All three now sell the same idea: an AI that keeps working after you close the chat. ChatGPT Dots and Grok Bot each give you a standing agent with its own cloud computer that runs in the background and checks in when it needs you. Claude takes a different route. Through Cowork, you hand it tasks and schedules that run in the cloud, with no single persistent "agent" to manage. Here's how they really differ, and which one fits the way you work.
Checked against each company's announcement and help pages on October 19, 2026. All three are new and in beta or early rollout, so details are changing quickly.
TL;DR
- ChatGPT Dots (launched September 29, 2026): one always-on agent included with ChatGPT Pro and Business Premium. It has its own cloud computer, reaches 4,000+ apps, and you can message it in ChatGPT, Slack, or Teams.
- Grok Bot (beta since August 11, 2026): several Bots that can work together in group chats, learn "routines" by watching you, and operate websites with no integration. Included with SuperGrok and Cursor plans, but usage is billed separately.
- Claude (Cowork, merged into one Claude on Pro and Max): task-based instead of agent-based. You describe an outcome or a schedule, and it runs in the cloud, with approval settings you control. Starts at $20 a month.
- Quick pick: Dots if you live in ChatGPT and Slack. Grok Bot if you want a small team of agents and already pay for Cursor or SuperGrok. Claude if you want the cheapest, most controllable way to hand off real work today.
- New to all this? Our free Claude Cowork course walks you through your first delegated tasks.
The three at a glance
| ChatGPT Dots | Grok Bot | Claude (Cowork) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Company | OpenAI | xAI (now SpaceXAI) | Anthropic |
| Launched | Sept 29, 2026 | Aug 11, 2026 (beta) | Cowork Jan 2026; merged into Claude Sept 16, 2026 |
| The idea | A personal agent that carries goals forward | A team of AI coworkers | Hand off tasks and schedules |
| Cloud computer | Its own, which you can watch | Shared by all your Bots | Isolated cloud session per task |
| Keeps working with laptop closed | Yes | Yes | Yes, unless the task needs local files |
| How many agents | One included | Several, in group chats | No limit on tasks; no standing "agent" |
| Learns your workflow | Learns from feedback | Watches you once, saves a "routine" | You write the instructions, skills, and schedule |
| Where you talk to it | ChatGPT, Slack, Teams | Desktop and iOS apps | Web, desktop, iOS, Android |
| Apps it reaches | 4,000+ via plugins | Any website, by operating the screen | Connectors, plugins, and a built-in browser |
| Approvals | Auto-review on account actions | Asks when it needs a decision | Manual (default), Auto, or Skip |
| Entry price | Included with Pro / Business Premium | Included with SuperGrok / Cursor; usage extra | Pro, $20 a month |
What each one is
ChatGPT Dots: one personal agent that never logs off
A Dot is an agent inside ChatGPT that keeps working on a goal between conversations. OpenAI gives each Dot its own cloud computer and browser, and you can open that computer any time to watch what it's doing. It reaches more than 4,000 apps through OpenAI's plugins, and you can message it from ChatGPT on any device, or from Slack and Microsoft Teams, without re-explaining the project.
It runs on GPT-6 Astra. When a Dot does background research nobody asked for, its app connections are read-only. Anything that touches your accounts or shares information goes through an automated review first. At launch you get one Dot with Pro or Business Premium. More Dots and teams of Dots are on the roadmap. See ChatGPT Dots vs Claude for the full head-to-head.
Grok Bot: a small team of AI coworkers
Grok Bot comes from xAI, which now operates as SpaceXAI after SpaceX bought it, along with Cursor. Instead of one assistant, you create several Bots, each with a job: outbound sales, expense reports, bug triage. They sign into your apps and use them the way a person would, clicking through screens. That means they can work on websites that have no integration at all.
Two things stand out. Routines: you show a Bot a task once, it saves the steps, and it runs them on its own later. Group chats: Bots can message each other and pass work along, with a "Chief of Staff" Bot coordinating the others. The trade-off is less transparency. You can't choose which AI model runs, xAI hasn't published usage limits, and all your Bots share one cloud computer. See Grok Bot vs Claude.
Claude: delegated tasks rather than a standing agent
Claude's version is Cowork, which on Pro and Max is now just part of Claude. You describe an outcome, like "go through this month's invoices, build a summary spreadsheet, and flag anything overdue," and Claude plans and does the work. Tasks run in an isolated cloud session and keep going when your laptop is closed.
For the "always-on" part, Claude uses scheduled tasks: hourly, daily, weekly, or weekdays, each run in the cloud with your connectors, skills, and files. There's no single named agent that wanders off and finds work. You decide what runs and when. Some people will see that as a missing feature, and others will see it as the point.
