An AI agent doesn't just answer: it books, buys, emails and fills in forms for you. In September 2026 almost every big AI company launched one. This guide compares twelve of them on price, where they work, how much control you keep and what's gone wrong so far, so you can decide which, if any, to trust.
Checked on 30 September 2026. This field changes weekly: OpenAI's dots was one day old, and some of its details come from press reports because OpenAI's pages couldn't be read directly. We're independent of every company named here. General information, not advice.
The short version
Four things to know first
An assistant helps you do something. An agent does it for you, often while you're away. That changes what you need to check before you sign up.
Every big AI company now has one
OpenAI's dots arrived on 29 September, joining Meta's Muse, Google's Gemini Spark, xAI's Grok Bot and Microsoft's Autopilot.
Most aren't available in Europe yet
Muse, Gemini Spark and dots on the Pro plan all exclude the EU. The agents you run yourself work anywhere.
They differ most on trust
Some never see your passwords, some use the ones saved in your browser, and one startup asks you to hand them over.
None of them is risk-free
Every maker says its agent can make mistakes. Several have already been blocked, banned or patched.
41%
of US adults who use AI have tried an AI agent; 24% use one regularly
Menlo Ventures and Morning Consult, Jul 2026
26%
of US AI users have let an AI complete a purchase for them
Menlo Ventures and Morning Consult, Jul 2026
390,000+
stars on GitHub for OpenClaw, the agent people run on their own machines
GitHub, 30 Sep 2026
1 in 3
everyday tasks finished by the best AI model tested on live websites
ClawBench study, 2026
Three camps
Three ways to build an agent
Before comparing products, it helps to know which camp each one is in. The camp decides who holds your data and who's responsible when something goes wrong.
The agent lives on the company's computers, keeps working while your phone is off, and comes with approvals and monitoring built in.
For
Guardrails, no setup, works around the clock.
Against
Tied to one company, usually paid, and mostly not in Europe yet.
Agents you run yourselfOpenClaw, Hermes Agent, and lighter spin-offs such as NanoClaw and ZeroClaw
Free, open-source software on your own computer or server. You pick the AI model behind it and talk to it through WhatsApp, Telegram or Signal.
For
Free, private, works in any country, no company in the middle.
Against
You're the security team. Mistakes and malicious add-ons are your problem.
Full-access startupsInstinct
You text it like a person and hand over your logins, so it can do almost anything you could do in a browser, including phoning a business.
For
Reaches websites and services the others can't.
Against
You're trusting a young company with your passwords.
Claude, Alexa+, Siri AI and Perplexity's Comet are assistants with agent features, not always-on agents. We include them because people will compare them anyway.
Compare
Put them side by side
Pick up to four agents and compare them row by row. On five rows we mark our pick among the ones you chose.
Pick up to 4 to compare · 4 of 4 selected
Four selected. Remove one to add another.
dotsFrom $100/moBig-company cloud agent 1 of 5 picksOfficial page
MuseFree, or from $20/moBig-company cloud agent 3 of 5 picksOfficial page
Grok BotFrom $20/moBig-company cloud agent 2 of 5 picksOfficial page
OpenClawFree + model costsRuns on your own machine 2 of 5 picksOfficial page
Made by
OpenAI
Meta
xAI
OpenClaw Foundation
PriceLowest monthly cost to get the agent
First dot included in ChatGPT Pro (from $100 a month) or Business Premium (about $100 to $125 a seat).
Our pickFree tier. Paid plans at $20 and $100 a month.
Included with SuperGrok (reported at $30 a month) and every paid Cursor plan (Cursor Pro is reported at $20). It has its own usage allowance, separate from the plan's.
Our pickFree. You pay for the AI model you connect.
EU and IrelandMost clearly available
Business Premium only. Pro excludes the EEA, Switzerland and the UK.
No. United States and Canada only, with no date for Europe.
Our pickYes, in our experience: we use it from Ireland. xAI publishes no official country list.
Our pickYes. It runs wherever you run it.
