Alternatives

The best OpenAI dots alternatives in 2026

Q: What is the best alternative to OpenAI dots?

Our pick is xAI's Grok Bot: like dots it is an always-on agent with its own cloud computer, but it is included with SuperGrok (listed at $30/month as of October 2, 2026) and lets you run several Bots in parallel.

Q: Is there a free alternative to OpenAI dots?

Meta says Muse is free for most of what people need, with paid plans for more; it is rolling out in the US. Grok itself is free to try, but Grok Bot requires SuperGrok or an eligible Cursor plan.

Q: Which dots alternative works in the UK or EU?

Of the agents we cover, Gemini Spark and dots (on Pro) both exclude the EEA, UK and Switzerland; Muse is US-only at launch. Claude Cowork and Grok Bot do not state such restrictions on the pages we checked, but verify in your account.

Updated October 2, 2026 · Facts checked October 2, 2026 · By the dotaimodel team · How we research

Short answer

The strongest alternatives to OpenAI dots are Grok Bot (our pick — always-on agents from $20–$30/month, several at once)^{[10] source: SpaceXAI (xAI)[12] source: SpaceXAI (xAI)}, Claude Cowork (included in Claude Pro at $20/month)^{[18] source: Anthropic}, Gemini Spark (for Google AI Pro/Ultra subscribers)^{[19] source: Google} and Meta Muse (free for most needs, US only)^{[21] source: Meta Newsroom}.

Why look for a dots alternative?

Dots require ChatGPT Pro, Business Premium or Enterprise, Pro access excludes the EEA, UK and Switzerland, and the rollout is gradual^{[1] source: OpenAI (ChatGPT Learn)}. If you’re not on those plans — or you want more than one agent today — the alternatives below are worth a look.

Quick comparison

Cheapest way in

Grok BotOUR PICK: Included with SuperGrok ($30/mo listed) and Cursor Pro ($20/mo)^{[11] source: SpaceXAI (xAI)[12] source: SpaceXAI (xAI)}
Claude Cowork: Included in Claude Pro — $20/mo monthly or $17/mo billed annually^{[17] source: Anthropic[18] source: Anthropic}
Gemini Spark: Google AI Pro or Ultra subscription, 18+^{[19] source: Google}
Meta Muse: Free for most needs, with subscription plans^{[21] source: Meta Newsroom}

Availability

Grok BotOUR PICK: Beta; desktop and iOS^{[10] source: SpaceXAI (xAI)}
Claude Cowork: Pro, Max, Team; Enterprise via admins; web and mobile in beta^{[17] source: Anthropic}
Gemini Spark: Launched May 19, 2026 in the US; expanded since, but not in the EEA, UK, Switzerland or Nigeria^{[20] source: Google (Gemini Apps Help)}
Meta Muse: Rolling out in the US on iOS, Android and muse.ai since September 8, 2026^{[21] source: Meta Newsroom}

Best for

Grok BotOUR PICK: Individuals and small teams who want several always-on agents without a top-tier subscription
Claude Cowork: Knowledge workers who want document, spreadsheet and research deliverables
Gemini Spark: People who live in Gmail, Calendar, Drive and Docs
Meta Muse: Everyday consumers in the US who want errands and shopping handled

OpenAI dots alternatives — entry price and availability
	Grok BotOur pick	Claude Cowork	Gemini Spark	Meta Muse
Cheapest way in	Included with SuperGrok ($30/mo listed) and Cursor Pro ($20/mo)^{[11] source: SpaceXAI (xAI)[12] source: SpaceXAI (xAI)}	Included in Claude Pro — $20/mo monthly or $17/mo billed annually^{[17] source: Anthropic[18] source: Anthropic}	Google AI Pro or Ultra subscription, 18+^{[19] source: Google}	Free for most needs, with subscription plans^{[21] source: Meta Newsroom}
Availability	Beta; desktop and iOS^{[10] source: SpaceXAI (xAI)}	Pro, Max, Team; Enterprise via admins; web and mobile in beta^{[17] source: Anthropic}	Launched May 19, 2026 in the US; expanded since, but not in the EEA, UK, Switzerland or Nigeria^{[20] source: Google (Gemini Apps Help)}	Rolling out in the US on iOS, Android and muse.ai since September 8, 2026^{[21] source: Meta Newsroom}
Best for	Individuals and small teams who want several always-on agents without a top-tier subscription	Knowledge workers who want document, spreadsheet and research deliverables	People who live in Gmail, Calendar, Drive and Docs	Everyday consumers in the US who want errands and shopping handled

OpenAI dots alternatives — entry price and availability — as of October 2, 2026. Bracketed numbers link to sources. “Not stated” means we could not find an official figure.

