Who this is for
People who want an AI to keep working after they close the laptop, choosing between Claude's hand-off and scheduled tasks and ChatGPT's always-on dots.
Side by side
| Compared on | Claude hand-off and scheduled tasks | ChatGPT dots |
|---|---|---|
| What it is for | Hand off a task or run one on a schedule, then get the finished document, deck or pull request. | One always-on agent in ChatGPT that owns ongoing goals and reports back. |
| Starting price (checked 2026-10-09) | $20/month (Pro, or $17/month billed annually); Max from $100/month. | From $100/month (ChatGPT Pro); also in Business Premium. |
| Where it runs and how you reach it | Cloud sessions run with your computer off; desktop tasks need Claude Desktop open and the computer awake. | Its own cloud computer; ChatGPT on desktop, web and mobile, Slack, Teams. |
| Control and approvals | Asks before acting by default; you can switch it to check in only when something needs a closer look. | Custom rules per action (act, act if pre-approved, ask, hand off); password changes always stay with you. |
| Limits | Shares the plan's rolling five hour windows and weekly caps with chat and Claude Code. | Plan allowance for deeper work; Codex and Work tasks count toward usage limits. |
| Where it breaks | Task and schedule based, not one agent watching your accounts; Dispatch is a limited beta closed to new users. | Pro not in EEA, Switzerland or UK at launch; disconnecting an app does not delete what the dot already took. |
| Setup | No-code. | No-code; create it on desktop. |
| A custom build beats it when | The weekly report pulls the same numbers every time; a scheduled job on the Claude API with batch pricing costs less. | The job is one fixed workflow a scheduled automation can run. |
The verdict
Both keep working in the cloud while you are away and check with you before acting, by default or by rule. Claude's hand-off and scheduled tasks come with Pro at $20 a month: you give it a task or a schedule, like a report every Monday, and it messages you the finished document, deck or pull request, but the work shares Pro's five hour windows and weekly caps with chat and Claude Code, and tasks that use local files need Claude Desktop open and the computer awake. A dot needs ChatGPT Pro from $100 a month or Business Premium and is one agent that owns an ongoing goal, reads your connected apps in the background and reaches you in Slack or Teams; Pro access is not offered in the EEA, Switzerland or the UK at launch.
Pick Claude if you want recurring reports and decks on a plan you may already pay for; pick a dot if you want one agent that watches your apps and owns a goal over weeks.
Read the full take on each
Sources
- claude.com/blog/cowork-is-now-claude
- support.claude.com/en/articles/13947068-assign-tasks-from-anywhere-in-claude-cowork
- claude.com/docs/cowork/guide/dispatch
- claude.com/pricing
- chatgpt.com/pricing
- openai.com/index/introducing-dots/
- help.openai.com/en/articles/20001530-getting-started-with-your-dot
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