Type
Big-company cloud agent
Big-company cloud agent
Big-company cloud agent
Runs on your own machine
Status
Rolling out since 29 Sep 2026
Live since 8 Sep 2026, in limited testing
Beta since 11 Aug 2026; on all SuperGrok and paid Cursor plans since 26 Aug
Open source, MIT licence
Where it runs
Its own cloud computer and browser
A dedicated virtual computer in Meta's cloud
Each bot has its own cloud computer
Your own computer or server
How you reach it
ChatGPT on web, desktop and mobile, voice, Slack, Teams. Texting is due later.
Muse app, WhatsApp, muse.ai. AI glasses are due in the coming months.
Desktop and iOS apps, in a chat like texting a colleague. Bots can join group chats.
WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, iMessage, Slack, Discord, Teams and 20 more
What it does
Ongoing work between conversations: research, documents, software, scheduling, travel, across connected apps.
Browses, fills in forms, negotiates, handles email, books travel and shops. Keeps working after you close the app.
A team of always-on bots, each with a browser and terminal. They sign in to your tools, learn a job by watching you do it once, save it as a routine, and message each other to split the work.
Whatever you connect: email, calendar, files, browsing and add-on “skills”. You choose the AI model behind it.
Asks before acting?Clearest built-in approvals
Rules decide what it may do alone and what needs your OK; you can add your own. Purchases and deletions reportedly need approval.
Our pickAsks before sending an email or making a purchase, and keeps a record of every action. A second agent, Sentinel, approves anything going out.
Comes back only when something needs your approval.
You configure it. Nothing is enforced for you.
Passwords and paymentsLeast exposure of your logins and cards
Can sign in with saved passwords without showing them to the model, per reports. Password changes stay with you.
Our pickMeta says it can't see your passwords or payment methods. Pays through Link by Stripe, with single-use cards.
Bots sign in to the tools you already use. How logins are stored isn't documented.
Your logins, memory and data stay on your own hardware, and securing them is your job.
Watch out forFewest known problems so far
Our pickOne day old when we checked. It launched days after OpenAI disclosed that internal test agents had escaped their sandboxes; those weren't dots.
Amazon blocked it on 21 Sep 2026, saying it didn't identify itself. A Mac security flaw was patched within hours. One user says it shared his address without asking; Meta is looking into it.
Our pickStill a beta. Reports say extra usage is billed with no spending cap yet, and xAI hasn't documented how logins are stored. You can't choose the model.
A flaw rated 8.8 out of 10 allowed takeover through one link (fixed in January 2026). Researchers found over 40,000 installs exposed to the internet and 341 malicious add-ons.
Best for
People and teams already paying for ChatGPT's higher plans.
Everyday errands in the US or Canada, starting for free.
Repeatable work across many tools, at one of the lowest entry prices. Several bots can run in parallel.
Technical users who want control and can keep it patched.
In this comparison, Muse takes the most rows (3 of 5). Picks are our view from published information on five rows: price, Europe, approvals, passwords and track record. We haven't tested every agent hands-on, and the right choice depends on what you need it for.
Our scorecard
How we'd score them
All twelve, scored out of 5 on the five things that matter most before you hand an agent a job. Scored from Ireland, so availability in Europe counts.
Agent
Price
EU and Ireland
Approvals
Passwords
Track record
Overall
ClaudeAnthropic · Assistant with agent features
4
3
4
4
4
3.8/ 5
Alexa+Amazon · Assistant with agent features
4
3
n/a
4
4
3.8/ 5
MuseMeta · Big-company cloud agent
5
1
5
5
2
3.6/ 5
Hermes AgentNous Research · Runs on your own machine
5
5
2
3
3
3.6/ 5
CometPerplexity · Assistant with agent features
5
3
n/a
3
3
3.5/ 5
Gemini SparkGoogle · Big-company cloud agent
4
1
5
3
4
3.4/ 5
Grok BotxAI · Big-company cloud agent
4
5
3
2
3
3.4/ 5
Siri AIApple · Assistant with agent features
5
1
3
4
4
3.4/ 5
OpenClawOpenClaw Foundation · Runs on your own machine
InstinctSpear Street Technology · Full-access startup
5
2
2
1
1
2.2/ 5
How we score, out of 5. Price: free is 5, up to $30 a month is 4, up to $60 is 3, more is 2. EU and Ireland: available is 5, with limits 3, not stated 2, not available 1. Approvals, passwords and track record are our judgment from what each maker has published and what has been reported. “n/a” means there isn't enough published to judge, and it's left out of the overall score. A reader in the United States would score the Europe column differently.
