad and Android; no desktop app is listed, so on a computer Pi is used in a browser.
Sesame
- The maker still calls the iOS release a preview, and the full experience was free at launch with no later pricing published.
- Sesame officially supports English; other languages work but are described as early and less reliable.
- The app is limited to a list of supported countries, so it may not be available everywhere.
- The app list on the maker's site says it is available on iOS and Android, but only the iOS listing was read for details.
Key features
Pi
- Supportive conversation
- Designed for preparing a hard conversation, talking through a difficult topic or a decision, or venting when you want someone to listen.
- Voice mode
- Talk with Pi live by voice instead of typing your side of the conversation.
- Learning and language practice
- Explains a new topic in conversation and can act as a partner for practicing a language.
- Planning and brainstorming
- Helps turn something new into an action plan, generates ideas and suggests things such as what to watch next.
- Adapts over time
- Inflection says Pi evolves and understands you better the more you talk with it.
Sesame
- Voice and text conversation
- Agents are built for spoken back-and-forth and can be texted when talking is not practical.
- Four characters
- Maya, Miles, Simone and Charlie each have their own personality and voice, and each keeps its own memory and app access.
- Connected apps
- Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Drive can be connected, and external MCP servers that use OAuth are supported.
- Skills
- A skill is a plain-language playbook created in conversation that runs on demand or on a schedule.
- Incognito mode
- In this mode nothing new is saved to memory or to Sesame's servers, according to the App Store description.
Plans
Pi
Free$0
Text and voice conversations with Pi on the web, iPhone, iPad and Android.
Sesame
Free$0
The app is free; the maker has published no paid plan and no usage limits.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Pi or Sesame?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Pi and Sesame are free to use.
Which has a free plan, Pi or Sesame?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Pi and Sesame have a free plan.
Which platforms do Pi and Sesame run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Pi lists a web app. Both list iOS and Android apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.