Comparisons

Claude Duet vs Muse vs OpenAI Dots: which AI agent fits a small business?

Claude Duet vs Muse vs OpenAI Dots compared for small business: price, availability, where each runs, payment safeguards and which to try first.

By AgentPlaybook Real Estate · Published Oct 22, 2026 · 5 min read

Claude Duet vs Muse vs OpenAI Dots is the comparison small business owners keep typing into Google this week, and for good reason. Within six weeks, Meta launched Muse (September 8), OpenAI launched dots (September 29) and Anthropic opened Claude Duet (October 21). All three are always-on agents that work in the background on their own cloud computer and come to you, instead of waiting for a prompt. The Verge described Duet as Anthropic's competitor to the other two (The Verge). Here is how they differ on the things that matter to a small business: price, access, where you talk to them, and how they handle money.

We have not run hands-on tests of all three. This comparison is built from each company's announcement and help pages plus independent reporting, linked throughout.

The quick comparison

Sources: Anthropic, Meta, OpenAI.

Pricing: what each agent really costs

Meta Muse pricing

Meta says Muse is "free for most of what people need" (Meta). The free tier has a usage limit. Paid tiers, per Meta's help center, are Power at $20 a month (500 million Muse tokens a week) and Maximum at $100 a month (3 billion tokens a week) (Meta Help). TechCrunch noted you need to add a payment card to get started and that the app shows a usage meter (TechCrunch).

OpenAI dots price

Dots are not available on ChatGPT Free, Go ($8) or Plus ($20). Subscription Insider reports they start with the Pro tiers at $100, $200 and $500 a month, and with Business Premium at $125 per user per month (or $100 with annual billing). Business Standard does not include dots (Subscription Insider). OpenAI says your first dot is included at no extra cost, and chatting with a dot does not count toward ChatGPT limits, although tasks it runs through Codex or Work do (OpenAI).

Claude Duet pricing

During the preview, Duet is included with Pro ($20 a month, or $17 a month billed annually) and Max (from $100 a month) at no extra charge (Claude pricing). The catch: it shares your plan's usage limits, and background check-ins count (Claude Help Center).

Watch the meter, whichever you pick

Always-on agents use compute even when you are not typing. The Register reported on a test in which a dot with read-only permissions generated about 307,000 tokens in a single day without a prompt. The researcher estimated around 200,000 tokens cost $5 to $10 (The Register). That was one test, not a benchmark, but it shows why the usage meters matter.

Availability: can you actually use it?

• Claude Duet is the most restricted: US accounts only, Pro or Max, and you must be invited from the waitlist. Team and Enterprise plans are not included yet (Claude Help Center).
• OpenAI dots are for Pro users aged 18 and over, but not in the EEA, Switzerland or the UK, according to OpenAI's help center (OpenAI Help). Business Premium and Enterprise (in beta, once an admin turns it on) are also covered (OpenAI).
• Muse launched in the US on iOS, Android and muse.ai, with AI glasses support listed as coming soon (Meta).

Where each one fits a small business

Muse: if your customers already message you on WhatsApp

Muse works inside WhatsApp as well as its own app, and it is the only one of the three with a free tier. That makes it the lowest-risk way to see whether an always-on agent helps you at all. Bear in mind that Meta paused Muse's sharing feature after researchers found shared conversations could be discovered. Read what the Muse share-link exposure means for your business data before you put sensitive files into it.

Dots: if your team lives in Slack or Teams

Dots can be reached from ChatGPT, Slack or Teams, and you can talk to one by voice (OpenAI). Business Premium is per-user and aimed at teams, so it suits a business that wants an agent in the team chat rather than on one owner's phone. It is also the priciest starting point.

Claude Duet: if you run the books, payroll and sales yourself

Anthropic's own examples read like a small business owner's week: unpaid invoices in QuickBooks or Stripe, payroll in Gusto, contracts in Docusign, follow-ups from HubSpot, a Shopify store (Anthropic). If you already pay for Claude Pro and are in the US, joining the waitlist costs nothing. See our Claude Duet guide for the details.

One thing none of them controls: websites

Agents only help if the sites you use let them in. The Verge reported that Yelp only allows agents that pay for data licensing, Delta prevents agent bookings, and Amazon said Muse's "continued access" violates its policies. On the other side, Meta has partners including Walmart, Gap, Sephora and Best Buy, and Shopify has opened its storefronts to agents (The Verge). Several big banks are also restricting agent logins; see what banks blocking AI agents means for your business accounts.

What this means for small businesses

You do not need to pick a winner yet. A practical approach:

1. Start where you already pay. Claude Pro users can join the Duet waitlist; ChatGPT Pro users already have a dot; anyone in the US can try Muse free.
2. Test one job for two weeks, such as a morning inbox brief or invoice follow-ups, and log the minutes saved. Our AI time savings calculator turns that into a dollar figure.
3. Keep approvals on for anything that sends, pays or signs. All three companies describe approval steps; use them.
4. Write a reusable task brief with the goal, the inputs, the limits and what "done" looks like. The free AI prompt generator gives you a starting template, and it works with any of the three.

Frequently asked questions

Which is cheapest: Claude Duet, Muse or OpenAI dots?

Muse, because it has a free tier with a usage limit. Claude Duet is included with Claude Pro at $20 a month during its preview. Dots start with ChatGPT Pro at $100 a month or Business Premium at $125 per user per month.

Is OpenAI dots available in the UK or EU?

Not at launch. OpenAI's help center says dots are for Pro users 18 and over, excluding the EEA, Switzerland and the UK.

Can I use Claude Duet on a Claude Team plan?

Not yet. The preview is for US Pro and Max users only, and Anthropic says it plans to bring Duet to Team and Enterprise later.

Which AI agent is best for a small business?

It depends on where your work happens. Based on each company's stated features, Muse suits WhatsApp-centred businesses, dots suit teams in Slack or Teams, and Duet suits owners whose admin runs through tools like QuickBooks, Gusto and HubSpot. All three are new, so test one job before you commit.

Sources

• Anthropic: Introducing Claude Duet
• Claude Help Center: Get started with Claude Duet
• Anthropic: Claude pricing
• OpenAI: Introducing dots
• OpenAI Help: Getting started with your dot
• Subscription Insider: OpenAI starts dots at $100
• Meta: Introducing Muse
• Meta Help: Muse subscriptions
• TechCrunch: Meta debuts its Muse AI agent
• The Register: OpenAI's dot burned 300K tokens in a day
• The Verge: Websites are closing their doors to AI agents

How we report: every fact, number and quote above comes from the linked sources, which we read before publishing. Product details can change quickly during previews, so check the vendor page before you buy. Spotted an error? Tell us via the link on our home page.