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Short answer: OpenAI Dots (also called ChatGPT dots) are always-on AI agents inside ChatGPT. Each dot gets its own cloud computer and browser, connects to 4,000+ apps and keeps working on your goals between conversations. OpenAI launched dots on September 29, 2026. Your first dot is included with ChatGPT Pro (from $100 a month) or Business Premium ($100 a seat a month billed yearly). It is not on the Free, Go or Plus plans.
Last checked: October 2026. Prices are US list prices on OpenAI’s official pages and can change.
OpenAI Dots at a glance
| OpenAI Dots | |
|---|---|
| What it is | An always-on agent that works in ChatGPT, Slack and Microsoft Teams |
| Made by | OpenAI |
| Launched | September 29, 2026 |
| Model | GPT-6 Astra |
| Price | First dot included with ChatGPT Pro ($100, $200 or $500 a month) or Business Premium |
| Free version | No |
| Apps it connects to | 4,000+ through ChatGPT plugins |
| Where it works | Its own cloud computer and browser; your laptop only if you allow it |
| Set up on | ChatGPT desktop app (Mac or Windows) or desktop web |
| Countries | Pro: everywhere ChatGPT is sold except the EU, UK and Switzerland. Business Premium: all ChatGPT regions |
| Age | 18+ |
Sources: OpenAI’s dots announcement and the OpenAI Help Center.
What is OpenAI Dots?
A dot is a personal AI agent that doesn’t stop when you close the chat. OpenAI calls dots “always-on agents” that take on ongoing work and keep making progress between conversations. You give your dot a goal, connect the apps it needs and decide what it may do alone. It then researches, drafts, follows up and brings results back for your review.
Think of it as the difference between asking a question and hiring help. Regular ChatGPT answers when you type. ChatGPT Work handles one bigger job at a time. A dot owns a project and keeps it moving for days or weeks.
How OpenAI Dots work
- Its own computer: each dot runs on a separate cloud computer with its own browser. It can also use your laptop, but only if you connect it and click “Allow access.” That’s off by default.
- Your apps: it connects to 4,000+ apps through ChatGPT plugins, like Slack, Gmail and Google Calendar. You choose which apps it can reach.
- Proactive research: when you’re not talking to it, a dot looks through your connected apps for ways to help. In this mode it can only read. It can’t send messages or change anything.
- Activity View: you can watch what it’s doing in the background and redirect it.
- Many channels: chat with it in ChatGPT, message it in Slack or Microsoft Teams and talk to it by voice in the ChatGPT app. Context carries across all of them. Texting is in a limited US beta for Pro users.
- Memory: it starts with your ChatGPT memories and builds its own from your feedback and connected apps.
- Coding hand-offs: it can start Codex cloud tasks for code changes.
OpenAI Dots pricing
| ChatGPT plan | Price | Dot included? |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | No |
| Go | $8/mo | No |
| Plus | $20/mo | No |
| Pro 100 | $100/mo | Yes, 1 dot |
| Pro 200 | $200/mo | Yes, 1 dot with more usage |
| Pro 500 | $500/mo | Yes, 1 dot with the most usage |
| Business Standard | $20/seat/mo yearly, $25 monthly | No |
| Business Premium | $100/seat/mo yearly, $125 monthly (2-seat minimum) | Yes, 1 dot |
| Enterprise, Edu, Healthcare | Custom | Beta, if your admin turns it on |
Your first dot comes at no extra cost on those plans. Chatting with your dot doesn’t count toward your ChatGPT limits, but tasks it starts in Codex or ChatGPT Work do. OpenAI says more dots and higher speed or monthly work levels are coming, with no prices yet.
Is OpenAI Dots free?
No. There’s no free version, and it isn’t on ChatGPT Plus. The cheapest way to get a dot is ChatGPT Pro 100 at $100 a month. If you want to try a free always-on agent, read OpenAI Dots vs Meta Muse. Meta’s Muse is free to start in the US and Canada.
How to set up your OpenAI dot
- Get an eligible plan. Upgrade to ChatGPT Pro or Business Premium. Rollout is gradual, so access can take a few days.
- Open ChatGPT on a computer. Use the desktop app (Mac or Windows) or ChatGPT in a desktop browser. You can’t create a dot on mobile yet.
