Zazu vs. Ohai: a household app you send things to, or an assistant that reads the inbox itself.
Ohai is a household manager app from Care.com's founder, Sheila Lirio Marcelo, rated 4.4 from 228 App Store ratings. You can text it, talk to it, or forward an email, photo or PDF, and it puts events on your Google, Apple or Outlook calendars beside tasks, lists and meal plans. Human assistants can review the messy items, and there is a free tier. The difference is who notices. Ohai's pages describe you sending it what matters. Zazu reads the family's email and calendars, with permission, and asks both parents in iMessage and WhatsApp who's taking each job. If you want a full household app with human help, use Ohai. If you want something that notices for you, that's Zazu.
Ohai features and prices checked on November 5, 2026. They change.
The difference in one table.
What it is
An AI family assistant that notices what changed and speaks up first
A household manager app for calendars, tasks, lists and meals, powered by AI and human assistants
Where it lives
Inside iMessage and WhatsApp. There's no app to install
The Ohai app on iPhone and Android. You can also text it or speak a request
Getting email in
Reads the family inbox, with permission, and picks out what needs doing
You forward school newsletters and other emails, or upload screenshots, photos and PDFs
Calendars
Reads the Google or Microsoft 365 calendars you already use, and adds entries once a parent says yes
Connects Google, Apple and Outlook calendars, with a shared family calendar that flags overlaps and conflicts
Both parents
Talks to each parent, carries messages between them, and asks who's taking each job
Each adult joins the family Circle, connects their own calendars and gets reminders, even across two households
Asking before it acts
Drafts the reply, the RSVP, the calendar entry, and always asks before it acts
Puts events on the right calendar, tracks tasks and sets reminders. Its pages don't say whether it asks first
People involved
An AI assistant. Both parents make the calls, and nothing goes out until one of you says yes
AI plus human assistants, who can review complicated items like a detailed school schedule
Meals, lists and tasks
Not a meal planner. It works with the email and calendars you already use
Meal planning, lists and reminders on the free tier. Premium adds shared calendars and family task coordination
Price
Nothing to pay for 7 days, then $19 a month. Cancel by sending STOP
Free tier. Premium from $9.99 a month on ohai.ai; the App Store lists plans at $14.99, $24.99 and $39.99
Privacy
Reads with a parent's permission. Data is stored on AWS in the US, never sold or used for advertising
Never sold or shared for advertising. Its policy says human assistants may review some emails, and doesn't name where data is stored
When Ohai is the better choice.
You want one household app for calendars, tasks, lists and meal planning, with a free tier to start.
You'd like people behind the AI: Ohai's human assistants can review the messy items, like a detailed school schedule.
Your family calendar is in Apple Calendar. Ohai connects Google, Apple and Outlook; Zazu reads Google and Microsoft 365.
You'd rather speak a request, or send a photo of a flyer, than connect your inbox.
When Zazu is the better choice.
You don't want to forward things. Zazu reads the family inbox itself, with permission, and picks out what needs doing.
There are two of you, and the hard part is who is doing what. Zazu asks both parents who's taking each job.
You want something that speaks up first: plans changed, rain on the day of the outdoor party, a day off school nobody noticed.
You want it where you already talk to each other, in iMessage and WhatsApp, not in another app you have to remember to open.
You want a clear rule: Zazu drafts the reply, the RSVP or the calendar entry, and waits until one of you says yes.
Can you use both?
Yes, though they overlap more than Zazu and a plain calendar app do. Ohai is a good home for the meal plan, the lists and the family tasks, with people to help on the hard cases. Zazu is the one who reads the family's email, notices what changed, and asks both parents in iMessage and WhatsApp who's taking each job. Ohai syncs the calendars you connect, so an entry Zazu adds to your Google or Microsoft 365 calendar, once a parent approves, can show up in Ohai too.
Questions.
Does Ohai read my email?
Ohai's pages describe forwarding: you send it school newsletters, PTA updates and other emails, or upload screenshots, photos and PDFs. In an April 2026 blog post, Ohai described scanning the inbox for items that need attention as a goal for the future. Zazu reads the family's Google or Microsoft 365 inbox itself, with a parent's permission, and picks out what needs doing.
How much does Ohai cost?
Ohai has a free tier with reminders, meal planning and lists. Its website says Premium plans start at $9.99 a month and add shared household calendars and family task coordination. The App Store lists Premium at $14.99, Premium Plus at $24.99 and Premium Group at $39.99, without showing the period, so check the current price in the app. With Zazu, there's nothing to pay for 7 days, then it's $19 a month.
Does Ohai work in iMessage and WhatsApp?
Ohai's pages name neither iMessage nor WhatsApp. You use the Ohai app on iPhone or Android, and its pages say you can also text it or speak a request, without saying which messaging service the texts go through. Zazu lives inside iMessage and WhatsApp, so there is no app to install and both parents use the chats they already have.
Does Ohai use real people?
Yes, alongside AI. Ohai says human assistants can review complicated items, such as a detailed school schedule, and its privacy policy says they may review a subset of emails to check correctness and improve the model. Premium users can also book a setup walkthrough with the team. Zazu is an AI assistant, and it asks a parent before it acts.
Which is better for two working parents, Zazu or Ohai?
It depends on what wears you down. If it's keeping meals, lists and tasks in one place, and you'd like human help on the hard cases, Ohai covers more of the household. If it's noticing what changed in the school email and agreeing who takes it, Zazu reads the family's email and calendars, with permission, and asks both parents in iMessage and WhatsApp who's taking each job.
Try Zazu.
Message Zazu and see what it notices by tonight.