Where each one wins
Dots wins on reach and channels
If your work happens in Slack or Teams, Dots meets you there and keeps context as a project moves from ChatGPT into a team channel. The 4,000-app plugin catalog is the broadest of the three. And because the computer belongs to the Dot and you can watch it, you can see what it's doing without asking.
Grok Bot wins on multi-agent work and messy websites
It's the only one of the three that lets several agents divide up a job and talk to each other today. Routines also make it the easiest to teach: you demonstrate the task once instead of writing instructions. And because Bots operate the screen, they can handle old vendor portals and internal tools that never got an API.
Claude wins on price, control, and predictability
Claude is the cheapest way in, at $20 a month on Pro with no separate agent billing (full pricing). You choose whether Claude asks before every action (Manual, the default) or runs with automated safety checks (Auto). Claude needs your explicit permission before it permanently deletes files. Every scheduled run is its own session you can review afterward. If you'd rather know exactly what runs at 8 AM every weekday than trust an agent to decide, this is the better fit.
Which one should you pick?
| If you... | Pick |
|---|---|
| Already pay for ChatGPT Pro and your team runs on Slack or Teams | ChatGPT Dots |
| Want several agents dividing up work, or need to automate websites with no integrations | Grok Bot |
| Already pay for Cursor or SuperGrok | Grok Bot (watch the separate usage bill) |
| Want the lowest cost and to approve what the AI does | Claude |
| Have specific recurring jobs (reports, inbox triage, weekly summaries) | Claude scheduled tasks |
| Are in the UK, EEA, or Switzerland on a personal plan | Not Dots yet (Pro there is excluded); Claude or Grok Bot |
| Are still learning what to delegate | Claude on Pro, then upgrade once you know |
For the remaining pairing, see ChatGPT Dots vs Grok Bot.
What to watch out for with all three
These are early products, and handing an AI the keys to your accounts carries real risks:
- They make mistakes, sometimes confidently. OpenAI's own launch notes say Dots can still get things wrong. An agent that misreads one email can send a wrong reply or update the wrong record. Review anything that leaves your business.
- Access is the risk. Every app you connect is something the agent can change. Start with read-only access or one low-stakes job, and widen it once you trust the results.
- Costs are fuzzy. Grok Bot usage is billed separately, Dots pricing after the first month isn't fully public, and long Claude tasks use more of your plan. Check your usage in the first few weeks.
- They don't know your business. None of them knows your pricing, your customers, or your standards until you tell them. Vague results usually mean missing context, not a bad tool.
- Betas change. Features, limits, and plan access are moving month to month. Recheck before you build a process around one.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between ChatGPT Dots, Grok Bot, and Claude Cowork?
ChatGPT Dots gives you one standing agent with its own cloud computer that you can message in ChatGPT, Slack, or Teams. Grok Bot gives you several agents that share a cloud computer, learn routines by watching you, and coordinate in group chats. Claude Cowork is task-based: you hand it outcomes and schedules that run in the cloud, with approval settings you control.
Does Claude have its own version of ChatGPT Dots or Grok Bot?
Not as a branded agent with its own computer. Claude's closest equivalent is Cowork, now part of Claude on Pro and Max, which runs multi-step tasks in the cloud and supports scheduled tasks that run hourly, daily, or weekly even when your computer is off. It covers most of the same work, but you set up each task instead of managing a persistent agent.
Which always-on AI agent is cheapest?
Claude is the cheapest way in. Cowork comes with Claude Pro at $20 a month, with no separate agent fee. ChatGPT Dots requires ChatGPT Pro or Business Premium, and Grok Bot comes with SuperGrok or Cursor plans but bills Bot usage separately.
Can these AI agents work while my computer is off?
Yes, all three. Dots and Grok Bot run on cloud computers, and Claude's cloud sessions and scheduled tasks run on Anthropic's servers. The exception for Claude is any task that needs files or apps on your own computer, which only runs while the Claude desktop app is open.
Are always-on AI agents safe to give access to my email and accounts?
They are usable with care, not hands-off. Start with one low-stakes job and the narrowest access that works, keep approvals on for anything that sends messages or changes records, and review results for the first few weeks. Each company adds safety checks, but all three can still make mistakes.
Start with one task you'd hand off
Picking a tool comes second. The real skill is knowing what to delegate and how to describe it. That's what our free Claude Cowork course teaches: how to brief an AI on real work, set up your first recurring task, and check the results before they matter. It takes an afternoon, and the habits carry over to Dots and Grok Bot too.
Clarence