ChatGPT agent compared with xSquads for Work
Give every knowledge worker their own xSquad
OpenAI's help centre says the ChatGPT agent is no longer available, and points readers to ChatGPT Work. On 29 September 2026 OpenAI announced Dots, always-on agents with their own cloud computer. xSquads for Work is a personal squad of specialised teammates on your own files. You review before anything is sent. The Mac app is available now. The Windows waitlist is open.
By Raina Rufus. Checked 22 October 2026.
ChatGPT, Dots, and OpenAI are OpenAI's names. xSquads is not affiliated with OpenAI.
In short
OpenAI's help centre says the ChatGPT agent is no longer available. Dots, announced on 29 September 2026, are always-on agents with a cloud computer, a browser, and connected apps. xSquads for Work is a personal squad on your own files. You review before anything is sent. Mac now, Windows waitlist open.
ChatGPT agent, Dots, and xSquads for Work
The ChatGPT agent and Dots are both OpenAI products. They are not the same thing, and neither is a squad on your files.
| Comparison point | xSquads for Work | ChatGPT agent and Dots |
|---|---|---|
| What the help page says now | A personal squad of specialised AI teammates on your own files. You review before anything is sent. | OpenAI's ChatGPT agent help article opens with: ChatGPT agent is no longer available. It says to use ChatGPT Work for longer, multi-step tasks and finished deliverables. The same article still describes how agent mode started and lists old monthly message limits. |
| Dots | Not the same product. xSquads is a squad you direct on your files, not an always-on OpenAI agent. | OpenAI's 29 September 2026 announcement describes Dots as always-on agents powered by GPT-6 Astra, with their own cloud computer, their own browser, and connections to more than 4,000 apps. |
| Your computer | The squad works on the files and folders you point it at. | OpenAI says each dot works on its own cloud computer, and that your computer and its contents stay separate unless you choose to connect it. You can give a dot permission to use your laptop. |
| Review | Nothing is sent until you approve it. | OpenAI says Dots start with rules for when to act and when to ask, and that some tasks, such as changing a password, stay with you. It also says Dots can still make mistakes, so review consequential work. |
| Where you talk to it | A Mac desktop app. The Windows waitlist is open. It is not a phone app. | OpenAI says you can message or call a dot in ChatGPT on desktop, web, and mobile, and message it in Slack and Teams. Texting is described as coming later. |
| Who can start a dot | Download the Mac app, or join the Windows waitlist. No price is published here. | OpenAI says the first dot is included in Pro or Business Premium at no extra cost. The help centre says Pro access is for users 18 and older in markets excluding the European Economic Area, Switzerland, and the UK. Enterprise is a beta an admin turns on. |
OpenAI's sentences below are from the pages linked further down, read on 22 October 2026. The Verge and Engadget are used only where this page names them. The xSquads column does not say where the model runs.
When OpenAI's agents fit better
Dots, and ChatGPT Work where OpenAI points people now, fit jobs a folder squad does not claim.
An agent that stays on
OpenAI describes Dots as working toward your goals around the clock, on their own cloud computer. xSquads for Work does not make that claim.
A browser and thousands of apps
OpenAI says a dot has its own browser and can connect to more than 4,000 apps. The Verge's 29 September story reports the same cloud computer, browser, and app count.
ChatGPT Work for a finished file
The agent help page now points readers to ChatGPT Work for longer tasks and finished deliverables. That is a different job from editing a folder you already have.
Slack and Teams
OpenAI says a dot can be messaged in Slack and Teams, and that it carries context across those chats and ChatGPT. A desktop squad does not live in those chats.
You can watch the computer
OpenAI says you can open the dot's computer and inspect the work. Engadget's launch story quotes the same point.
Background research stays read-only
OpenAI says proactive research uses connected apps with tools that cannot send messages, change app content, or control your browser or computer.
When xSquads for Work fits
xSquads for Work fits when the work is a folder you already use, and a person has to approve what is sent.
The work is your files
Drafts, research, follow-ups, and reports in a folder you already use. The squad works there.
A squad, not one always-on agent
Give every knowledge worker their own xSquad. Teammates have roles. OpenAI says you start with one primary dot, and that teams of dots are a later plan.
Review before anything is sent
Finished work waits for you. The security page says what stays on the computer and what a task sends to an AI engine.
Mac now, Windows waitlist open
The Mac app is available for Apple Silicon. Windows is a waitlist, not a download.
Keep Dots when that is the job
If you want an always-on OpenAI agent on a cloud computer, with Slack and a browser, Dots is the product OpenAI is shipping. This page does not pretend otherwise.
