Meta’s Muse vs. OpenAI’s Dots: Which Always-On AI Agent Should You Use?

Meta’s AI agent took over the App Store. Now OpenAI has fired back.

Meta launched Muse on September 8. Ten days later it was the No. 1 free app in the US App Store, and it passed 5 million US downloads in 22 days.

On September 29, OpenAI answered with dots.

So now there’s a real choice to make. I’ve been using both. Here’s what I found.

What is an OpenAI dot?

A dot is an AI assistant that never turns off. It gets its own computer and browser in the cloud, connects to your apps and works for you around the clock, even while you sleep. OpenAI announced dots at its DevDay event, and they’re rolling out gradually inside ChatGPT.

Muse works the same basic way. It’s Meta’s personal AI agent: it runs in its own cloud computer, opens a browser, fills out forms, drafts emails and handles multi-step tasks for you, pausing for your approval before it sends or buys anything.

Same idea. Very different price.

What’s the difference between Muse and Dots?

The biggest difference is cost. Muse has a free plan. Dots need ChatGPT Pro, which starts at $100 a month. Dots aren’t available on the Free, Go or Plus plans at all.

And Muse’s free plan isn’t a tiny taste. I’ve been using it all week and I haven’t run out of usage once.

A few other differences worth knowing:

1. Where you can get it. Muse is available in the US and Canada. Dots are available for Pro users in most ChatGPT markets, but not yet in the EU, the UK or Switzerland.
2. How you set it up. You can start Muse on your phone, the web or a Mac. Your first dot has to be created on a computer.
3. How many apps it connects to. Dots connect to more than 4,000 apps through ChatGPT plugins. Muse connects to apps directly, or to thousands more through Zapier.

Which one should you use?

For me, it’s a no-brainer. Muse has been working great. I haven’t had the same success with Dots yet.

If you already pay for ChatGPT Pro, your first dot is included at no extra cost, so test it. If you don’t, start with Muse. You can learn how to work with an AI agent for free before you spend a dollar.

One honest note on both: these are brand new. OpenAI itself says dots “can still make mistakes, so always review consequential work.” The same goes for Muse.

What’s changing: you’re getting an assistant that works while you sleep

A year ago, an AI could answer your questions. Now it can do the work: research, follow-ups, scheduling, drafts, around the clock.

That changes who gets ahead. The people who win aren’t the ones with the most expensive plan. They’re the ones who learn to hand off real work to an agent and check it well. That skill is the new leverage, and right now you can learn it for free.

Your move: set up one agent and give it one job

1. Get it. Go to muse.ai, or download the Muse app for iPhone or Android.
2. Sign in with your Facebook or Instagram account, or create a free account.
3. Name your assistant and connect one or two apps, like your calendar or email. Approve each one.

1. Open ChatGPT on a computer, in the desktop app or at chatgpt.com/dots. It may take a few days to show up in your account.
2. Name your dot and pick how it looks.
3. Connect apps from the dot’s profile: Customize, then Plugins. Review each app’s permissions before you connect it.

Then give it one small, repeatable job. Copy this:

Every weekday morning, check my calendar and email. Send me a short list of what I need to do today, what needs a reply and anything I'm missing. Don't send, buy or delete anything without asking me first.

Start with only the apps it needs. Read every approval before you tap yes. Once it gets one job right, give it another.

This one gives you leverage: an assistant that handles the routine work while you focus on what earns.

Which one are you choosing, Muse or Dots? What’s working for you? I want to know.

Inside Leveraging AI, we use agents like these to build and grow businesses that pay.

Come build with us.