OpenAI dots pricing: the real math and a work contract for your agent
OpenAI dots pricing: what the always-on agent really costs, how to set it up step by step and a work contract to set its limits.
OpenAI dots pricing: according to pricing guides, the cheapest way into dots costs $100 a month, and your first dot comes included with Pro and Business Premium plans at no extra cost. Dots are agents that live inside ChatGPT, have their own cloud computer and keep working when you close the window. OpenAI didn't publish the price in its announcement, so that figure comes from secondary sources.
What OpenAI dots are
OpenAI introduced dots at its DevDay on September 29, 2026. They run on GPT-6 Astra and each gets its own cloud computer. Before, you asked an assistant for something and waited for the answer; now you hand it a responsibility and it comes back with work done. They're rolling out gradually to Pro and Business Premium, not Plus or the free plan.
How they work inside
The key piece is that own computer, separate from yours unless you connect it. From there the dot uses a browser, opens apps and, through plugins, connects to more than 4,000 apps. It messages you through ChatGPT, Slack or Microsoft Teams when it needs a decision. When you're away, it works in read-only mode: it can research, but it can't send messages, change content or control a browser. Real autonomy isn't in what it does, but in what you let it do.
How to set up your dot, step by step
- Create your dot in the desktop app or the browser; it can't be set up from the phone.
- Connect your apps, only the ones you want. The dot introduces itself and asks how to help.
- Give it something concrete, for example: check my invoices and tell me which are still unpaid.
- Define custom rules: for each action you decide whether to authorize it, require your approval or block it.
- Open the activity view to see what it did and steer it.
The first time you get stuck on the rules: if you don't define them, it asks about everything. That's normal, and it's the moment to decide what you let it do alone.
The math: what it really costs
This is the analysis's math, not an OpenAI promise. A month has 720 hours: $100 divided by 720 is about 14 cents per hour of available agent. But available isn't useful. If it saves you five hours a week, that's 260 hours a year; $1,200 divided by 260 is $4.62 per hour saved. As a hypothetical, if your hour is worth $20, the plan pays for itself with five hours a month; if it's worth $40, with two and a half.
And it all breaks if your dot burns through your Codex quota.
What they don't tell you about the price
Included doesn't mean free. Chatting with your dot doesn't use your limit, but everything it delegates to Codex or ChatGPT Work does count. OpenAI says your deep-work quota has expanded limits during the first month and that in the future you'll be able to pay for more dots and more capacity, but it hasn't published how much. Today you can't calculate the cost of month two, so measure the first month as if it weren't the real one.
Three use cases
- Billing without forgetting (accountant or freelancer): OpenAI says a test user's dot noticed they'd forgotten to invoice a publication, prepared the invoice and sent it with their approval.
- Materials up to date (micro-agency): per OpenAI, given an interview transcript the dot identifies clip moments, prepares notes and drafts posts that you approve. Today it's one dot per user, and work handed to ChatGPT Work counts against your quota.
- From bug to fix (solo developer): the dot reviews customer comments, spots repeated requests, develops and tests fixes and delivers pull requests with videos. It requires repositories, tests and well-set rules.
What's coming: specialist dots
OpenAI tested them internally in procurement, invoice processing, marketing email, customer support and commercial contracting. Each is configured with its own identity, credentials and access. It's a scoped pilot in which OpenAI engineers work with each organization to define responsibilities, tools and how the work is reviewed.
Who it isn't for
- If you live outside enabled markets: according to independent guides, the Pro plan doesn't yet reach the European Economic Area, Switzerland or the UK.
- If your company is regulated: published terms of use and independent security tests are missing.
- If your work is unique and creative, never repeating: a dot shines on continuous work, not improvisation.
What can fail
- OpenAI warns that dots can still make mistakes: review any work with important consequences.
- For now it's one dot per person; teams of dots are a future plan.
- A busy dot can burn through your limits before you wake up.
- Sensitive tasks, like changing a password, always stay in your hands.
How to apply it in your business?
Give your dot a five-point work contract: one named responsibility (for example, invoice collection, not "help me with everything"); the sources it can read, only the necessary apps; what it does without asking, limited to reading and drafts; what it asks you first, anything that goes to another person or touches money; and a cap on tasks for Codex and ChatGPT Work, to protect your quota. Check the activity view every morning for the first week, before widening permissions.
For the quick version, read the full breakdown of ChatGPT dots. And to see where your team and agents work together, look at ChatGPT Space.
Frequently asked questions
How much do OpenAI dots cost?
According to pricing guides, the cheapest entry is $100 a month. The first dot is included with Pro and Business Premium at no extra cost; OpenAI hasn't published pricing for additional dots.
Which plans include dots?
Pro, Business Premium and Enterprise, gradually in enabled markets. Not Plus or the free plan.
Do dots work when I close ChatGPT?
Yes. They keep working on their own cloud computer; when you're away, only in read-only mode.
Can a dot change my password?
No. Sensitive tasks, like changing a password, always stay in the user's hands.
How many dots can I have?
For now, one dot per person.
Conclusion
The entry-level OpenAI dots pricing, about $100 a month per the guides, only pays off if you hand it useful work without losing control. The question is no longer how smart the model is, but how much work you can let go of. Start with a clear contract and measure the first month as if it weren't the real one.