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OpenAI's Dots Want to Sell You Pro. Wait Out the Free Month
OpenAI's always-on dots agents come with Pro and Business Premium, but the generous first month ends soon. Here's who can get one and why to wait.
Prices last read 2026-10-13
Short answer
If you already pay for Pro, use your included dot. If you don't, don't upgrade for it yet.OpenAI announced dots at DevDay on September 29, 2026. They are always-on agents powered by GPT-6 Astra, and each one has its own cloud computer. They are rolling out to ChatGPT Pro and Business Premium users, and the first dot comes with the plan at no extra cost. OpenAI says plans get extended limits for the first month after launch and that it will share usage terms after that. It hasn't announced prices for extra dots. Pro users in the EEA, Switzerland and the UK are excluded for now.Source: Getting started with your dot (OpenAI Help Center) · 2026-10-13; OpenAI launches dots, always-on AI agents in ChatGPT with their own cloud computers (SiliconANGLE) · 2026-10-13
What OpenAI actually launched
OpenAI says a dot is an always-on agent inside ChatGPT that keeps working on your goals between conversations. Each dot runs on its own cloud computer, and you can watch it work. If you click "Allow access" in the desktop app, it can also use your own computer. Local access is off by default. 9to5Google reports that you can message a dot in ChatGPT, Slack or Teams, or start a voice call with it. SiliconANGLE reports that dots connect to more than 4,000 apps through plugins. When a dot is idle, it can run read-only "proactive research" across the tools you've connected.
Source: Introducing dots (OpenAI) · 2026-10-13; Getting started with your dot (OpenAI Help Center) · 2026-10-13; OpenAI dots agent (9to5Google) · 2026-10-13; OpenAI launches dots (SiliconANGLE) · 2026-10-13
Who's in, who's out
Eligibility at launch, per OpenAI's Help Center
- Pro: rolling out in all markets except the European Economic Area, Switzerland and the UK.
- Business Premium: available in all supported ChatGPT regions.
- Enterprise, Edu and Healthcare: beta only, off by default until a workspace admin turns it on.
- Rollout is gradual, so access may take several days to reach your account.
- You can only create a dot in the ChatGPT desktop app or on desktop web. Mobile and mobile web aren't supported for setup.
- Texting is a limited beta for US Pro users only.
Source: Getting started with your dot (OpenAI Help Center) · 2026-10-13
Your first dot is included in your Pro or Business Premium plan at no extra cost.
OpenAI Help Center, Getting started with your dot (read 2026-10-13)Source: Getting started with your dot (OpenAI Help Center) · 2026-10-13
That sentence says your first dot costs nothing extra. It doesn't promise that extra dots or extra capacity will be free. OpenAI says you'll be able to add more dots in the future and scale each one by raising its speed or monthly work volume, but it hasn't given prices or a date. The announcement says conversations with your dot don't count toward your ChatGPT usage limits. Tasks a dot starts in Codex or ChatGPT Work do count as usual. The extended first-month allowance is temporary.
Source: Introducing dots (OpenAI) · 2026-10-13; Getting started with your dot (OpenAI Help Center) · 2026-10-13
The take: a good feature with an unfinished price tag
Dots are the clearest case OpenAI has made for its top tier. A chatbot answers when you ask. An agent that triages Slack bugs at 3 a.m. or drafts an invoice you forgot is a different product. But look at how the deal is built: one free dot, a generous first month, and quiet hints that more speed and more agents will come later at a price. That's a trial period. Paying the Pro premium today means paying for a product whose ongoing terms OpenAI hasn't written yet.
The overrated part is "always-on" as a selling point. An agent that runs nonstop is only worth it if its work holds up, and OpenAI itself says dots can make mistakes and that you should review consequential work. The underrated part is the permission rules: act freely, act only if you pre-approved it, ask first, or hand off to you. If you try a dot, start with "ask first" and loosen the rules only once you trust it.
In the UK, EEA or Switzerland?
Don't upgrade to Pro expecting a dot. OpenAI hasn't given a date for Pro access in these regions. Business Premium is listed as available in all supported regions, so if your employer is on it, ask your admin.
Source: Getting started with your dot (OpenAI Help Center) · 2026-10-13
- Already on Pro or Business PremiumSet up your dot on desktop now, while the first-month allowance is still in place, and record how much real work it gets done.
- On Plus or FreeWait. Once the first month ends, check OpenAI's Help Center for the usage terms it has promised to publish.
- Before you grant local accessKeep it off unless you need it. You can revoke it with "Revoke access" in the desktop app.
| Services | Official | Shared | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | $20.54 | $4.96 | 76% |
Every price on this page was read on 2026-09-24.
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Sources (read 2026-10-13)