The best OpenAI dots alternatives

Dots are OpenAI's always-on agents, inside ChatGPT, Slack and Teams, included with ChatGPT Pro (from $100 a month) and Business Premium. If you want an agent you can text today, one that sits in your group chats or joins your meetings, or one that doesn't need a $100 plan, these are worth a look.

Updated 31 October 2026. Every option is checked against its own site; sources are at the foot of the page.

Why look past OpenAI dots

What OpenAI dots doesn't do.

Texting is a small US beta

Since 28 October some US Pro users can text a dot over iMessage or RCS, one-to-one only: no group messages, no WhatsApp, and not on Business or Enterprise.

They start at $100 a month

Dots come with ChatGPT Pro (from $100 a month) or Business Premium. There's no cheaper way in.

One dot per person, for now

Each person gets one primary dot today. Teams of dots are planned, and specialist dots are in enterprise pilots.

They don't join your meetings

We couldn't find a notetaker that joins your calls, or a way to put a dot in a group chat.

At a glance

7 OpenAI dots alternatives, side by side.

Option	Best for	Where it works	Price
Cicada	Anyone whose work happens in chats: a team, a group, or one person who wants an agent in their messages, apps and meetings.	iMessage and WhatsApp (one-to-one and group chats), Slack, email and a web app	300 free credits to start with a card at sign-up, then $25 for 200 credits when you run low, or plans from $99 a month. Credits are shared across the workspace and roll over.
Claude Duet	Claude users in the US who want a proactive personal agent running Opus 5.5 for $20 a month.	Its own app on iOS and Android, and claude.ai on the web	Included in Claude Pro ($20 a month), Max ($100) and Ultra ($200), sharing their usage limits; US only, by waitlist
Grok Bot	People on X or in Cursor who want bots that operate software on their own computer.	Its own apps (desktop and mobile), @bot on X and email; Slack on Team plans	Included in X Premium ($30), Super ($100) and Ultra ($200) a month, and in Cursor's paid plans; not in X Plus or Free
Lindy	People who work in Slack, iMessage and Gmail and want meeting notes.	iMessage and SMS, Slack, email, meetings and a Chrome extension	Free to try with $50 of credits for 7 days; Team from $49.99 a month for every active user, credits pooled; Enterprise priced on request
Viktor	A team that wants one shared AI employee inside its Slack or Teams.	Slack and Microsoft Teams, web chat for Slack workspaces, its own email address and an API	Up to $100 of free credits; Team plan from $50 a month per workspace, credits shared rather than per seat
Poke	One person who wants a proactive assistant in their texts, free to start.	iMessage, WhatsApp and Telegram	Free; Pro $19 a month; Ultra $199 a month, which adds Poke Human, a real person for calls and orders
Muse	One person in the US, Canada, Japan or Singapore who wants a free agent for errands, shopping and their own Facebook and Instagram business accounts.	The Muse app (iOS and Android), muse.ai and WhatsApp one-to-one	Free for most use, with paid subscriptions for more; in the US and Canada, and since late October in Japan and Singapore

Cicada

by Cicada Labs

In your texts and your group chats today, on any plan. Cicada works in iMessage and WhatsApp, one-to-one and in group chats, as well as Slack and email. A coordinator already splits big jobs between specialists, it joins your meetings, and it starts free instead of at $100 a month.

What it is: AI agents you text on iMessage and WhatsApp, mention in Slack or email, and add to your group chats, where they keep every message and file and follow up on what people promised.
Where it works: iMessage and WhatsApp (one-to-one and group chats), Slack, email and a web app
What it costs: 300 free credits to start with a card at sign-up, then $25 for 200 credits when you run low, or plans from $99 a month. Credits are shared across the workspace and roll over.
Worth knowing: Built for work rather than personal shopping and errands, and phone calls are switched off for now.

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Claude Duet

by Anthropic

The closest like-for-like: a proactive agent with its own computer, in a $20 Claude Pro plan, if you're in the US and get off the waitlist.

What it is: Anthropic's proactive agent in its own app: a morning brief, then a check of your apps every few hours.
Where it works: Its own app on iOS and Android, and claude.ai on the web
What it costs: Included in Claude Pro ($20 a month), Max ($100) and Ultra ($200), sharing their usage limits; US only, by waitlist
Worth knowing: US-only waitlist, you message it in its own app rather than your texts, and it isn't on Team or Enterprise plans yet.

Claude Duet vs Cicada Claude Duet's site

Grok Bot

by SpaceXAI and Cursor

Always-on bots with a full cloud computer of their own, bundled with X Premium from $30 a month.