What users said
Public posts from 22 September to 22 October 2026. Not a hands-on test. The posts are about Dots. The name ChatGPT agent barely appears. Praise and complaints are both quoted. A line is what that person wrote, unless the note says an OpenAI page confirms it. These posts did not compare Dots on Mac with Dots on Windows. xSquads for Work is a Mac app now. The Windows waitlist is open.
Praise
"always on & proactive"
@dcarter_report. The same post also says a dot can "keep projects moving across conversations and Codex." Both phrases are what that person wrote. OpenAI's announcement does describe Dots as always-on.
"First: 'dot, why can't you get anything done?' Then it clicked: talk in voice, get the handoff in chat, tell it to launch"
@nvandewetering. A slow start, then a way of working that person liked.
"ChatGPT Dots or Grok Bot? Be honest…"
@ConnorTalksAI. A poll with 166 likes and 106 replies. Many replies picked ChatGPT Dots. A preference in a thread, not a measured share.
Complaints
"ChatGPT Dots has gotten so dumb lately. It barely follows instructions"
@dextune. What that person reported. Not confirmed by an OpenAI page.
"Recovery after a restart still needs a manual start"
@abruptWave. A complaint from someone building unofficial access. Not an OpenAI help-centre limitation.
"Careful what you upload to ChatGPT: OpenAI's agents posted 53 users' images online"
r/ChatGPT. Thread title. This page did not find an OpenAI page that confirms a leak of 53 images. Treat it as a user claim.
"created nearly 1 million links packing encoded bits of info"
r/ArtificialInteligence. The same story, with an added claim. Also a user claim. Not confirmed by a vendor page read for this comparison.
"ChatGPT dots shares your cookies and saved logins with the Codex browser"
@diegocabezas01. A user claim. It is not the same sentence as OpenAI's. The Dots announcement says that for supported sign-ins, dots can use saved passwords without exposing them to the model. The privacy FAQ says the login form sends credentials to the browser environment, and that this does not cover passwords you type into a chat.
Also posted
"unlimited and free and untied to your data limit like dots is (for now)"
u/lordpuddingcup, 148 upvotes. A question comparing Duet with Dots, not a Dots price. OpenAI says conversations with a dot do not count toward ChatGPT usage limits, and that Codex or ChatGPT Work tasks the dot starts still count. The announcement also describes a separate allowance for deeper work. "Unlimited" is the commenter's word.
@Jayprak74532861. A two-day trial of scheduled jobs. A diary post, not a result OpenAI published.
r/promptingmagic. A two-week tester tried Instinct, Meta Muse, Grok Bot, and ChatGPT Dots, and picked Instinct. One person's ranking.
No recent post in this window compared Dots on Mac with Dots on Windows. xSquads for Work is a Mac app now. The Windows waitlist is open. It is not a phone app.
How we compared
How we compared: OpenAI's documentation and announcement, read on 22 October 2026, plus The Verge and Engadget for the 29 September launch, and the Dots privacy FAQ where a user claim is about logins. Public posts from 22 September to 22 October 2026 are quoted under What users said. No hands-on test. A post is a user claim unless the note says an OpenAI page confirms it. No dollar price is shown, because none of these pages gave one clear number for Dots.
Sources checked 22 October 2026. Page updated October 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions: xSquads for Work and the ChatGPT Agent
What is the ChatGPT agent?
OpenAI's help centre says the ChatGPT agent is no longer available, and tells readers to use ChatGPT Work for longer, multi-step tasks. The same article still explains how agent mode used to be started, from the tools menu or by typing /agent, and it still lists monthly message limits.
What are OpenAI Dots?
OpenAI announced Dots on 29 September 2026. It describes them as always-on agents with their own cloud computer, their own browser, and connections to more than 4,000 apps. The first dot is included in Pro or Business Premium at no extra cost. The Verge reported the launch the same day and did not state a price.
Are Dots available on Pro in the UK and the EU?
OpenAI's help centre says Pro access is rolling out to users 18 and older in markets excluding the European Economic Area, Switzerland, and the UK. Engadget's launch story says select markets. It does not name those countries. Business Premium is described as available in supported regions, and Enterprise as a beta an admin enables.
When does xSquads for Work fit better?
When you want a squad of specialised teammates on your own files, and you want to review the work before anything is sent. The Mac app is available now. The Windows waitlist is open. Dots remain the fit when you want OpenAI's always-on agent on its cloud computer.
Did you test the ChatGPT agent or Dots?
No. This page uses OpenAI's docs and announcement, The Verge, Engadget, and the Dots privacy FAQ. There is no hands-on test. What users said quotes public posts from 22 September to 22 October 2026. Those are user claims unless the page says an OpenAI page confirms them.
Give every knowledge worker their own xSquad
A personal squad on your own files. You review before anything is sent. Mac now, Windows waitlist open.