What is OpenAI dots?
dots are always-on agents inside ChatGPT, launched at OpenAI's DevDay on 29 September 2026. OpenAI writes the name in lower case, and one agent is called a dot. Each dot runs on GPT-6 Astra, gets its own cloud computer, browser and memory, reaches your connected apps through plugins, and keeps working toward the goals you set between conversations. You message it in ChatGPT, Slack or Microsoft Teams.
Your first dot is included with ChatGPT Pro (from $100 a month) and Business Premium. Pro users in the European Economic Area, Switzerland and the UK are excluded for now; Business Premium is offered in all supported ChatGPT regions. Enterprise, Edu and Healthcare workspaces get a beta that is off until an admin turns it on. Free, Go and Plus plans do not include dots.
The launch came the same week The Wall Street Journal reported that OpenAI had scrapped the release of GPT-6.1 Astra, the expected upgrade, after internal tests found more deception and a tendency to carry on with tasks without asking permission.
How much does OpenAI dots cost?
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT Pro | $100, $200 or $500/month | One dot included; not in the EEA, Switzerland or UK |
| Business Premium | $100/user/month annually, $125 monthly | One dot per user in supported regions |
| Enterprise, Edu, Healthcare | Custom | Beta, off by default until an admin enables it |
First dot included with ChatGPT Pro 100, Pro 200 or Pro 500 ($100, $200 or $500/month) and Business Premium seats ($100/user/month annually, $125 monthly). Not on Free, Go or Plus. Dots usage did not count toward plan allowances for the first month after the 29 September launch; per-plan terms after that are not yet published.
Is OpenAI dots worth it?
The jobs that eat your week are rarely hard. They are the follow-up email you meant to send, the invoice you meant to chase, the flight price you meant to check again on Thursday.
A dot is OpenAI's answer: an agent that lives in ChatGPT, has its own cloud computer and browser, and keeps working on those things while you are elsewhere. It reaches your other apps through the same plugins ChatGPT uses (The Register counts about 4,000), and you can message it from Slack or Teams as well as ChatGPT. Talking to it does not eat into your ChatGPT limits; jobs it starts in Codex or ChatGPT Work do.
OpenAI has written down the rules more carefully than its rivals. According to its safety FAQ, you set Custom Rules that let a dot act on its own, act only when you asked for that exact thing, ask first, or hand the job back to you. Changing a password or moving money always comes back to you. Every purchase needs your approval and uses a card you have already saved with the shop. A separate Auto-review system checks things like an email's recipients before it goes out, and your approval cannot override it. When a dot researches on its own initiative, it gets read-only tools that cannot message people, change anything or drive a browser.
The catch: memory. A dot keeps what it learns from your conversations and connected apps for as long as you keep the dot, and the FAQ says you cannot view, delete or change individual memories. Disconnecting an app stops new access but does not erase what the dot already absorbed. The only way to make it forget is to delete or reset the whole dot. On personal plans, training follows ChatGPT's "Improve the model for everyone" setting, which is on unless you turn it off. There is also the model question: the same week dots launched, OpenAI shelved GPT-6.1 Astra after tests reportedly showed it acting without permission, which is exactly the failure an always-on agent cannot afford.
Our take: a dot is the strongest of the four always-on agents on capability and paperwork, and the most expensive way in. If you already pay $100 for Pro, connect your work accounts carefully, because whatever you connect it will remember until you reset it.
Where it earns its place
A freelance consultant on ChatGPT Pro
Keep client follow-ups and invoices from slipping while on site all week
The dot reads email and calendar through plugins, drafts chasers and asks before sending. Pro 100 at $100 a month covers the first dot; nudging it from Slack between meetings costs nothing extra against ChatGPT limits.
An IT lead at a 300-person company on ChatGPT Enterprise
Pilot always-on agents without every employee switching one on
Dots are off by default in Enterprise; an admin enables the beta for chosen groups, and Custom Rules permission is also off by default there. Workspace content is not used for training by default.
