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Pally vs ChatGPT Dots
OpenAI's always-on agent for work in ChatGPT, Slack, and Teams, or one personal assistant you text for your whole life.
Checked October 11, 2026 · OpenAI announced dots on September 29, 2026. They are rolling out gradually to Pro and Business Premium accounts, with an Enterprise beta. Mobile setup arrived on October 9; texting is a limited US beta, and dot-initiated calls are planned. See their site for the latest.
So, ChatGPT Dots or Pally?
The case for ChatGPT Dots
Pick a dot if your team works in ChatGPT, Slack, and Teams and wants an agent that owns ongoing work across shared apps, files, and code, under workspace controls. It comes with ChatGPT Pro or Business Premium. If your days already run through Codex and ChatGPT Work, a dot ties them together well.
The case for Pally
Pick Pally if you want one assistant for your own life, work included: family, friends, errands, and the inbox. You text it in iMessage, RCS, or Telegram, or call its number, and it's free. Pally manages your WhatsApp, iMessage, LinkedIn, and X messages, calls businesses and waits on hold, picks up calls on a number you give out, and checks out with your payment wallet.
| Feature | Dots$100/mo Pro | PallyFree |
|---|---|---|
| Inbox management | ||
| Email and calendarDots: Gmail, Outlook and calendar plugins | YesGmail, Outlook and calendar plugins | Yes |
| SlackDots: Slack plugin and Slack messaging | YesSlack plugin and Slack messaging | Yes |
No | Yes | |
| iMessageDots: Apple Messages plugin, via Work tasks on a connected MacPally: Only via the Mac app | PartialApple Messages plugin, via Work tasks on a connected Mac | PartialOnly via the Mac app |
| LinkedIn DMsPally: Only via the Mac app | No | PartialOnly via the Mac app |
| X DMsPally: Only via the Mac app | No | PartialOnly via the Mac app |
| Capabilities | ||
| Browser use, sign-ins and deep researchPally: Signs in with your saved logins | Yes | YesSigns in with your saved logins |
| Long-term memory | Yes | Yes |
| Long-running tasks | Yes | Yes |
| Reminders and routinesDots: Scheduled and event-triggered tasksPally: One-off, recurring and location-based | YesScheduled and event-triggered tasks | YesOne-off, recurring and location-based |
| Inbound email address | No | Yes |
| Personal CRM of your contacts | No | Yes |
| Outbound callsPally: Waits on hold, gets through phone menus | No | YesWaits on hold, gets through phone menus |
| Takes calls for youPally: A number you give out. Pally picks up, handles the call and tells you what happened. | No | YesA number you give out. Pally picks up, handles the call and tells you what happened. |
| Bookings and travelPally: Restaurants, appointments, travel; fare-drop watch, check-in | Yes | YesRestaurants, appointments, travel; fare-drop watch, check-in |
| Shopping and checkoutDots: Product discovery across ChatGPTPally: With your payment wallet | PartialProduct discovery across ChatGPT | YesWith your payment wallet |
| Add to your group chats | Yes | Yes |
| Creates apps and websitesDots: Builds software; ChatGPT Sites hosts apps | YesBuilds software; ChatGPT Sites hosts apps | Yes |
| Generates images, video and musicDots: Image generation in ChatGPT; video and music not | PartialImage generation in ChatGPT; video and music not | Yes |
| Team and admin controlsDots: Business and Enterprise plans, admin on/off | YesBusiness and Enterprise plans, admin on/off | No |
| Integrations | ||
| Gmail and Google servicesDots: Gmail, Google Drive and other Google plugins | YesGmail, Google Drive and other Google plugins | Yes |
| Outlook and Microsoft 365Dots: Outlook plugin and Microsoft Teams channel | YesOutlook plugin and Microsoft Teams channel | Yes |
| Apple Mail, Calendar and Contacts | No | Yes |
| Apple Photos | No | Yes |
| Notion, Linear, GitHub, Jira | Yes | Yes |
| Granola and other meeting notesDots: Granola plugin in ChatGPT | YesGranola plugin in ChatGPT | Yes |
| LinkedIn and X | No | Yes |
| Bank account | Yes | Yes |
| Partiful | No | Yes |
| School portalsPally: Google Classroom, Canvas, Moodle, Brightspace, Blackboard | No | YesGoogle Classroom, Canvas, Moodle, Brightspace, Blackboard |
| Any MCP or APIDots: 4,000+ plugins; plugins can include MCP servers | Yes4,000+ plugins; plugins can include MCP servers | Yes |
| Ways to message it | ||
| iMessage | No | Yes |
| RCS | No | Yes |
| Telegram | No | Yes |
| ChatGPT, Claude and other AI toolsDots: Lives inside ChatGPT | YesLives inside ChatGPT | Yes |
| Phone callDots: Voice calls in the ChatGPT app, not by phone | PartialVoice calls in the ChatGPT app, not by phone | Yes |
| SlackDots: DM it or mention it in a channel | YesDM it or mention it in a channel | No |
No | Yes | |
| Native mobile appDots: In the ChatGPT iOS and Android apps | YesIn the ChatGPT iOS and Android apps | No |
| Privacy and security | ||
| Encrypted in transit and at restDots: AES-256 at rest, TLS 1.2+ in transit | YesAES-256 at rest, TLS 1.2+ in transit | Yes |
| Doesn't train on your conversations and tool outputsDots: ChatGPT data controls; on by default for Pro, opt outPally: Trains by default; turn it off in settings | PartialChatGPT data controls; on by default for Pro, opt out | PartialTrains by default; turn it off in settings |
| Doesn't train on your connected dataDots: Opt out; proactive research notes not trained on directlyPally: Your email, calendar and other connected accounts | PartialOpt out; proactive research notes not trained on directly | YesYour email, calendar and other connected accounts |
| Never sells your dataDots: Shares limited data for its own marketing; opt-out available | NoShares limited data for its own marketing; opt-out available | Yes |
| No paid placement in recommendationsDots: Ads run only on Free and Go; dots need Pro | YesAds run only on Free and Go; dots need Pro | Yes |
| View, edit and delete your dataDots: Privacy Center; dot notes cleared by deleting the dot | PartialPrivacy Center; dot notes cleared by deleting the dot | Yes |
| Price | ||
| PlansDots: $100/mo Pro (Or Business Premium; first dot included)Pally: Free | $100/mo ProOr Business Premium; first dot included | Free |
Features neither one offers are left out. See every assistant on one grid.