The alternatives, in our order of recommendation

Our order reflects fit for people leaving or skipping dots, weighing price of entry and always-on capability. It is a judgment, not a score — we don’t publish ratings or benchmarks we didn’t run.

Grok Bot

by xAI (SpaceXAI)Our pick

Always-on AI “teammates” with their own cloud computer that sign into your tools, work 24/7 and come back for approval^{[10] source: SpaceXAI (xAI)}.

Best for: Individuals and small teams who want several always-on agents without a top-tier subscription
Cheapest way in: Included with SuperGrok ($30/mo listed) and Cursor Pro ($20/mo)^{[11] source: SpaceXAI (xAI)[12] source: SpaceXAI (xAI)}
Availability: Beta; desktop and iOS^{[10] source: SpaceXAI (xAI)}

Strengths

Run many Bots in parallel; Bots coordinate in group chats^{[10] source: SpaceXAI (xAI)}
Teach a workflow once and it becomes a routine^{[10] source: SpaceXAI (xAI)}
Works in sites and apps without an API or MCP^{[10] source: SpaceXAI (xAI)}
Bot usage is separate from your Grok/Cursor plan usage^{[11] source: SpaceXAI (xAI)}

Watch-outs

Still in beta^{[11] source: SpaceXAI (xAI)}
You can’t choose the model; xAI hasn’t disclosed which models it routes to^{[16] source: VentureBeat (Carl Franzen)}
No agent benchmarks published at launch^{[16] source: VentureBeat (Carl Franzen)}

Try Grok

Claude Cowork

by Anthropic

Hand Claude a goal and it works across your files and tools, keeps going when your laptop is closed, and runs scheduled tasks^{[17] source: Anthropic}.

Best for: Knowledge workers who want document, spreadsheet and research deliverables
Cheapest way in: Included in Claude Pro — $20/mo monthly or $17/mo billed annually^{[17] source: Anthropic[18] source: Anthropic}
Availability: Pro, Max, Team; Enterprise via admins; web and mobile in beta^{[17] source: Anthropic}

Strengths

Low entry price; included in Pro^{[18] source: Anthropic}
Shows each step; asks before significant actions when enabled^{[17] source: Anthropic}
Runs on Anthropic or your own cloud (Bedrock, Google Cloud, Foundry)^{[17] source: Anthropic}

Watch-outs

Agentic tasks consume more of your plan’s usage limits^{[17] source: Anthropic}
Computer use is in research preview^{[17] source: Anthropic}

Official page: Claude Cowork ↗

Gemini Spark

by Google

Google’s 24/7 personal agent that works in the background even when your devices are off, and checks with you before major actions^{[19] source: Google}.

Best for: People who live in Gmail, Calendar, Drive and Docs
Cheapest way in: Google AI Pro or Ultra subscription, 18+^{[19] source: Google}
Availability: Launched May 19, 2026 in the US; expanded since, but not in the EEA, UK, Switzerland or Nigeria^{[20] source: Google (Gemini Apps Help)}

Strengths

Native Google app connections; custom apps via MCP^{[19] source: Google[20] source: Google (Gemini Apps Help)}
Tasks, Skills and Schedules for repeatable work^{[19] source: Google}

Watch-outs

Google app connections are off by default^{[19] source: Google}
Regional gaps^{[20] source: Google (Gemini Apps Help)}

Official page: Gemini Spark ↗

Meta Muse

by Meta

A consumer personal agent running on its own secure cloud VM with a browser, reachable in the Muse app or WhatsApp^{[21] source: Meta Newsroom}.

