Qiu vs Squad
Squad gives you a team of AI teammates on a cloud computer for one flat price in dollars. Qiu gives you specialist coworkers with an orchestrator, your own Claude or ChatGPT, and a desktop app that can also work your software.
Reviewed: November 2026
- You want to talk to your agents from Slack, Discord, email, Telegram, or its web dashboard, all from day one.
- You'll use models beyond Claude and ChatGPT, such as Gemini, SuperGrok, Llama, Kimi, Qwen, or OpenRouter, with a different model for each teammate.
- You need to add your own MCP servers by pasting a URL or JSON, on top of its 70+ integrations.
- You prefer a single flat $99/month with unlimited AI teammates, and you want each agent to have its own email inbox ($10/month).
- You want to try before you pay: 15 days free, no card. Squad has no free trial, only a 7-day money-back guarantee.
- You want a "Confirm" card before any sensitive action, and no money decision made without your sign-off.
- You need the agent to use desktop software like Illustrator, Photoshop, or InDesign with mouse and keyboard (app for Windows, Mac, and Linux, phase 1).
- You want your whole team to use it with no per-seat fee and several agents at once (Business plan, €299/month).
Qiu and Squad, row by row
| Feature | Qiu | Squad |
|---|---|---|
| The agent | Specialist coworkers by niche (sales, support, marketing...) plus a coworker-manager that splits up and coordinates the work between them. | "AI teammates," each with a name, one job, a schedule, and its own permissions; unlimited per squad. An AI "Chief of Staff" helps you design the team. |
| Where it runs | In Qiu's cloud, in Europe (Germany), as a managed service; a real browser, and a desktop app for Windows, Mac, and Linux that sees the screen (phase 1). | One dedicated cloud computer per squad, with a separate browser profile per teammate. No region is published; self-hosting is handled case by case. |
| How you start | 15-day trial, no card. You talk to your Qiu on Telegram or the web. | You pay $99/month from day one (no free trial, 7-day money-back) and talk to the Chief of Staff. Channels: web, email, Slack, Telegram, and Discord; iOS app "soon." |
| Your team | Workspaces with members and permissions; coworkers collaborate through consent routing and the orchestrator. On Business, your whole team with no per-seat fee. | Human seats at $9/month each, with roles; extra squads at $99/month; read-only share links for clients. |
| Connecting apps | API connectors (Google, Microsoft 365, Slack, GoHighLevel, banking via Ponto, Brevo...), email, social via GHL, builds and publishes websites and apps, and a real browser where there's no API. | 70+ integrations, any MCP server, and 57 research tools (1,000 credits/month free, then $5 per 5,000). |
| What you pay | Personal €29/month, Pro €99/month, Business €299/month. With your own Claude or ChatGPT, those runs cost nothing extra in Qiu. | $99/month + your AI plan (its FAQ estimates Claude Max at $100-200/month) + optional add-ons. |
Squad details checked on November 3, 2026 (squad.so, squad.so/pricing, squad.so/demo). Squad is a different product and may change.
What changes with Qiu
Squad organizes work into a thread per job, a ticket queue, and a status timeline. Qiu works with background goals that move from listening to running to done, and after a restart, it picks the task up where it left off instead of starting over.
Squad builds a shared context graph and long-term memory from conversations and connected apps. Qiu keeps your personal memory across chats, a separate memory for each group, and semantic search, so what you say in private doesn't bleed into the team's context.
Both run routines at set times and ask before sending. In Qiu, a "Confirm" card appears before any sensitive action, every money decision needs your sign-off, and when a site asks for a captcha, code, or password, Qiu asks you rather than guessing. Squad adds daily send caps per teammate.
Squad accepts a longer list of AI providers and MCP servers. Qiu focuses on Claude and ChatGPT (no extra cost in Qiu) and adds something Squad doesn't mention: a desktop app that drives mouse and keyboard in programs like Illustrator, Photoshop, or InDesign, on top of purchases and forms in a real browser.
Switch in 3 steps
15 days, no card; connect your Claude or ChatGPT subscription.
Export your missions, docs, and run history from Squad so you keep them; recreate each Squad teammate as a coworker with its niche, and reconnect your apps.
Set up in Qiu the routines and watches you had scheduled, check a week of results, and cancel Squad from its dashboard.
Frequently asked questions
Is Qiu cheaper than Squad?
It depends on your usage. Squad charges $99/month plus your AI plan and add-ons (seats at $9, inboxes at $10). Qiu starts at €29/month (Personal), and with your own Claude or ChatGPT those runs add no cost in Qiu.
Can I use Qiu from Slack or Discord like Squad?
Today you talk to Qiu on Telegram and the web. Slack is available as a connector for Qiu to work in, not as a channel for chatting with Qiu.
Can I keep using my Claude subscription?
Yes. Qiu supports your own Claude or ChatGPT. If you rely on other models such as Gemini, SuperGrok, or OpenRouter, Squad currently supports more providers.
Where is my data stored?
Qiu is a managed service in Qiu's cloud, and before any sensitive action it asks for your approval with a "Confirm" card. Squad describes a dedicated, isolated workspace, but the pages we reviewed don't state a region or provider.
Can I try it before paying?
Qiu offers 15 days free with no card. Squad has no free trial; it offers a 7-day money-back guarantee on the first payment.
What if we're a team?
The Business plan (€299/month) is Qiu for your whole team, no limits: everyone on your team uses it with no per-seat fee and several agents at once, with your own AI (your Claude or ChatGPT). On Squad, each human seat costs $9/month.
From €29/month
With your own Claude or ChatGPT, those runs cost nothing extra in Qiu. Trial and plan changes at /en/pricing.
For everyday work
Your personal AI for everyday work (chat and the basics). Connect your Claude or ChatGPT.
Your team in one AI
Your marketing and product team in one AI: builds and publishes websites and apps, specialist coworkers by niche, add-ons and more capacity. Connect your Claude or ChatGPT.
For your whole team
Qiu for your whole team, no limits: everyone on your team uses it with no per-seat fee and several agents at once, with your own AI (your Claude or ChatGPT).
Let Qiu finish it
Join the waitlist and try Qiu on a real task.