If you need an always-on agent that keeps working between conversations, there is not yet a verified one-for-one replacement for OpenAI Dots. ChatGPT Work is the closest OpenAI option for handing off a multi-step job; scheduled tasks suit briefings and recurring checks; Meta Muse is another always-on assistant to investigate. Developers can build custom agents with OpenAI’s APIs or SDK, but those are platforms—not ready-made assistants.
That distinction matters because Dots are designed for ongoing responsibility, not simply answering a prompt or running a scheduled reminder. The choices below cover parts of that promise, with different levels of persistence, control, and setup.
What makes Dots different from a regular AI assistant?
OpenAI describes a Dot as “an always-on agent in ChatGPT that can take on ongoing responsibility and keep making progress between conversations.” According to its Help Center description, a Dot has a cloud computer, can use apps a user chooses to connect, and remembers context. The user sets a goal and defines what the Dot may do independently; it can return results for review and ask for decisions requiring human judgment.
OpenAI’s GPT-6 Astra system card also describes recurring work, browser and connected-tool use, follow-ups through ChatGPT, text message, email, and Slack, and delegation to subagents. Those are vendor descriptions of the product’s design, not independent evidence that every task will succeed or that the system is risk-free. For any persistent agent, check what it can access, what requires approval, and how to review or stop its work.
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Best alternatives, depending on what you need
| Option | Best fit | How it differs from Dots |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT Work | Handing off a substantial, multi-step job | Useful for a discrete assignment; the reviewed coverage does not describe it as an always-on personal agent. |
| ChatGPT scheduled tasks | Briefings, reminders, or periodic checks | Runs work later or on a recurring schedule, but that alone does not establish Dots-style ongoing responsibility and context. |
| Meta Muse | Considering another always-on assistant | A reported alternative, but the available information does not establish functional parity with Dots. |
| OpenAI Agents API or Agents SDK | Developers building a custom agent | Offers implementation choices and control, but requires development rather than signing up for a finished consumer assistant. |
The comparison is based on the descriptions in Tom’s Guide’s coverage of Dots and alternatives and OpenAI’s product and developer documentation. It is not a feature-by-feature ranking of competing vendors.
ChatGPT Work: best for a larger handoff
Choose ChatGPT Work when you want to assign a multi-step piece of work—such as research involving files, apps, and web tasks—and receive a result. Tom’s Guide identifies it as the closest immediate OpenAI option for this kind of handoff. The key distinction is that the reporting does not characterize Work as a personal assistant that continuously maintains responsibility between assignments.
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ChatGPT scheduled tasks: best for predictable recurring work
Use scheduled tasks when the job is specific and time-based: a briefing, reminder, or periodic check. Scheduling addresses one part of the always-on idea, but the available reporting does not establish that scheduled tasks maintain the broader context and ongoing responsibility OpenAI attributes to Dots.
Meta Muse: an alternative to investigate
Meta Muse is named in current reporting as another always-on assistant. That is a reason to compare it, not enough to conclude it matches Dots. Check Meta’s current product documentation for supported regions, connected services, access controls, and the kinds of ongoing work it can perform before relying on it for a particular workflow.
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OpenAI Agents API and SDK: for building your own
For developers, OpenAI’s Agents documentation describes different ways to create agent systems. The Agents API is a managed Codex harness for long-running tasks, with OpenAI managing agent infrastructure and saving progress. The Agents SDK runs in the developer’s application, giving that application control over deployment, storage, approvals, and runtime integration. The Responses API is a more direct integration route.
These are development paths, not plug-and-play alternatives. They make sense when you can implement and operate the surrounding application and want control over its runtime, approvals, or storage. If you simply want an assistant ready to use, start with a consumer-facing option instead.
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How to choose an always-on agent
Compare the actual operating model, not just the word “agent.” Before trusting a service with ongoing work, answer these questions:
- Persistence: Does it continue between conversations, run only a task you hand off, or act on a schedule?
- State and computing: Where are its computer and saved context hosted, and what happens to that state when the task ends?
- Access: Which apps, channels, files, and tools can it use? Are permissions optional and specific to each service?
- Oversight: Which actions need approval? Can you inspect progress, correct a decision, or stop a running task?
- Eligibility: Is the service available for your region, subscription, and—if applicable—workspace settings?
- Setup: Do you want a ready-made assistant, or are you prepared to build and operate a custom agent?
OpenAI’s system card frames Dots as proactive, long-running work, making access, review, and stop controls especially relevant—not optional details to overlook.
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Can you use Dots instead?
Possibly, but eligibility was limited in OpenAI’s Help Center snapshot accessed October 3, 2026, and rollout was gradual. At that time, Dots were rolling out to ChatGPT Pro users outside the European Economic Area, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Business Premium users in supported ChatGPT regions were also eligible. Enterprise users, including Edu and Healthcare, could try the beta if a workspace administrator enabled it; the beta was initially off by default. OpenAI said accounts might take several days to receive access. Check the current Help Center page for changes before making a decision.
The first Dot was included in eligible Pro or Business Premium plans, with an allowance for deeper work and extended limits during the first month after launch. OpenAI said users would be able to add Dots or increase speed or monthly work capacity later, but the Help Center page reviewed did not give an exact work allowance or standalone price. Do not assume a particular capacity or extra-Dot price from that description.
Dots were created in ChatGPT desktop or desktop web; the Help Center page said users could not create one on mobile and that Dots were not supported on mobile web. Mobile-app conversation access was available when enabled. Each Dot has its own cloud computer, while access to the user’s local computer is optional and starts turned off.
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