Unofficial guide · Updated September 30, 2026
OpenAI dots vs ChatGPT agent: what changed, and what to use now
If you’re looking for the old ChatGPT agent mode, it’s gone. Here’s what replaced it, how dots differs from both agent mode and ChatGPT Work, and which one makes sense on your plan.
By the Dots Playbook editors · Checked against 6 sources on September 30, 2026 · 5 min read
On this page
The short answer
- ChatGPT agent mode is no longer available, according to OpenAI’s Help Center.
- For multi-step tasks, OpenAI now points to ChatGPT Work.
- Dots is different: an always-on agent with its own computer that keeps working between chats.
- Plus users get ChatGPT Work but not dots; Pro gets both.
Key facts
- Launched
- Sep 29, 2026
- Model
- GPT-6 Astra
- Included in
- Pro, Business Premium
- Create on
- Desktop only
- Minimum age
- 18
What happened to ChatGPT agent mode
ChatGPT agent launched in July 2025 for Pro, Plus and Team users, folding in OpenAI’s earlier Operator browser agent (OpenAI Help Center). It let ChatGPT complete online tasks inside a conversation using a virtual browser, within a monthly message quota (40 on Plus, 400 on Pro).
Agent mode vs ChatGPT Work vs dots
| ChatGPT agent (retired) | ChatGPT Work | Dots | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Status | No longer available | Available | Rolling out since Sept 29, 2026 |
| How work starts | You start a task in a chat | You start multi-step tasks | Works continuously, and can research proactively |
| Between chats | Stops when the task ends | Task-based | Keeps working on ongoing projects |
| Computer | Virtual browser | Desktop, web and mobile | Its own cloud computer and browser |
| Plans | Was Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, Edu | Limited on Free and Go; full on Plus and Pro | Pro, Business Premium, Enterprise beta |
| Reach it via | ChatGPT | ChatGPT | ChatGPT, Slack, Teams, text (US beta) |
Status
- ChatGPT agent (retired)
- No longer available
- ChatGPT Work
- Available
- Dots
- Rolling out since Sept 29, 2026
How work starts
- ChatGPT agent (retired)
- You start a task in a chat
- ChatGPT Work
- You start multi-step tasks
- Dots
- Works continuously, and can research proactively
Between chats
- ChatGPT agent (retired)
- Stops when the task ends
- ChatGPT Work
- Task-based
- Dots
- Keeps working on ongoing projects
Computer
- ChatGPT agent (retired)
- Virtual browser
- ChatGPT Work
- Desktop, web and mobile
- Dots
- Its own cloud computer and browser
Plans
- ChatGPT agent (retired)
- Was Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, Edu
- ChatGPT Work
- Limited on Free and Go; full on Plus and Pro
- Dots
- Pro, Business Premium, Enterprise beta
Reach it via
- ChatGPT agent (retired)
- ChatGPT
- ChatGPT Work
- ChatGPT
- Dots
- ChatGPT, Slack, Teams, text (US beta)
Source: OpenAI Help Center, “ChatGPT agent”; OpenAI, “ChatGPT pricing”; OpenAI Help Center, “Getting started with your dot”. Verified September 30, 2026.
The real difference: tasks vs a teammate
Agent mode and ChatGPT Work are task tools: you ask for something, it gets done, and that’s the end of it. A dot is closer to a teammate. It has its own persistent computer, remembers context, can be reached in Slack and Teams, and keeps working on ongoing projects between conversations (OpenAI). It can even hand work off to ChatGPT Work or Codex when your computer is connected (OpenAI Help Center).
That makes the two complementary rather than competing: The Decoder describes Work as something you start task by task, while a dot works on its own separate machine (The Decoder).
Which should you use?
- On Free or Go: limited ChatGPT Work on the desktop app. No dots.
- On Plus: use ChatGPT Work for anything you used agent mode for. Dots isn’t included (OpenAI).
- On Pro or Business Premium: use Work for one-off deliverables and your dot for ongoing responsibilities. See how to set up dots.
Frequently asked questions
Is ChatGPT agent mode still available?
No. OpenAI’s Help Center says ChatGPT agent is no longer available, and points people to ChatGPT Work for longer multi-step tasks and to the cloud browser for supported browser workflows.
Did dots replace ChatGPT agent?
OpenAI hasn’t described dots as a replacement for agent mode. The Help Center names ChatGPT Work as the place for the multi-step tasks agent mode used to handle. Dots is a separate, always-on agent for Pro and Business Premium users.
I’m on ChatGPT Plus. What can I use instead of agent mode?
ChatGPT Work. OpenAI’s pricing page lists ChatGPT Work on desktop, web and mobile for Plus, while dots is a Pro feature.
Does using ChatGPT Work through my dot count toward limits?
Yes. Conversations with your dot don’t count toward ChatGPT usage limits, but tasks your dot starts or manages in ChatGPT Work or Codex count as usual.
Sources
- OpenAI Help Center: ChatGPT agent (official, published September 15, 2026, checked September 30, 2026)
- OpenAI Help Center: ChatGPT agent - release notes (official, published July 17, 2025, checked September 30, 2026)
- OpenAI: ChatGPT pricing (official, published September 30, 2026, checked September 30, 2026)
- OpenAI: Introducing dots (official, published September 29, 2026, checked September 30, 2026)
- OpenAI Help Center: Getting started with your dot (official, published September 29, 2026, checked September 30, 2026)
- The Decoder: OpenAI launches always-on dots agents to rival Meta’s Muse (media report, published September 29, 2026, checked September 30, 2026)
Dots is new and changes fast. If something here is out of date, the official pages win.