- Follow the onboarding prompts. Name your dot and pick a character or pet as its avatar. Its handle starts as @yourname-dot.
- Connect your apps. In your dot’s profile, go to Customize, then Plugins. Pick an app, review its permissions and connect it.
- Set your rules. Under Customize, then Custom rules, choose how it handles each kind of action (see the next section).
- Give it a goal. Describe the outcome, the deadline and what “done” looks like.
- Review its work. Check Recent activity in its profile, or the In progress, Scheduled and Completed tabs on desktop.
Custom rules and safety
Every action falls under one of four rules you can set:
- Take action without asking: the dot just does it.
- Take action if pre-approved: only if you asked for it in your prompt.
- Ask before taking action: it checks with you first.
- Hand off to you: you do it yourself.
On top of your rules, an auto-review step checks anything that could affect your accounts or share information. Sensitive tasks, like changing a password, always stay with you. A monitoring system can pause a dot if it spots a safety problem, and dots can use saved passwords on supported sites without the model seeing them.
Two things to know about your data. On personal plans, you choose whether your dot’s work trains OpenAI’s models. Business and Enterprise data isn’t used for training by default. And disconnecting an app doesn’t erase what your dot already learned from it. To wipe that, you reset the dot (the ••• menu, then Reset), which also deletes its chats, memories and scheduled tasks.
What OpenAI Dots can’t do yet
- Call you on the phone
- Have its own email address
- Be created on a phone or on mobile web
- Run more than one dot per account (more are planned)
- Work for Pro users in the EU, UK or Switzerland
And like any agent, it can make mistakes. OpenAI says to review consequential work.
How marketers can use OpenAI Dots
OpenAI’s own examples include revising launch materials when a product’s scope changes, finding clip moments and drafting show notes and social posts and keeping sales proposals current. OpenAI is also piloting specialist dots for email marketing. A few goals you can give your dot:
- “Every Monday, pull last week’s campaign results from our connected tools, compare them with the week before and post a summary in our #marketing Slack channel.”
- “Watch our product changelog. When a feature ships, draft a launch email, three social posts and a blog outline for my review.”
- “After each podcast episode lands in Google Drive, write show notes and five social posts. Ask before publishing anything.”
- “Track what our top three competitors publish and send me a short weekly brief.”
For posting itself, pair your dot with a scheduler. See how to automate your social media with AI agents.
OpenAI Dots vs ChatGPT Work vs scheduled tasks
| OpenAI Dots | ChatGPT Work | Scheduled tasks | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Ongoing goals and projects | One bigger job at a time | Simple repeat reminders or checks |
| Keeps working between chats | Yes | No, finishes the task | Runs at set times |
| Learns your preferences | Yes | Limited | No |
| Plans | Pro, Business Premium | Plus and up | All plans |
| Example | Keep our launch kit current | Book a dentist appointment | Remind me every Friday |
ChatGPT Work replaced the old agent mode. Learn more in how to book appointments with ChatGPT. Still choosing between AI assistants? Compare ChatGPT vs Claude for marketing or browse the best AI personal assistants.
FAQ
What is OpenAI Dots?
OpenAI Dots are always-on AI agents in ChatGPT. Each dot has its own cloud computer and browser, connects to 4,000+ apps and keeps working on your goals between conversations. OpenAI launched them on September 29, 2026.
How much does OpenAI Dots cost?
Your first dot is included with ChatGPT Pro, which starts at $100 a month, or Business Premium at $100 a seat a month billed yearly ($125 monthly, 2-seat minimum). There is no separate price for the first dot.
Is OpenAI Dots free?
No. Dots are not on ChatGPT Free, Go or Plus. The cheapest option is ChatGPT Pro 100 at $100 a month.
Are ChatGPT dots and OpenAI Dots the same thing?
Yes. OpenAI calls them dots, and they live inside ChatGPT, so people use both names.
Can I use OpenAI Dots on my phone?
You can chat with your dot in the ChatGPT mobile app and change its settings there, but you must create it in the desktop app or on desktop web.
Is OpenAI Dots available in Europe?
On ChatGPT Pro, dots are not available in the EU, UK or Switzerland. ChatGPT Business Premium includes a dot in all supported ChatGPT regions.
What model does OpenAI Dots use?
Dots run on GPT-6 Astra, OpenAI’s most capable model.