What it is: Always-on bots on a shared cloud computer, reached through their own apps, by email and on X.
Where it works: Its own apps (desktop and mobile), @bot on X and email; Slack on Team plans
What it costs: Included in X Premium ($30), Super ($100) and Ultra ($200) a month, and in Cursor's paid plans; not in X Plus or Free
Worth knowing: Launched in beta on 11 August 2026, not in your texts, and meetings aren't in its docs yet.

Grok Bot vs Cicada Grok Bot's site

Lindy

by Lindy

An assistant you can text today in iMessage and SMS, with Slack, Gmail and meeting notes, from $49.99 a month per active user.

What it is: An AI assistant you text, mention in Slack or email, with a meeting notetaker and a Chrome extension.
Where it works: iMessage and SMS, Slack, email, meetings and a Chrome extension
What it costs: Free to try with $50 of credits for 7 days; Team from $49.99 a month for every active user, credits pooled; Enterprise priced on request
Worth knowing: No WhatsApp that we could find, every active user is billed, and its docs say approvals apply in shared Slack threads, not in DMs, iMessage or SMS.

Lindy vs Cicada Lindy's site

Viktor

by Viktor

For a team on Slack or Teams that wants one shared AI employee, from $50 a month per workspace.

What it is: One shared AI employee for a Slack or Microsoft Teams workspace.
Where it works: Slack and Microsoft Teams, web chat for Slack workspaces, its own email address and an API
What it costs: Up to $100 of free credits; Team plan from $50 a month per workspace, credits shared rather than per seat
Worth knowing: Not in iMessage or WhatsApp that we could find, and it reads notes from notetaker apps rather than joining calls.

Viktor vs Cicada Viktor's site

Poke

by The Interaction Company of California, now joining Cognition

A proactive assistant in iMessage, WhatsApp and Telegram for one person, with a free plan.

What it is: A personal assistant you text in iMessage, WhatsApp or Telegram, that connects to your email, calendar and apps and gets in touch first.
Where it works: iMessage, WhatsApp and Telegram
What it costs: Free; Pro $19 a month; Ultra $199 a month, which adds Poke Human, a real person for calls and orders
Worth knowing: A personal assistant for one phone number; its FAQ doesn't describe group chats or team use, and its maker is joining Cognition.

Poke's site

Muse

by Meta

Meta's free personal agent in its app and WhatsApp, if you're in the US or Canada.

What it is: Meta's personal AI agent, in its own app and in WhatsApp, that keeps working toward your goals after you close the app.
Where it works: The Muse app (iOS and Android), muse.ai and WhatsApp one-to-one
What it costs: Free for most use, with paid subscriptions for more; in the US and Canada, and since late October in Japan and Singapore
Worth knowing: One-to-one only (no group chats or iMessage that we could find), and your chats train Meta's models unless you opt out.

Muse vs Cicada Muse's site

How to choose

Start from what you need.

If you need	Look at
Text it in iMessage or WhatsApp today	Cicada, Poke, or Lindy for iMessage
Put it in a group chat	Cicada
Pay less than $100 a month	Cicada (starts free), Poke (free), Claude Duet ($20), Grok Bot ($30)
One shared agent for a Slack or Teams workspace	Viktor
Notes from your meetings	Cicada or Lindy
A computer of its own for any software	Grok Bot or Claude Duet

Questions

OpenAI dots alternatives, answered.

What is the best alternative to OpenAI dots?

For an agent in your texts, group chats, Slack and meetings, or for a team, Cicada. For the same kind of always-on agent at $20 a month, Claude Duet (US only, by waitlist). For bots with a full computer of their own, Grok Bot.

Can I text OpenAI dots?

Some US ChatGPT Pro users can, in a beta that started on 28 October 2026: iMessage or RCS (not SMS), one-to-one only, with no group messages, and OpenAI says those texts go through a third-party provider and aren't end-to-end encrypted. Cicada works in iMessage and WhatsApp on any plan and in any country, including group chats.

How much do OpenAI dots cost?

Dots are included with ChatGPT Pro (from $100 a month) and Business Premium, with Enterprise in beta, as of October 2026. Cicada starts free with 300 credits, then $25 for 200 credits, or plans from $99 a month.

Do OpenAI dots work as a team?

One primary dot per person today; OpenAI says teams of dots are planned and specialist dots are in enterprise pilots. In Cicada every person gets their own agents, a coordinator splits jobs between specialists, and teammates' agents check with each other.

Is there a cheaper alternative to OpenAI dots?

Yes. Cicada starts free, Poke has a free plan, Claude Duet is in the $20 Claude Pro plan (US, by waitlist), and Grok Bot comes with X Premium at $30 a month.

Sources

Products change fast. Spotted something out of date? Tell us at support@cicadalabs.io and we'll fix it.

The full comparison

OpenAI dots vs Cicada, feature by feature

Other alternatives

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