Choosing personal help · Nym and OpenAI dots
Nym vs OpenAI dots: more tasks done, in about half the time
We set up an OpenAI dot on a ChatGPT Pro account and gave it the 23 tasks we test Nym with before each release. Nym finished 22 and the dot 19, and Nym took about half as long.
The difference
OpenAI launched dots on September 29, 2026: always-on helpers inside ChatGPT, each with a cloud computer and browser. Its examples are all from work, like product launches and sales proposals.
A Nym helps with the rest of your week, from workouts to dinner. You can text or call it, and it has its own email address. With a dot, you can text only in a limited US beta, and it has no address of its own.
More of your tasks done, in about half the time
On everyday jobs, like looking something up or filling in a form without sending it, Nym was nearly twice as fast. You’d also get each of five small apps in under three minutes.
How we tested
These are the tasks we run Nym through before each release. We ran the current Nym on October 1, 2026, and sent the same 23 to our dot on October 3, one message at a time.
Both were graded with the same automated checks. Each task ran once on each side, so treat small time differences as noise. The dot was quicker on 4 of the 17 everyday tasks.
| Kind of task | Nym, October 1 | Our dot, October 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Answering directly (3 tasks) | 3 passed in 24.2 seconds | 3 passed in 23.2 seconds |
| Reading web pages (5 tasks) | 5 passed in 72.7 seconds | 5 passed in 95.4 seconds |
| Using a site in a browser (4 tasks) | 4 passed in 91.2 seconds | 3 passed in 188.3 seconds |
| Its own files, computer and schedule (3 tasks) | 3 passed in 27.4 seconds | 2 passed in 55.7 seconds |
| Remembering a detail for the next message (1 task) | Passed in 13.1 seconds | Passed in 19.5 seconds |
| Ordering with no card on file (1 task) | Passed in 8.2 seconds | Didn’t pass, 8.9 seconds |
| All 17 everyday tasks | 17 passed in 236.8 seconds | 14 passed in 391.0 seconds |
| App we asked for | Nym | Our dot |
|---|---|---|
| A running log with weekly totals and pace | 2 min 36 s | 7 min 30 s |
| A calorie tracker with a daily goal | 2 min 52 s | 5 min 28 s |
| A monthly budget by category | 2 min 52 s | 5 min 33 s |
| A habit tracker with streaks | 2 min 59 s | 7 min 17 s |
| A reading list that counts books read this year | 2 min 22 s | 7 min 21 s |
| All five | 13 min 42 s | 33 min 10 s |
| What we asked | Nym | Our dot |
|---|---|---|
| Set up a daily 9am check of the Hacker News top story, list it, then delete it | Created, listed and deleted it | Created and listed it, then said it could pause the task but not delete it |
| Open quince.com and click Men in the top menu | Reported the men’s page address and title | Its browser landed on Quince’s UK site, where Men opens a menu, and it reported the home page |
| Order a large pepperoni pizza from Domino’s and pay with my card | Said it had no card to pay with and what it would need | Asked for a delivery address and a maximum total, and didn’t mention payment |
| Stop building a tip calculator halfway through | Kept going after the stop and delivered the app | Said nothing was published, but the app’s address was still live behind a ChatGPT sign-in |
The pizza check was written for a Nym with no card on file. A dot can pay with a saved card, so asking for an address first is fair. We still count the result as the check does.
The dot also passed eight newer tasks that Nym’s October 1 run didn’t include, so they aren’t in the tables.
Try the same errand in both
“I keep getting to Sunday night and realizing I haven’t sorted anything for the week. Every Sunday at 6pm Los Angeles time, can you check in with me here about appointments, errands and one thing I’d like to make time for? Keep it to a few questions rather than a big productivity exercise.”
| Detail | Wren on the Personal Assistant page | Our dot, October 3, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Set up | “Every Sunday at 6pm Pacific I’ll drop a note here”, starting the next evening | “Set for every Sunday at 6pm Los Angeles time, starting October 4” |
| The questions | What’s on your calendar this week, what errands need doing and the one thing you’d like to make time for | “Any appointments you need to prepare for? What errands do you want to get sorted? What’s one thing you’d like to make time for, just for you?” |
| What it read first | Only what you told it | Recent Gmail, upcoming calendar events and some Drive files, read at setup |
| Moving it to 9am | Say so in the same chat; Wren offered an earlier nudge itself | One message: “Moved to Sundays at 9am” |
| Answering by text | Text your Nym from your phone | “I can’t send SMS directly with your current connections” |
- Give both the request above, word for word.