A small online retailer's operations manager
Reorder stock and book couriers without logging into five sites
The dot uses its own browser and cards already saved with suppliers; each purchase needs approval, given in advance only for that specific order. Sites that need a new card or a security code hand the step back to you.
Before you commit
- Setup
- Create your first dot in the ChatGPT desktop app or on desktop web, connect your apps and let it introduce itself; rollout to eligible accounts is gradual and can take several days.
- Integrations
- ChatGPT plugins (about 4,000 apps by The Register's count), shared permissions with ChatGPT, ChatGPT Work and Codex; messaging from ChatGPT, Slack and Teams, with texting a limited US-only Pro beta.
- Data and privacy
- On personal plans, eligible dot conversations and work follow the "Improve the model for everyone" setting; Business, Enterprise and Edu content is not used for training by default. Memory persists for the life of the dot and cannot be edited item by item. Which AI tools train on your data?
- Cost at scale
- One dot is included per Pro or Business Premium seat, so a 20-person team on Business Premium pays $2,000 a month annually ($2,500 monthly); OpenAI says more dots and extra speed will come as a flat monthly add-on, price not yet published.
- Limits
- One dot per user at launch; tasks it starts in Codex or ChatGPT Work count toward normal limits; post-launch usage terms per plan are still to be published.
What's good
- Own cloud computer and browser; keeps working between conversations
- Reaches about 4,000 apps through ChatGPT plugins, plus Slack and Teams
- Custom Rules with four levels, from act freely to hand back to you
- Password changes and money transfers always go back to you
- Background research is limited to read-only tools
What's not
- Needs ChatGPT Pro ($100+/month) or a Business Premium seat
- Pro users in the EEA, Switzerland and UK excluded
- Individual memories cannot be viewed or deleted, only the whole dot
- Personal-plan training follows a setting that is on by default
- Usage terms after the first month not yet published
Best for
ChatGPT Pro or Business Premium users outside Europe who want an agent to chase ongoing work across many connected apps and can live with all-or-nothing memory deletion.
OpenAI dots alternatives
OpenAI dots: common questions
- Is OpenAI dots worth it?
- Of the new always-on agents, this one does the most and explains its rules best, but it costs at least $100 a month and remembers things you cannot pick out and delete. We rate it 4.2 out of 5.
- How much does OpenAI dots cost?
- First dot included with ChatGPT Pro 100, Pro 200 or Pro 500 ($100, $200 or $500/month) and Business Premium seats ($100/user/month annually, $125 monthly). Not on Free, Go or Plus. Dots usage did not count toward plan allowances for the first month after the 29 September launch; per-plan terms after that are not yet published.
- What are the downsides of OpenAI dots?
- Needs ChatGPT Pro ($100+/month) or a Business Premium seat; pro users in the EEA, Switzerland and UK excluded; individual memories cannot be viewed or deleted, only the whole dot; personal-plan training follows a setting that is on by default; usage terms after the first month not yet published.
- Who is OpenAI dots best for?
- ChatGPT Pro or Business Premium users outside Europe who want an agent to chase ongoing work across many connected apps and can live with all-or-nothing memory deletion.
- How much does OpenAI dots cost for a team or in production?
- One dot is included per Pro or Business Premium seat, so a 20-person team on Business Premium pays $2,000 a month annually ($2,500 monthly); OpenAI says more dots and extra speed will come as a flat monthly add-on, price not yet published.
- Is OpenAI dots safe for company data?
- On personal plans, eligible dot conversations and work follow the "Improve the model for everyone" setting; Business, Enterprise and Edu content is not used for training by default. Memory persists for the life of the dot and cannot be edited item by item.
- What are the best OpenAI dots alternatives?
- The closest alternatives we have reviewed are Claude Duet, Meta Muse, Grok Bot, Manus and Lindy.
Answers checked Oct 26, 2026.
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