Everyone's selling 'AI agents' now — but half of them are just a chatbot with a confident name. This free guide breaks down what 'agent' actually means (assistant vs. workflow vs. agent), so you can tell what a tool really does before you pay for it.
The word got slapped on everything, and it's costing people money on tools that don't do what they think. I build with these every day — here's the plain-language version of what's real, what's marketing, and how to tell the difference.
"Before you pay for an 'agent,' it helps to know whether it's actually one."
No hype — just the honest definitions and the questions that stop a slick demo from selling you the wrong thing.
What each term really means, so a demo can't dazzle you into buying the wrong thing.
The layers that make an agent actually useful — and where tools quietly stop short.
The questions to ask any 'AI agent' tool before you hand over your card.
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The examples, thresholds, schedules, and figures in this guide are illustrative recommendations — adapt them to your workload and risk. It's practical education built from real building and research, not professional, legal, or financial advice. Confirm any product's capabilities before you buy.