Narrow it down
Which ones fit you?
Four quick answers, and the list shrinks to the agents you can actually use where you are.
Where are you?
Setting it up
Mostly for
Budget
6 matches
Grok BotxAI · Big-company cloud agent
Available
Yes, in our experience: we use it from Ireland. xAI publishes no official country list.
Included with SuperGrok (reported at $30 a month) and every paid Cursor plan (Cursor Pro is reported at $20). It has its own usage allowance, separate from the plan's.
InstinctSpear Street Technology · Full-access startup
Availability not confirmed
Unknown. No country list or GDPR statement found.
Free during the beta. No pricing published.
A starting point, not a recommendation. Check the maker's own page before you rely on it.
All twelve
The full comparison
Every agent on four questions: what it costs, where it works, how much control you keep, and its record so far.
What it costs
AgentPriceBest for
dotsOpenAI · Big-company cloud agentFirst dot included in ChatGPT Pro (from $100 a month) or Business Premium (about $100 to $125 a seat).People and teams already paying for ChatGPT's higher plans.
MuseMeta · Big-company cloud agentFree tier. Paid plans at $20 and $100 a month.Everyday errands in the US or Canada, starting for free.
Gemini SparkGoogle · Big-company cloud agentNeeds Google AI Pro ($19.99 a month) or Ultra.People outside Europe who live in Gmail, Calendar and Docs.
Grok BotxAI · Big-company cloud agentIncluded with SuperGrok (reported at $30 a month) and every paid Cursor plan (Cursor Pro is reported at $20). It has its own usage allowance, separate from the plan's.Repeatable work across many tools, at one of the lowest entry prices. Several bots can run in parallel.
Copilot AutopilotMicrosoft · Big-company cloud agentA Copilot seat plus usage-based billing. No Autopilot rates published.Organisations already on Microsoft 365.
ClaudeAnthropic · Assistant with agent featuresFree plan. Pro $20 a month, Max from $100. Agent features are on all paid plans.Work you want to supervise step by step.
Alexa+Amazon · Assistant with agent featuresFree with Prime. Otherwise $19.99, £19.99 or €22.99 a month.Households that already use Alexa and Prime.
Siri AIApple · Assistant with agent featuresFree with a supported device.Apple users outside the EU who want help inside their apps.
CometPerplexity · Assistant with agent featuresFree. Perplexity Pro is $20 a month, Max $200.People who want an agent inside their own browser.
InstinctSpear Street Technology · Full-access startupFree during the beta. No pricing published.Early adopters in the US who accept the risk of handing over logins.
OpenClawOpenClaw Foundation · Runs on your own machineFree. You pay for the AI model you connect.Technical users who want control and can keep it patched.
Hermes AgentNous Research · Runs on your own machineFree. You pay for the AI model you connect.Technical users who want an agent that improves with use.
Where you can use it
AgentEU and IrelandHow you reach it
dotsOpenAI · Big-company cloud agentBusiness Premium only. Pro excludes the EEA, Switzerland and the UK.ChatGPT on web, desktop and mobile, voice, Slack, Teams. Texting is due later.
MuseMeta · Big-company cloud agentNo. United States and Canada only, with no date for Europe.Muse app, WhatsApp, muse.ai. AI glasses are due in the coming months.
Gemini SparkGoogle · Big-company cloud agentNo. Excludes the EEA, the UK and Switzerland.Gemini mobile app, Mac app, gemini.google.com
Grok BotxAI · Big-company cloud agentYes, in our experience: we use it from Ireland. xAI publishes no official country list.Desktop and iOS apps, in a chat like texting a colleague. Bots can join group chats.
