ChatGPT's agent mode: hand it a whole task across your email, apps, files and browser.
AI Browsers & Agents
Dots by OpenAI
Always-on ChatGPT agents with their own cloud computer that keep working on your goals.
3.8our rating
PaidFrom $100
Quick take
- An agent that keeps working on a goal around the clock, on its own cloud computer, across 4,000+ connected apps.
- Only on ChatGPT Pro (from $100/mo) and Business Premium. Plus users can't get one yet, and Pro users in the EU, UK and Switzerland are excluded.
- Chatting with your dot doesn't use your limits, but the work it hands to Codex or ChatGPT Work does. OpenAI hasn't priced extra dots yet.
- Set custom rules for what it can do alone and what needs your OK. Early testers found it shaky on checkouts and online orders.
What is Dots by OpenAI?
Dots are OpenAI's always-on agents, launched at DevDay on 29 September 2026. A dot is a helper with its own cloud computer, browser, terminal and file storage. You give it an ongoing goal, like "watch our support inbox and draft fixes for the common complaints" or "keep this competitor tracker up to date", and it keeps working in the background between your chats. It connects to more than 4,000 apps through ChatGPT's plugins, and you can talk to it in ChatGPT, by voice, or in Slack and Microsoft Teams, with the same memory everywhere.
You start with one dot that you name and shape over time, and it learns from your feedback. Custom rules let you say which actions it can take on its own, which need your approval and which are off limits. An activity view shows what it's doing, and you can pause it or take over. When it has nothing to do, it only uses read-only tools for research. Pick it over ChatGPT Work when the job never really ends. ChatGPT Work is better for a task you hand over once and get back finished.
The catch is price and reach. Dots need ChatGPT Pro (from $100 a month) or a Business Premium seat, and Pro users in the EU, UK and Switzerland are shut out for now. Chatting with your dot is free, but the tasks it runs through Codex or ChatGPT Work use your plan's limits, and OpenAI hasn't said what extra dots will cost. Early reviews were mixed: good on files and websites it can see, shakier on online orders and checkouts, with some testers reporting dropped messages and permission problems. Check anything that matters before it goes out.
Who's using it, and who it's for
- Founders
- Operations teams
- Product teams
- Researchers
ChatGPT Pro and Business Premium users who want an assistant that keeps working on ongoing jobs without being asked every time.
Key features
Always on
Pursues a goal you set in the background, even when you're not chatting, on its own cloud computer with a browser, terminal and files.
4,000+ apps
Connects to your tools through ChatGPT's plugins, from Gmail and Google Drive to Slack and your CRM.
Talk to it anywhere
Message it in ChatGPT, by voice, or in Slack and Microsoft Teams, and it keeps the same context across all of them.
Custom rules
Choose which actions it can take alone, which need your approval and which it must never do. Sensitive jobs like password changes stay with you.
Activity view
See what it's working on, pause or stop it, or take over a task yourself.
Saved logins
It can use saved passwords to sign in to sites without the AI model seeing them.
How we rate it
3.8 / 5
Our rating
From using the tool ourselves. The average of the five scores.
- Ease of use
- 4.0
- Features
- 4.5
- Output quality
- 4.0
- Value for money
- 3.0
- Speed & reliability
- 3.5
How quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
How completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together.
How good the results are before you fix them.
What you get for the price, including the free plan.
How fast it is and how often it falls over.
Dots by OpenAI pricing
- Our pick
ChatGPT Pro
$100, $200 or $500/mo
Heavy ChatGPT users outside Europe who want a personal agent.
- First dot included, with no difference between the three tiers
- Higher limits for the work your dot runs in Codex and ChatGPT Work
- Not available in the EU, UK or Switzerland yet
- Monthly billing only
Business Premium
$100/seat/mo billed yearly, or $125 monthly
Teams that want dots in every supported country.
- One dot per Premium seat
- Works in Slack and Microsoft Teams
- No training on your data by default
- Workspace needs at least two seats, so the cheapest setup is one Premium and one Standard seat
Enterprise and Edu
Custom
Large organisations testing agents under admin control.
- Dots in beta, off until an admin turns them on
- Specialist business dots with their own identities in pilots
- Microsoft Agent 365 controls in the works
Which plan should you pick?
Pro 100 is the cheapest way in for one person, and the bigger Pro tiers don't give you a better dot, just more room for the work it runs. If you're in the UK or Europe, or you want dots for staff, Business Premium is the only option. Don't upgrade from Plus just to try it until OpenAI publishes the usage terms that apply after the launch month.
Prices in USD unless noted, checked 3 November 2026. Vendors change plans often, so confirm on their site before you buy.
Best use cases
Ways Dots by OpenAI can slot into your week.
- 1
Customer feedback watch
Have your dot read new reviews and support emails every day and send you a short list of what's going wrong, with draft replies.
- 2
Competitor tracker
Ask it to check competitors' pricing pages and socials each week and update a shared sheet when something changes.
- 3
Morning briefing in Slack
Get a message each morning with today's meetings, overnight emails that need you and anything your dot finished overnight.
- 4
Keep a project moving
Point it at a launch plan and let it chase the next steps, update the docs and flag what's late.
How it fits your tech stack
Pros and cons
Pros
- Keeps working on a goal without you starting each task
- Its own cloud computer, so nothing runs on your laptop
- Custom rules give clear control over what it can do alone
- Reach it in Slack and Teams, not just ChatGPT
- Chatting with it doesn't count against your ChatGPT limits
Cons
- Needs Pro or Business Premium, at $100 a month or more
- Pro users in the EU, UK and Switzerland can't use it yet
- Tasks it runs still use your plan's limits, and later pricing for extra dots is unknown
- Early reviews reported failed checkouts, dropped messages and permission bugs
- An agent with access to your apps around the clock needs careful rules and regular checks
Dots by OpenAI alternatives
The closest alternatives to Dots by OpenAI in the library, best rated first.
Best for weekly reports built from several sources
Compare with Dots by OpenAIBest for pulling numbers out of dashboards and portals with no export
Compare with Dots by OpenAIBest for summarising pages and YouTube videos
Compare with Dots by OpenAIChatGPT Work
4.0
Best for sorting inbox and calendar admin across connected apps
Compare with Dots by OpenAI
Why it made the list
It's OpenAI's biggest step from a chatbot to an assistant that works on its own, and it comes with a plan heavy ChatGPT users may already pay for.
Dots by OpenAI FAQ
How much does Dots by OpenAI cost?
There's no free plan. Paid plans start at $100. Prices checked 3 November 2026 against Dots by OpenAI's pricing page.
Is Dots by OpenAI free?
No. There's no free plan. Paid plans start at $100.
What is Dots by OpenAI best for?
Dots by OpenAI is best for ongoing watch jobs like reviews, competitors or a support inbox, daily or weekly briefings pulled from your apps and research that keeps running in the background. ChatGPT Pro and Business Premium users who want an assistant that keeps working on ongoing jobs without being asked every time.
What are the best Dots by OpenAI alternatives?
The closest alternatives are Claude Cowork, Claude in Chrome, Google Chrome and ChatGPT Work. Claude Cowork is best for weekly reports built from several sources.
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