Best for: Everyday consumers in the US who want errands and shopping handled
Cheapest way in: Free for most needs, with subscription plans^{[21] source: Meta Newsroom}
Availability: Rolling out in the US on iOS, Android and muse.ai since September 8, 2026^{[21] source: Meta Newsroom}

Strengths

Free tier; WhatsApp access^{[21] source: Meta Newsroom}
Separate “Sentinel” agent must approve anything that reaches the internet^{[21] source: Meta Newsroom}
Checkout via Link by Stripe with one-time-use cards^{[21] source: Meta Newsroom}

Watch-outs

US only at launch^{[21] source: Meta Newsroom}
Aimed at consumers more than business work^{[5] source: The Guardian (Dara Kerr)}

Official page: Meta Muse ↗

How to choose

Want agents that do work inside your existing web tools? Grok Bot signs into your tools, even ones without an API^{[10] source: SpaceXAI (xAI)}.
Mostly documents, spreadsheets and research? Claude Cowork is built for non-coding knowledge work^{[17] source: Anthropic}.
All-in on Google Workspace? Gemini Spark connects natively to Gmail, Calendar, Drive and Docs^{[19] source: Google}.
Consumer errands and shopping in the US? Muse handles bookings and checkout via Link by Stripe^{[21] source: Meta Newsroom}.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best alternative to OpenAI dots?

Our pick is xAI’s Grok Bot: like dots it’s an always-on agent with its own cloud computer^{[10] source: SpaceXAI (xAI)}, but it’s included with SuperGrok (listed at $30/month as of October 2, 2026)^{[12] source: SpaceXAI (xAI)} and lets you run several Bots in parallel^{[10] source: SpaceXAI (xAI)}.

Is there a free alternative to OpenAI dots?

Meta says Muse is “free for most of what people need,” with subscription plans for more, and is rolling out in the US^{[21] source: Meta Newsroom}. Grok is free to try^{[14] source: SpaceXAI (xAI)}, but Grok Bot requires SuperGrok or an eligible Cursor plan^{[11] source: SpaceXAI (xAI)}.

Which dots alternative works in the UK or EU?

Gemini Spark and dots on Pro exclude the EEA, UK and Switzerland^{[1] source: OpenAI (ChatGPT Learn)[20] source: Google (Gemini Apps Help)}; Muse is US-only at launch^{[21] source: Meta Newsroom}. Claude Cowork and Grok Bot don’t state such restrictions on the pages we checked^{[11] source: SpaceXAI (xAI)[17] source: Anthropic} — verify in your account.

Sources for this page

[1]Meet dots — OpenAI (ChatGPT Learn) (accessed 2026-10-02)
[2]GPT-6 Astra System Card — OpenAI Deployment Safety Hub, 2026-09-03 (accessed 2026-10-02)
[3]GPT-6 Astra System Card — Appendix: dots — OpenAI Deployment Safety Hub, 2026-09-29 (accessed 2026-10-02)
[5]OpenAI announces ‘dots’ agent after scrapping launch of new AI model over safety concerns — The Guardian (Dara Kerr), 2026-09-29 (accessed 2026-10-02)
[6]OpenAI’s Dots Are Always-On AI Agents—and Its Answer to Meta’s Muse — WIRED, 2026-09-29 (accessed 2026-10-02)
[7]OpenAI DevDay recap: AI lab rolls out Dots agents, Altman and Friar comment on IPO — CNBC, 2026-09-29 (accessed 2026-10-02)
[10]Introducing Grok Bot — SpaceXAI (xAI), 2026-08-11 (accessed 2026-10-02)
[11]Grok Bot is now included with more plans — SpaceXAI (xAI) (accessed 2026-10-02)
[12]Grok Bot — AI teammates that finish the work (product & pricing page) — SpaceXAI (xAI) (accessed 2026-10-02)
[14]Grok — product overview — SpaceXAI (xAI) (accessed 2026-10-02)
[16]SpaceXAI's Grok Bot turns agents into persistent digital coworkers — VentureBeat (Carl Franzen), 2026-08-11 (accessed 2026-10-02)
[17]Claude Cowork — Anthropic (accessed 2026-10-02)
[18]Plans & Pricing — Anthropic (accessed 2026-10-02)
[19]Gemini Spark — your 24/7 personal AI agent — Google (accessed 2026-10-02)
[20]What's new for Gemini Spark — Google (Gemini Apps Help) (accessed 2026-10-02)
[21]Introducing Muse: The World’s First Personal AI Agent Built for Everyone — Meta Newsroom, 2026-09-08 (accessed 2026-10-02)

All sources →