In two months, three major companies have released "persistent" AI agents: Meta — Muse, OpenAI — dots, Anthropic — Claude Duet. Simultaneously, agents for developers like Claude Code and Codex are being developed. The names are similar, the promises too, but the tasks they handle are different. In this article, I compare them by essence: access, price, limits, control, and what job each is suitable for.
If you are not yet familiar with Duet, first read the review of Claude Duet: what it is and how it works. I will not repeat the basics here, but will immediately focus on the differences.
Contents
🧭 In short: who is who
These tools are easily lumped together because they are all "agents." In reality, there are two different categories here.
Agents for work routine — Claude Duet and ChatGPT dots. They live in the cloud, connect to email, calendar, CRM, and financial services, remind you of important things themselves, and perform tasks in the background. Their job is to relieve you of operational tasks.
Agents for code — Claude Code and OpenAI Codex. They work with the repository: read code, make changes, run tests, prepare pull requests. Their job is development.
Meta Muse stands apart. It is free with a limit, works in WhatsApp, and is geared more towards personal matters — bookings, bills, purchases — rather than work processes (ToolColumn). Therefore, I will not consider it further in the comparison.
⚔️ Claude Duet vs ChatGPT dots: main differences
The idea behind both is the same: an agent with its own cloud computer that works while you do other things. dots was released on September 29 at DevDay and works on GPT-6 Astra, Duet — on October 21 on Claude Opus 5.5 (OpenAI help, Anthropic announcement). The difference is in the details, and they are what determine what suits you.
Access, price, and geography
Claude Duet is included in Claude Pro (from $20 per month) and Max at no extra charge, but only for accounts in the USA and via a waiting list (Anthropic help).
ChatGPT dots is available in ChatGPT Pro, which starts at $100 per month. Pro users from the EEA, Switzerland, and the UK have not yet received dots. It is available in Business Premium in all regions where ChatGPT operates, and for Enterprise, there is a beta that an administrator can enable (OpenAI help). A seat in Business Premium costs $100 with annual payment or $125 with monthly payment, with a minimum of two seats (ToolColumn).
💡 In practice: getting into Duet is cheaper, but it's harder to get in. dots is more expensive, but it's available in more countries and already works for teams. If you are outside the USA, the realistic option today is dots: in Europe and the UK through Business Premium, in other countries — also through Pro.
How limits are counted
Here the approaches are opposite. With Duet, everything comes from your regular Claude limit: both the chat with the agent, the morning brief, and background checks (Anthropic help). If you work in Claude Code in parallel, both tools draw from the same limit.
With dots, conversations with the agent do not reduce ChatGPT limits, and a separate limit is provided for deeper work. Tasks that dots launches in Codex or ChatGPT Work are counted as usual (INSIDE). For the first month after launch, the use of dots was not counted at all, and OpenAI promised to publish the terms for the subsequent period separately (OpenAI help).
Control: is it visible what the agent is doing
With dots, you can open its cloud computer, see what's happening, and take control if necessary (OpenAI help). For each type of action, you can set a rule: execute without asking, only with prior permission, ask, or forward to you.
Duet cannot show its browser yet. Instead, it has a stricter confirmation scheme: before sending a message, making a payment, signing, or deleting, it always asks for permission, and some actions, such as transferring money between accounts, are prohibited even with permission (Anthropic help).
Another difference is access to your computer. dots can work with local files if desired (disabled by default), while Duet only sees the cloud and connected services.
Integrations, channels, and teamwork
dots can be used not only in ChatGPT but also in Slack and Microsoft Teams, and in the USA for Pro, there is a beta with text messages (ToolColumn). OpenAI is also integrating dots into Agent 365 with Microsoft (INSIDE).
Duet works in a separate application and on claude.ai, through Claude connectors: Gmail, Google Calendar, Slack (with limitations), QuickBooks, HubSpot, and others. Microsoft 365 is not yet supported, nor are Team and Enterprise tariffs.
💡 Conclusion for the section: if your company uses Microsoft 365 and Teams, Duet is simply not suitable right now. If you are a solo entrepreneur on Google Workspace and live in the USA — Duet is cheaper and more cautious.
📊 Comparative Table
| Criterion |
Claude Duet |
ChatGPT dots |
Claude Code |
OpenAI Codex |
| Primary Purpose |
Work routine: email, calendar, finances, reports |
Persistent agent for projects and routine |
Development in repository |
Development in repository |
| Autonomy |
Checks accounts itself, risky actions only with confirmation |
Works between conversations, action rules are configurable |
Interactive or in the cloud on a schedule (Routines) |
Interactive or cloud tasks |
| Programming |
Prototypes and simple web applications |
Runs tasks in Codex |
Main function |
Main function |
| File Handling |
Ready files in the application, no access to your computer |
Own cloud computer, local access — optional |
Local repository or cloud clone |
Repository, CLI, IDE |
| Integrations |
Claude connectors, no Microsoft 365 |
ChatGPT, Slack, Teams applications |
Repositories and connectors |
ChatGPT and GitHub ecosystem |
| Background Tasks |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes, via Routines (research preview) |
Yes, cloud tasks |
| For Teams |
No, only personal Pro and Max |
Business Premium, beta for Enterprise |
Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise |
ChatGPT plans, including business ones |
| Cost and Limitations |
From $20, US only, waiting list, shared Claude limits |
From $100, Pro unavailable in EEA, Switzerland, UK |
From $20, shared Claude limits |
Included in ChatGPT plans |
💻 What About Claude Code and Codex?
