Last updated: July 2026
Vellum is a personal AI assistant that runs as a native Mac app on your own machine or in Vellum Cloud, with iOS, web, Slack, and Telegram surfaces in sync across both. It builds a persistent, structured memory of your work and people automatically, and executes real actions across 50+ services through managed OAuth.
Town is a personal AI assistant that manages your inbox, schedules your meetings, and handles the busywork through a dedicated @town.com email identity. It learns from your work to become more autonomous over time, with scheduled routines, meeting briefings, and research lookups across email, Slack, WhatsApp, and Telegram. Available on Free, Starter ($15/mo), Pro ($49/mo), Power ($99/mo), and Power Plus ($199/mo) plans on a credit-based model.
Channels
VellumiOS, native Mac app, web app, voice, email, Telegram, Slack, and Microsoft Teams. Every surface shares one memory.
TownWeb app, email (@town.com identity), Slack, WhatsApp (inbound only), and Telegram (inbound only). No native desktop app, iOS, voice, or Microsoft Teams.
Hosting
VellumRun on-device as a native Mac app, on Vellum's managed cloud, or self-host on your own VPS.
TownFully cloud-hosted by Town. No self-host option, no on-device execution. All processing runs on Town infrastructure.
Integrations
VellumNative agent skills plus 1-click integrations with 50+ services through managed OAuth.
TownTown integrations included on all plans: Google Calendar, Gmail, Slack, Pylon, QuickBooks, Ramp, Salesforce, Sentry, Supabase, and more. No custom skills or extensibility.
Memory
VellumBuilds a persistent, structured memory of your work and people that gets sharper with every conversation and correction.
TownTown builds a profile from your email and calendar, learning how you write and work. Memory is cloud-stored and shared across channels, but not structured or exportable.
Modularity
VellumBuilds its own skills, learns your tone, and adapts based on what you reward and correct.
TownFixed set of routines and integrations. No custom skills, no skill marketplace, no extensibility beyond what Town ships.
Open Source
VellumOpen source under MIT license. Full codebase available on GitHub.
TownProprietary. Closed-source SaaS. Source code not available. No self-host option.
Pricing
VellumFree Base with 10 free credits + referral credits. Pro from $50/mo with configurable compute, storage, and assistant email.
TownFree with 30 chats per month. Starter $15/mo (1,250 credits). Pro $49/mo (5,000 credits). Power $99/mo (12,000 credits). Power Plus $199/mo (40,000 credits). Credit-based consumption.
Privacy
VellumRun locally on Mac, in Vellum Cloud, or self-host. Vellum never has access to your data on any deployment path.
TownCloud-hosted by Town. All email, calendar, and message data processed on Town infrastructure under Town data and provider policies. No on-device or self-host option.
Schedules
VellumBuilt-in scheduling for daily briefings, weekly reports, and hourly checks that just run on a cadence.
TownScheduled routines including daily morning briefings, auto-inbox triage, and meeting briefings. Up to 2 custom routines on Starter, unlimited on Pro and above.
Security
VellumCredentials live in an isolated vault and never enter the language model, so prompt injection can't exfiltrate keys.
TownCloud-hosted with subprocessor list published. No isolated credential vault, no sandboxed tool execution. Credentials managed by Town infrastructure.
Setup
VellumUp and running in 5 to 10 minutes: Web app and/or download the Mac app, sign in, connect your tools. No terminal needed.
TownSign up at town.com, get a @town.com email identity, connect your calendar and inbox. No download required, web-first. 14-day Pro trial included on signup.
Storage
VellumVellum Cloud: 3 GB RAM and 4 GB storage by default. Mac app runs on standard Mac hardware.
TownCloud-hosted by Town. No published storage specs. Credits consumed for memory-intensive operations like person research lookups.
Town is proprietary and closed-source. Your data lives in Town cloud, processed under Town data policies, with no way to inspect the code or run it yourself.
Vellum is open source under MIT. You can inspect every line, run it on your own machine, self-host on your own VPS, or use Vellum Cloud. Your data stays yours on every deployment path.
Town processes your email, calendar, and messages in Town cloud. Your data sits on Town infrastructure under Town provider policies, with no on-device alternative.
