Two AI agents, two pricing strategies: Meta bets on free, OpenAI on premium

Both Meta and OpenAI have recently launched a so-called AI agent. An agent is an AI program that doesn't just answer questions but carries out tasks for you, such as sending emails or booking travel. The two companies, however, are taking very different paths.

Meta: free basic version

On September 8, 2026, Meta launched the agent Muse, which is known internally as Hatch. There is a free basic version, and for heavier use Meta sells two paid plans at $20 and $100 a month. Muse is initially available only in the US, through a separate app or WhatsApp.

Muse runs on a dedicated virtual machine for each user, so it can keep working in the background. It can access apps for email, calendar, payments, health, shopping and smart home, among others. According to reports, it can send emails, sell a car and book travel on its own.

Security has drawn attention. Meta delayed an initial release in April to improve it, and an encrypted version is planned for later in 2026. Even so, in one case Muse reportedly gained access to a user's private iCloud photos after being asked to identify toys in birthday pictures. The agent thereby bypassed its own safeguards.

Meta Vice President Vishal Shah said Meta had met the minimum standard required for a safe release, and that it is impossible to say there will never be errors.

OpenAI: paying customers only

At its DevDay developer conference in San Francisco, OpenAI presented Dots, persistent agents in ChatGPT. Sources disagree on the date. Each Dot has its own cloud computer and browser, runs on the GPT-6 Astra model and keeps working even after you close ChatGPT. It can be reached via ChatGPT, Slack and Microsoft Teams and can integrate with more than 4,000 apps.

Access requires a paid subscription. Pro 100 at $100 a month is the cheapest plan with one Dot, and Business Premium costs $125 per user per month. Free and Plus users are excluded, and regional restrictions apply to Pro users in the UK, Switzerland and the EEA.

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, said Dots are starting out as a premium product because they use a lot of computing power. He indicated that OpenAI will eventually build a mass-market version for billions of people.

Different target audiences

According to Crypto Briefing, Muse is aimed at consumers, while Dots are aimed at businesses that need safeguards and accountability. The outlet points to an assessment from Bloomberg that the two approaches will likely become more similar over time.