People often ask if Duet will replace Claude Code. No, because they do different things. Duet doesn't work with your repository: it can build a prototype, but it won't open a project, run tests, or prepare a pull request. That's the domain of development agents.
However, the closest analogue to Duet for a developer already exists within Claude Code. It's called Routines — a saved configuration with prompts, repositories, and connectors that runs in Anthropic's cloud on a schedule, via API, or on a GitHub event. They are available on Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise (AgentsRoom, DataCamp).
💡 Example: nightly checks of open pull requests, weekly dependency audits, or documentation checks before a release. Essentially, it's "Duet for the repository": it works without you, but with code, not with email.
In OpenAI's ecosystem, the connection is different: dots can create cloud tasks in Codex themselves if you've pre-configured the environment (OpenAI Help). This means that within the ChatGPT ecosystem, the routine agent and the code agent are already connected. In Anthropic's case, Duet and Claude Code currently operate separately. For more details on Codex itself, see our complete guide to OpenAI Codex.
🧑💻 My Experience: I occasionally use Claude Code for pet projects. For Java and Spring Boot, the crucial aspect is that the agent sees the entire project, not just a separate piece of code in the chat: package structure, configuration, tests. Neither Duet nor dots offer this, and they are not designed for it. Therefore, for code, I continue to choose a development agent, and I consider "persistent" agents only as operational assistants.
🎯 What to choose for the task
| Task |
What to take |
Why |
| Java and Spring Boot development |
Claude Code or Codex |
They see the entire repository, run tests, and prepare changes for review |
| SEO and marketing |
Regular chat for texts and analysis; Duet or dots — for regular reports and correspondence with clients |
It's better to create creatively together with the model, and delegate routine tasks to an agent |
| Small business automation |
Duet, if you are in the USA on Google Workspace; dots — for a team or Microsoft 365 |
Duet is cheaper and stricter with risky actions; dots is more widely available and works in Slack and Teams |
| Documents and analytics |
Duet or dots |
Both collect dashboards and reports from connected services; Duet also indicates the source of each number |
| AI applications and RAG systems |
Claude Code or Codex |
This is development: pipelines, embeddings, backend. Persistent agents don't build anything here |
🔗 Can tools be combined
Yes, and this is the most realistic scenario. Agents for routine tasks and for code do not compete, but cover different parts of the day.
💡 How it might look: in the morning, Duet in the brief highlights an email from a client complaining about a bug. You open Claude Code, reproduce the problem, and fix it. At night, Routine runs a pull request check, and the next morning Duet reminds you to reply to the client and suggests a draft email.
In the OpenAI ecosystem, the same chain is partially automated: dot itself passes the task to Codex. Mixing ecosystems is also possible — for example, dots for a team in Teams and Claude Code for development. The main thing is to monitor limits: in Claude, all tools draw from a single limit.
✅ Conclusion
There is no universal winner here, and that's okay: tools solve different problems.
- Claude Duet — for a solo entrepreneur or professional in the USA who needs an inexpensive and cautious assistant for email, calendar, and finances.
- ChatGPT dots — for teams and those who work in Slack or Microsoft Teams, as well as for everyone for whom Duet is not yet geographically available.
- Claude Code and Codex — for everything related to code. Persistent agents do not replace them.
If you want to delve deeper into Duet specifically — its capabilities, security, and limitations — check out our detailed analysis of Claude Duet.
❓ Frequently asked questions
Is Claude Duet better than Claude Code?
They are for different tasks. Duet unloads routine work — email, calendar, reports. Claude Code works with code in the repository. Duet is not suitable for development, and Claude Code does not monitor your email.
Can Claude Duet replace ChatGPT?
No. Duet is a separate agent for background work, not a universal chat. Moreover, its direct competitor is not ChatGPT in general, but dots, a persistent agent within ChatGPT.
Which AI agent is better for programming?
Development agents: Claude Code or OpenAI Codex. They see the entire project, run tests, and prepare changes. Duet and dots can assemble a prototype, but they are not designed for full-fledged development.
Which tool is better for business automation?
If you are in the USA, work alone, and use Google Workspace — Claude Duet. If you have a team, use Microsoft 365 or Teams, or are outside the USA — ChatGPT dots.
Can Claude Code and Codex be used simultaneously?
Yes. They are separate tools with separate subscriptions, they do not conflict with each other. Some use one for main development and the other for reviews or cloud tasks. You just need to consider that you pay for two subscriptions.
📚 Sources