Vellum runs locally on your Mac, in Vellum Cloud, or self-hosted on your own VPS. Vellum never has access to your data on any deployment path. Credentials live in an isolated vault that never enters the language model.
Town builds a profile from your email and calendar, learning your writing style and work patterns. It gets more intuitive over time, but memory is cloud-stored and not structured or exportable.
Vellum builds a persistent, structured memory of your work and people that gets sharper with every conversation and correction. It runs across Mac, iOS, web, voice, email, Telegram, and Slack with one shared memory on every surface.
Town offers a fixed set of routines and integrations. You get what Town ships, no custom skills, no skill marketplace, no way to teach it new tricks.
Vellum builds its own skills, learns your tone, and adapts based on what you reward and correct. Install community skills or build your own. 50+ managed OAuth integrations across Google, Slack, Notion, GitHub, Linear, and more.
See how every personal AI assistant stacks up across the categories that matter.
See how Vellum compares to other AI assistants easily.
Choose Vellum if you want a personal AI assistant that runs on your own machine or self-hosted, with persistent structured memory, custom skills, and 50+ managed OAuth integrations. Vellum shows up across Mac, iOS, web, voice, email, Telegram, and Slack with one shared memory. Choose Vellum if data control and open source matter to you.
Town makes sense if you want an email-first assistant with a dedicated @town.com identity and do not need self-hosting, custom skills, or open source. Town auto-triages your inbox, drafts emails in your voice, and schedules meetings on autopilot. If your primary surface is email and you want something that just works in the cloud, Town is a solid pick.
Vellum has a free Base plan with 10 free credits plus referral credits. Pro starts at $50/mo with pay-as-you-go credits, configurable compute and storage, and your assistant own email and subdomain. Town has a free tier with 30 chats per month, Starter at $15/mo (1,250 credits), Pro at $49/mo (5,000 credits), Power at $99/mo (12,000 credits), and Power Plus at $199/mo (40,000 credits). Both use credit-based consumption models.
Vellum builds a persistent, structured memory of your work and people that gets sharper with every conversation and correction. It is shared across every surface and runs whether you are online or not. Town builds a profile from your email and calendar, learning your writing style and work patterns, but memory is cloud-stored and not structured or exportable.
Vellum offers 50+ managed OAuth integrations including Google, Slack, Notion, GitHub, Linear, and more, plus native agent skills you can install or build. Town includes Google Calendar, Gmail, Slack, Pylon, QuickBooks, Ramp, Salesforce, Sentry, and Supabase on all plans, with no custom skills or extensibility.
Town is web-first with no native desktop or mobile app. You interact with your Town assistant through email, Slack, WhatsApp, and Telegram. Vellum has a native Mac app, iOS app, web app, voice, email, Telegram, and Slack, all sharing one memory.
With Vellum, your data lives on your Mac, in Vellum Cloud, or on your own VPS if you self-host. Vellum never has access to your data on any deployment path. With Town, all your email, calendar, and message data is processed on Town cloud infrastructure under Town data and provider policies.
Both are designed for non-technical users. Town is web-first with a dedicated email identity, which is familiar and approachable. Vellum is up and running in 5 to 10 minutes with a Mac app and web app, no terminal needed. The open-source and self-hosting options are there if you want them, but you do not have to touch them to use the assistant.
Vellum runs as a native Mac app on your own machine, in Vellum Cloud, or self-hosted on your own VPS. It is open source under MIT, so you can inspect and run the full codebase. Town is cloud-only with no self-host option and no on-device execution.
Yes. Some users run Vellum for local-first work and custom skills while using Town for email triage and meeting scheduling. They serve different needs and can coexist. If you want one assistant everywhere with shared memory, Vellum covers email, calendar, and scheduling natively.
Vellum builds a structured, persistent memory of your work and people that compounds over time, is shared across every surface, and runs proactively in the background. Town builds a profile from your email and calendar that learns your writing style and work patterns, but it is cloud-stored, not structured, and not exportable. Vellum memory is designed to get sharper with every correction. Town memory is designed to make your assistant more intuitive.