Copilot AutopilotMicrosoft · Big-company cloud agentNot stated.Copilot app; can be mentioned in Teams and Outlook
ClaudeAnthropic · Assistant with agent featuresNo regional restriction is documented on the pages we checked.Desktop, web and mobile apps, and a Chrome extension
Alexa+Amazon · Assistant with agent featuresGermany, Austria, France, Italy and Spain, plus the UK. Ireland isn't listed.Voice and the Alexa app
Siri AIApple · Assistant with agent featuresNot on iPhone or iPad in the EU, including Ireland. Available in the UK.Siri on recent iPhones, iPads and Macs
CometPerplexity · Assistant with agent featuresReported as available worldwide.The Comet browser on Mac and Windows
InstinctSpear Street Technology · Full-access startupUnknown. No country list or GDPR statement found.Text message, WhatsApp, phone calls and email. There's no app.
OpenClawOpenClaw Foundation · Runs on your own machineYes. It runs wherever you run it.WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, iMessage, Slack, Discord, Teams and 20 more
Hermes AgentNous Research · Runs on your own machineYes. It runs wherever you run it.Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, Signal, a desktop app and the command line
How much control you keep
AgentAsks before acting?Passwords and payments
dotsOpenAI · Big-company cloud agentRules decide what it may do alone and what needs your OK; you can add your own. Purchases and deletions reportedly need approval.Can sign in with saved passwords without showing them to the model, per reports. Password changes stay with you.
MuseMeta · Big-company cloud agentAsks before sending an email or making a purchase, and keeps a record of every action. A second agent, Sentinel, approves anything going out.Meta says it can't see your passwords or payment methods. Pays through Link by Stripe, with single-use cards.
Gemini SparkGoogle · Big-company cloud agentAsks before sending messages, changing data, making purchases or submitting web forms.In your own Chrome it uses your logged-in sessions and saved passwords. Google warns it can share your information with websites.
Grok BotxAI · Big-company cloud agentComes back only when something needs your approval.Bots sign in to the tools you already use. How logins are stored isn't documented.
Copilot AutopilotMicrosoft · Big-company cloud agentGoverned by your organisation's admins. Its sibling, Copilot Cowork, shows changes for approval before applying them.Has its own managed identity inside your organisation.
ClaudeAnthropic · Assistant with agent featuresYou choose: manual, automatic or skip. In Chrome it pauses when something needs your approval.Claude in Chrome won't make purchases or solve CAPTCHAs. A 1Password link is in beta.
Alexa+Amazon · Assistant with agent featuresNot covered by the sources we checked.Works through Amazon's partner services rather than your logins.
Siri AIApple · Assistant with agent featuresActs inside apps on your device. Apple doesn't describe browsing the web or buying for you.Stays inside the apps you're signed in to.
CometPerplexity · Assistant with agent featuresNot covered by the sources we checked.Uses the sessions you're already logged in to in the browser.
InstinctSpear Street Technology · Full-access startupMessages and payments reportedly need approval, but testers describe inconsistent behaviour.You hand over your logins. Its founder says about a third of users share them through its vault.
OpenClawOpenClaw Foundation · Runs on your own machineYou configure it. Nothing is enforced for you.Your logins, memory and data stay on your own hardware, and securing them is your job.
Hermes AgentNous Research · Runs on your own machineYou configure it.Stays on your own hardware, and securing it is your job.
The record so far
AgentStatusWatch out for
dotsOpenAI · Big-company cloud agentRolling out since 29 Sep 2026One day old when we checked. It launched days after OpenAI disclosed that internal test agents had escaped their sandboxes; those weren't dots.
MuseMeta · Big-company cloud agentLive since 8 Sep 2026, in limited testingAmazon blocked it on 21 Sep 2026, saying it didn't identify itself. A Mac security flaw was patched within hours. One user says it shared his address without asking; Meta is looking into it.
Gemini SparkGoogle · Big-company cloud agentLive; widened on 30 Jul 2026Google's own help page flags the risk of hidden instructions on web pages. Your Gemini activity history must be switched on.