Where ChatGPT Dots shines.
Where your team already works
Message a dot in Slack, by DM or with a mention in a channel, or in Microsoft Teams. It also lives in the ChatGPT apps for iOS and Android, so the agent your team uses at work is one tap away.
A computer, and helpers, of its own
Each dot runs on GPT-6 Astra with its own cloud computer and browser, so work keeps going while your laptop is off. It tracks several jobs at once, sends background agents off in parallel, and hands pieces to ChatGPT Work or Codex.
The whole ChatGPT ecosystem
Dots use the same plugins as ChatGPT, more than 4,000 apps, from Gmail and Google Drive to GitHub and Outlook, and plugins can bring MCP servers. A new dot starts with your ChatGPT memory, so it already knows a fair amount about you.
Controls a company can roll out
Every consequential action goes through an automatic review against your instructions and permissions, and custom rules say what it does alone, what it asks about, and what it hands back. Enterprise and Edu admins decide whether dots are on at all.
What each one costs.
ChatGPT Dots
$100/mo Pro
Dots come with ChatGPT Pro, which costs $100, $200, or $500 a month, and with Business Premium. Your first dot is included at no extra cost. Enterprise and Edu workspaces can turn on a beta. Conversations with your dot don't count toward ChatGPT usage limits; deeper work draws on a plan allowance, with extended limits for the first month after launch. Pro access excludes the EEA, the UK, and Switzerland.
Pally
Free
Pally is free, with almost unlimited usage limits. No waitlist or invitation. Cloud Mac is a paid add-on. Every connection, every automation, calls, and its own number and email.
Switching from ChatGPT Dots.
Pally's setup is texting a number, and connecting accounts is tapping a link it sends you. No account to create first.
Connect your email and calendar first
Gmail, Outlook, or iCloud Mail, and your calendars. Pally flags what needs you, summarizes the rest, and checks availability, books and moves events.
Then add the rest
Slack, Notion, Linear, GitHub, Drive, your own WhatsApp, your bank, and your own MCP servers. Save logins to its password vault and Pally runs web errands in a browser with them. Add it to group chats, with per-capability grants controlling what it shares from your accounts.
What carries over
Your accounts: Pally works from the email, calendars, and apps you already use. It remembers the people in your life and what matters to them, and you can browse and edit that memory in its web dashboard.
Pally vs ChatGPT Dots FAQ.
What is ChatGPT Dots?
Dots are always-on agents inside ChatGPT, announced at OpenAI's DevDay on September 29, 2026. Each dot runs on GPT-6 Astra with its own cloud computer and browser, connects to apps through ChatGPT plugins, and keeps working between conversations. You reach it in ChatGPT, Slack, or Microsoft Teams.
What do dots cost?
Your first dot is included with ChatGPT Pro ($100, $200, or $500 a month) and with Business Premium. Enterprise and Edu admins can turn on a beta. Pally is free.
Can I text my dot the way I text Pally?
Not yet for most people. You reach a dot in the ChatGPT apps, by an in-app voice call, in Slack, or in Microsoft Teams. OpenAI's help center describes texting as a limited beta for some Pro users in the US. You text Pally in your phone's own messages app, over iMessage, RCS, or Telegram, and you can also email it or call its number.
Can a dot make phone calls?
You can talk to your dot by voice inside the ChatGPT app, and OpenAI says calls started by your dot are planned. A dot has no phone number of its own, and OpenAI doesn't say it calls businesses or takes calls for you. Pally calls the clinic or the restaurant for you, waits on hold, and gets through phone menus. Give out its number and Pally picks up, handles the call, and tells you what happened.
Can I use dots outside the US?
Pro access excludes the European Economic Area, the UK, and Switzerland. Business Premium is rolling out worldwide, and Enterprise access depends on your admin. Rollout is gradual, so an eligible account may not see dots right away.
Do I have to choose between them?
No. A dot is a strong fit for work that lives in ChatGPT, Slack, and Codex, especially across a team. Pally is a personal assistant for one person, in your texts. Pally is free, so using both costs only your ChatGPT plan.
Which is better, Pally or ChatGPT Dots?
ChatGPT Dots fit teams already working in ChatGPT, Slack, and Teams; the first dot comes with ChatGPT Pro, starting at $100 a month, or Business Premium. Pally is free and fits personal inboxes, calls, and errands from your texts.
So how does Pally make money?
Pally plans to earn a fee from merchants when you buy through it. Merchants can never pay to change what Pally recommends to you. Cloud Mac, an optional add-on, is paid.