Meta Muse vs OpenAI Dots: two always-on AI agents compared
Sep 30, 2026 · 5 min read
Meta and OpenAI launched always-on AI agents three weeks apart. Meta opened Muse on 8 September 2026. OpenAI launched dots on 29 September, and the Associated Press reported that dots compete with Muse. Both AI agents keep working after you close the app. Beyond that shared idea, they are built for different people.
The short answer
Muse is an AI agent for everyday errands. It is free to start, and it is open only in the United States and Canada. A dot is an AI agent for work that lives inside ChatGPT. It needs a paid plan, and it is available in far more countries, including India and the UAE. If you live outside North America, a dot is the only one of the two you can use today.
What they have in common
The two products share a basic design. You give the AI agent a goal in plain words. It works on a computer in the cloud that is set aside for you, which is why it can keep going when your phone is locked. It uses the accounts you connect, and it checks with you before steps that need your approval.
Meta calls its cloud computer the Muse Secure VM. VM stands for virtual machine, which is a computer that runs in a data centre. OpenAI says each dot has its own cloud computer and browser. In both cases you can leave, and the work continues.
Where they differ
Price is the first difference. Muse has a free tier, with paid plans at $20 and $100 a month for heavier use. Mark Zuckerberg has also said that Meta will take a small fee on purchases Muse completes. Dots have no free version. Your first dot comes with ChatGPT Pro, which starts at $100 a month, or with Business Premium for companies.
The jobs are different too. Meta built Muse around personal errands. It can book things, and it can buy through Link by Stripe without seeing your card. In the United States, it can also call businesses for you. OpenAI built dots around work, e.g., turning customer feedback into tested code fixes. OpenAI is also building specialist dots that a company sets up for one job, e.g., processing invoices.
You also reach them in different places. Muse has its own app and a website, and you can reach it in WhatsApp and on a Mac. Meta's glasses and the Muse Charm keychain, due in December, will add more ways in. A dot lives inside ChatGPT. You can also message it in Slack and Microsoft Teams, or call it for a voice chat.
Availability is the difference most readers here will notice. Muse is open only in the United States, since 8 September, and in Canada, since 18 September. Meta has given no date for other countries. Dots are open to Pro users everywhere except the European Economic Area, Switzerland and the UK. Business Premium users can get them in every region where ChatGPT is offered.
Phone calls are another gap. Muse can call businesses in the United States for you. You can call your dot for a voice chat, and texting is in beta for Pro users in the United States. A dot cannot call you at launch, and OpenAI has not said whether dots will call businesses.
How many people can use each one
Muse had passed 2.5 million downloads by the week of Meta's Connect event, according to Sensor Tower figures reported by CNN. Other research firms give different estimates.
Dots start from a much larger base. OpenAI says ChatGPT has 1.2 billion weekly users. At launch, though, only people on Pro or Business Premium plans can get a dot. OpenAI has not said how many people that is.
What about devices?
Meta is also building hardware for Muse. The Muse Charm, a palm-sized device with a small screen and two cameras, is due in December. OpenAI has not announced a device for dots. In a February 2026 court filing, OpenAI said its first device would not ship to customers before the end of February 2027. For now, you reach a dot through ChatGPT on a computer or a phone, or through Slack and Teams.
How each one keeps you safe
The two companies put different safety checks around their AI agents. Meta runs a second AI agent, called Sentinel, on the same cloud computer as Muse. By Meta's description, nothing Muse does reaches the internet unless Sentinel allows it.
OpenAI checks actions before they run. A system called auto-review looks at steps like sending an email and compares them with your instructions and rules. Custom Rules let you decide which actions a dot may take alone and which need your approval. Some actions always come back to you, e.g., changing a password.
OpenAI says dots can still make mistakes, and Muse is only three weeks old. Check anything either one does that sends a message or spends money.
Which one should you use?
For most readers of this blog, the answer comes down to where you live. In India or the UAE, Muse is not open yet, so a dot is the only choice, at a starting price of $100 a month. In the United States or Canada, Muse is the cheaper way to try an AI agent, and its free tier is enough to learn what it can do. If your team works in Slack or Teams, ask whether your company's ChatGPT workspace is on Business Premium.
What this means for hiring
People will use these AI agents for the admin around a job search first, e.g., keeping track of interview slots. Recruiters will use them for their own follow-up work. The interview is the step where the person has to speak for themselves. An AI agent can help a candidate prepare, but the candidate still answers the questions.