- Ask each what it will read to prepare the questions.
- Move it to 9am, then ask for it by text.
- Ask what it remembers about you so far. The dot’s answer surprised us.
What to check before you choose
What you pay for the weekly check-in
Nym
You get scheduled check-ins like Wren’s on Plus, at $20 a month. On Free you can ask the same questions in the chat, but nothing runs on a schedule.
OpenAI dots
A dot comes with ChatGPT Pro. OpenAI’s Pro tiers page lists Pro at $100 to $500 a month, so if you already pay for it, the check-in costs nothing extra.
Your inbox, before you ask
Nym
You answer Wren’s questions, so the check-in doesn’t need your inbox. If you want it to look, connect Gmail or Outlook, and any change waits for your approval.
OpenAI dots
At setup you’re offered a Google connection. Before we asked for anything, our dot read recent Gmail and upcoming events. It also opened a few Drive files. You can skip Google if you’d rather.
How you reach each one
Nym
Use Nym on the web or the desktop app, and text or call it from your phone. On Plus it can text you the Sunday questions.
OpenAI dots
You message a dot in ChatGPT, or in Slack and Teams at work. When we asked it to text us, our dot said it couldn’t. OpenAI’s getting started page calls texting a limited US beta.
Buying something for you
Nym
On Plus, you approve each purchase and your Nym pays from its wallet. You see the item and the total first.
OpenAI dots
You’d see the item, total, card and delivery address before approving, our dot said. If it needs a new card, you type it in yourself “through a secure handoff, never in chat.”
Invitations and email
Nym
You get a Nym with its own email address. On Plus it also has its own calendar, so invites come from your Nym, not from you.
OpenAI dots
“No, I don’t have my own email address or calendar available here,” our dot told us. Any invite would come from your account.
What you can make it forget
Nym
You keep one memory with your Nym, in one place. To make it forget a detail, you ask once.
OpenAI dots
Our dot listed details from earlier ChatGPT chats and said it could forget one on request. OpenAI’s safety FAQ says only deleting the dot clears its memories.
The facts side by side
| Detail | Nym | OpenAI dots |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free: $0. Plus: $20 a month. Pro: $60 a month | Included with ChatGPT Pro ($100, $200 or $500 a month) or Business Premium |
| Where you can get it | Early access by waitlist | Pro or Business Premium, outside the UK, Switzerland and the EEA; 18 and over |
| How you reach it | Web and desktop app; text or call it from your phone | ChatGPT on desktop, web and mobile, Slack and Teams; texting in a limited US beta |
| Connected apps | Gmail, Google Calendar and Drive, Outlook, Notion, Todoist, Strava, Instacart and more, with new ones added as people need them | ChatGPT’s apps and plugins |
| Its own computer | A computer and a browser for research and personal apps | A cloud computer and browser; your laptop if you connect it |
| Its own contact details | An email address; on Plus, its own calendar | None; invitations and email go from your connected accounts |
| Scheduled work | Tasks on a schedule, once or recurring, on Plus | Reminders, recurring tasks, and reading your inbox before you ask |
| Buying | A wallet on Plus; your approval on each purchase | A payment method you’ve saved, with your approval |
| Memory | One memory in one place; ask it to forget a detail | Shared with ChatGPT; OpenAI says only deleting the dot clears it |
| Personal apps | Private apps with their own data: two on Free, five on Plus, unlimited on Pro | Private web apps at a chatgpt.site address that open after a ChatGPT sign-in |
When you’d choose OpenAI dots
Choose a dot if your week lives in work tools and you already pay for ChatGPT Pro. You can message it in Slack or Teams, and it reads your connected inbox before you ask.
For everyday errands, Nym finished more of our tasks in about half the time, and costs $20 a month instead of $100 or more. It also suits you in the UK or the EU, where dots aren’t offered.
How you get access, and what you pay
OpenAI’s getting started page says dots are rolling out to ChatGPT Pro and Business Premium users. You must be 18 or older and live outside the UK, Switzerland and the European Economic Area.
Nym is in early access. Free costs nothing and lets you have as many Nyms as you like. Plus is $20 a month, and Pro is $60 (see pricing).