Grok BotxAI · Big-company cloud agentBeta since 11 Aug 2026; on all SuperGrok and paid Cursor plans since 26 AugStill a beta. Reports say extra usage is billed with no spending cap yet, and xAI hasn't documented how logins are stored. You can't choose the model.
Copilot AutopilotMicrosoft · Big-company cloud agentPrivate preview, announced 25 Sep 2026Not generally available. Aimed at workplaces; no consumer version is confirmed.
ClaudeAnthropic · Assistant with agent featuresLive. Cowork and Claude in Chrome are generally availableAnthropic itself says Claude in Chrome “is still risky” and advises staying involved where money or messages are concerned.
Alexa+Amazon · Assistant with agent featuresLive in the US; early access elsewhereBooks through a fixed set of partners, so it can't reach a business outside them.
Siri AIApple · Assistant with agent featuresBeta since 14 Sep 2026Not an always-on agent. Apple cites the EU's Digital Markets Act for keeping it off EU iPhones and iPads.
CometPerplexity · Assistant with agent featuresLive; free since Oct 2025Amazon sued over it. An appeals court lifted an order against it on 4 Aug 2026, and the case continues.
InstinctSpear Street Technology · Full-access startupInvite-only betaResy banned a user whose agent checked it hundreds of times an hour. Early terms claimed a perpetual licence over user material, later changed. Users report emails sent without checking.
OpenClawOpenClaw Foundation · Runs on your own machineOpen source, MIT licenceA flaw rated 8.8 out of 10 allowed takeover through one link (fixed in January 2026). Researchers found over 40,000 installs exposed to the internet and 341 malicious add-ons.
Hermes AgentNous Research · Runs on your own machineOpen source, MIT licenceNewer and less examined than OpenClaw. An agent that writes its own skills needs watching.
Before you start
Four habits that limit the damage
Whichever agent you pick, these keep a mistake small. In a US survey, a third of AI users had already let AI act without a final check.
Start with read-only
Let it read your calendar and email before you let it send, book or buy.
Use a card with a limit
A virtual or prepaid card caps what a mistake can cost. Muse pays with single-use cards for this reason.
Keep passwords out of chat
Prefer agents that sign in through a password manager or never see the password at all.
Read the record
An agent that keeps a list of what it did lets you catch a wrong booking before the day.
If you run a business
These agents are your next customers
Each camp turns up at your website differently, and that decides whether it can find, book or buy from you.
Cloud agents
They arrive from the company's servers, ask their owner before paying, and increasingly identify themselves. Some websites block them anyway: Amazon shut out Muse within two weeks.
Self-run agents
They look like an ordinary visitor from a home or small server, with no company vouching for them. They're also the ones your European customers can use today.
The best agent is the one you'd trust with your card
On features, these agents are converging fast: they all browse, book and buy. Where they differ is in who holds your logins, who approves a payment and who answers when it goes wrong. Those are the rows worth reading twice.
If you're in Ireland or the EU, the honest answer today is that the polished options mostly aren't here yet, and the ones that are ask more of you. That will change, and we'll update this comparison as it does. The date at the top tells you when we last checked.
For transparency, here is what I work with day to day. For software development I use Claude Code with Opus 5.5 and Fable 5.1, depending on the project and the output I need. Some of our projects rely heavily on code we write ourselves, so a coding agent handles parts of the work, not all of it. For general tasks I use Grok Bot, which comes with my Cursor subscription and also lets me write code in Cursor with Grok 4.7. Meta's Muse isn't available in Ireland yet, so I haven't been able to test it.
DL
Written byDirk LaudonFounder, SproutMedia
AI specialist with a master's degree in Business Informatics, studied in Germany and Sweden with a focus on artificial intelligence. Dirk has spent years building software and apps, and has worked hands-on in e-commerce, affiliate marketing and social media, so he knows how customers find and choose a business online. At SproutMedia he helps businesses get ready for their customers' AI assistants and agents.
Checked on 30 September 2026. Prices are in US dollars unless shown otherwise and exclude tax. Availability, prices and features change often, and reports of incidents are as described by the sources named. SproutMedia has no commercial relationship with any company compared here. General information, not advice.
