The Best Alternative to Skej: Carly
Carly is an AI-powered scheduling assistant that works over email and SMS. Unlike traditional booking links or calendar tools, Carly reads messy email threads she is cc'd on, understands context, and sends real invites that keep the conversation natural. You can forward Carly an email, send her a text, or send screenshots and images for her to process and add to your calendar. It's built for busy professionals who want a human-like assistant that just works, handling coordination and calendaring so you don't have to. ChatGPT could never be this useful.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Carly | Skej |
|---|---|---|
| AI-Powered Scheduling | ✅ | ✅ |
| Human-like Assistant | ✅ | ✅ |
| SMS Integration | ✅ | Enterprise only |
| WhatsApp Integration | ❌ | Enterprise only |
| Multiple Calendar Support | ✅ | Premium+ only |
| Smart Time Zone Detection | ✅ | ✅ |
| Pricing | $35/month | $15-$23+/user/month |
| Natural Language Understanding | ✅ | ✅ |
| Email Thread Awareness | ✅ | ✅ |
| Setup Time | 2 mins | 5-10 mins |
| Response Time | 1 min | Varies |
| Available 24/7 | ✅ | ✅ |
| Automatic Follow-ups | ✅ | ✅ |
| Per-User Pricing | No | Yes |
| Slack/Teams Integration | ❌ | Enterprise only |
Why Carly is the Better Choice
While Skej offers a solid AI scheduling assistant with features like email CC scheduling and booking links, Carly provides a more accessible and cost-effective solution for most users. Skej’s most useful features - SMS scheduling, WhatsApp integration, and Slack/Teams support - are locked behind their Enterprise tier, which requires contacting sales. With Carly, you get SMS integration included from day one at a $35/month, making it immediately useful for professionals who need to schedule meetings via text message.
The pricing structure is another key differentiator. Skej charges per user per month ($15-$23 on annual plans), which quickly adds up for teams. For a team of just three people, you would be paying $45-$69/month for Skej, compared to Carly’s $35/month. Additionally, Skej’s free tier is severely limited - just one booking link and only a 7-day trial of their email assistant with 3 meetings included. Carly’s straightforward pricing means you know exactly what you are paying without worrying about per-seat costs scaling.
Carly also excels in simplicity and speed. With a 2-minute setup time and 1-minute response times, you can be up and running almost immediately. The natural conversation style via SMS and email feels like having a real personal assistant, without the complexity of choosing between 11 different assistant personalities or configuring multiple booking link types. For busy professionals who want scheduling handled simply and affordably, Carly delivers.
Conclusion
Both Carly and Skej are capable AI scheduling assistants, but they serve different markets. Skej targets enterprise teams with complex needs and per-user pricing, while Carly focuses on providing an accessible, affordable solution for individuals and small teams. If you want SMS scheduling without enterprise pricing and a 2-minute setup process, Carly is the clear choice for your AI scheduling needs.
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See what people say
"Before Carly, I relied on a Calendly link, but the whole process felt impersonal and not very professional. Carly changed that by handling all the back-and-forth, so I'm no longer stuck in endless email threads trying to line up schedules.
Now Carly reaches out to candidates, shares my real-time availability, lets them pick a slot, then sends a Zoom link and drops it straight into my calendar. She sends reminders to both of us before each call, which has significantly reduced no-shows and last-minute confusion.
On top of scheduling, Carly acts like a full executive assistant, sending me my schedule the night before so I can prepare for each call. It reminds me of the old x.ai assistant, but Carly is noticeably smarter, faster, and better suited to my healthcare recruitment business."
