# Boba vs Dots > Dots scores 28.3 (F) to Boba's 10.3 (F) for assistants reached by message. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side. - Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boba-vs-openai-dots - Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boba-vs-openai-dots.md (~3,300 tokens) - Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boba-vs-openai-dots.min.md (~580 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts) - JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boba-vs-openai-dots.json (this page as data, same URL with Accept: application/json) - Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (full text: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt) - API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json - Updated: 2026-10-13 Dots scores 28.3 (F) on agent readiness against Boba's 10.3 (F), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. Boba leads on reliability, payments & pricing and transparency & trust. Both do assistants reached by message. - Boba: grade F, 10.3/100, rank #1004 of 1010. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/boba.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/boba.json - Dots: grade F, 28.3/100, rank #980 of 1010. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/openai-dots.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/openai-dots.json - Best AI personal assistants that act for one person: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/personal-assistants/index.md - All 834 assistants comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/personal-assistants/index.md ## Which one, for what ### Boba (F) Good for: Groups who want a free assistant inside a shared chat for planning, drafting and images. Ahead on: - Reliability, 15 against 3 - Payments & pricing, 30 against 10 - Transparency & trust, 39 against 31 Also in its favour: - Free to start without a card Watch for: No API, MCP server or A2A endpoint for an outside agent. ### Dots (F) Good for: A ChatGPT Pro or Enterprise user who wants ongoing work tracked across mail, documents, code and Slack with approval before sends. Ahead on: - Schema & documentation, 41 against 0 - Agent ergonomics, 22 against 0 - Security & auth, 58 against 0 - Maintenance & community, 38 against 2 Watch for: Beta. The admin setting is labelled Use dots (Beta), access is rolling out gradually, and Teams access is an invite-only alpha ## Score by category | Category | Weight | Boba | Dots | Edge | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 15 | 3 | Boba +12 | | Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run | | Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 0 | 41 | Dots +41 | | Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 0 | 22 | Dots +22 | | Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 0 | 58 | Dots +58 | | Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 30 | 10 | Boba +20 | | Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run | | Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 2 | 38 | Dots +36 | | Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 39 | 31 | Boba +8 | | Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | | | **Total** | | **10.3 · F** | **28.3 · F** | | ## Facts side by side | Fact | Boba | Dots | | --- | --- | --- | | Kind | Platform | Platform | | Vendor | humans& ai, inc. | OpenAI | | Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | no (local only) | | Transports | | | | Auth | OAuth or key | OAuth or key | | Pricing | Free | Paid | | x402 | no | no | | Licence | Closed service under Boba's Terms of Service (humans& ai, inc., last updated 5 October 2026). | Proprietary hosted service. The governing terms were not read | | Read-only variant documented | no | no | | llms.txt | no | yes | | Last release | none | 2026-10-09 | | Terms last updated | | no document linked | | Privacy policy last updated | | no document linked | | Customer content may train models | | | | Terms restrict automated access | | | | Terms restrict benchmarking | | | | Terms or service can change without notice | | | | Arbitration or class-action waiver | | | ## Verdicts **Boba.** Boba is a free texting assistant for one-to-one and group chats over iMessage, RCS and SMS, started by sending one message with no card or app. No outside agent can call it, its privacy notice uses inputs and outputs to train its models with no opt-out found, and no status page or security contact was found. **Dots.** Actions that affect accounts or share information pass an automatic review, and custom rules can require approval or a hand-off. Dots is a beta on Pro plans from $100 a month, and no status page, terms, privacy policy or way to delete individual saved notes was found in the pages we could read. ## Before you call either ### Boba 1. Don't plan to call Boba from another agent. It answers only text messages in the Messages app. 2. Tell people in a group chat that messages sent to Boba may be used to train its models. ### Dots 1. Say what may be sent. Asking a dot to draft replies does not permit sending them, and an action outside a stated scope needs another decision 2. Stop three things separately. Pause stops the main task only, delegated tasks stop in Activity and recurring tasks in Scheduled, and completed actions are not undone 3. Connect each thing separately. A messaging channel grants no access to an inbox, an app or a computer 4. Sign out of websites and disconnect apps yourself when removing access. Revoking dots access or disconnecting an app does not delete information already obtained 5. Keep the connected computer online with the ChatGPT app open for local work. Only one personal computer can be connected at a time ## Questions ### Which is better for AI agents, Boba or Dots? Dots scores 28.3 (F) on agent readiness against Boba's 10.3 (F), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. Boba leads on reliability, payments & pricing and transparency & trust. ## For agents - This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boba-vs-openai-dots.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boba-vs-openai-dots.min.md - Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "boba", "b": "openai-dots"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare boba openai-dots` - Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/boba.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/openai-dots.json ## Other comparisons with Boba or Dots - [asaply vs Boba](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/asaply-vs-boba.md) - [asaply vs Dots](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/asaply-vs-openai-dots.md) - [Asmi vs Boba](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/asmi-vs-boba.md) - [Asmi vs Dots](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/asmi-vs-openai-dots.md) - [AstrBot vs Boba](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/astrbot-vs-boba.md) - [Boba vs Boski](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boba-vs-boski.md) - [Boba vs Brea](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boba-vs-brea.md) - [Boba vs Caddy](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boba-vs-caddy-app.md) - [Boba vs CowAgent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boba-vs-cowagent.md) - [Boba vs Del](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boba-vs-del.md) - [Boba vs folk](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boba-vs-folk-nozomio.md) - [Boba vs GAIA](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boba-vs-gaia.md) - [Boba vs Grok Bot](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boba-vs-grok-bot.md) - [Boba vs Haven](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boba-vs-haven.md) - [Boba vs Hermes Agent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boba-vs-hermes-agent.md) - [Boba vs HireAlpha](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boba-vs-hirealpha.md) - [Boba vs Instinct](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boba-vs-instinct.md) - [Boba vs IronClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boba-vs-ironclaw.md) - [Boba vs Lindy](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boba-vs-lindy.md) - [Boba vs nanobot](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boba-vs-nanobot.md) - [Boba vs NanoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boba-vs-nanoclaw.md) - [Boba vs Natura tinyNature](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boba-vs-natura.md) - [Boba vs OpenClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boba-vs-openclaw.md) - [Boba vs OpenInstinct](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boba-vs-openinstinct.md) - [Boba vs Orbits](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boba-vs-orbits.md) - [Boba vs Orchid](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boba-vs-orchid-ai.md) - [Boba vs Pally](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boba-vs-pally.md) - [Boba vs PicoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boba-vs-picoclaw.md) - [Boba vs Poke](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boba-vs-poke.md) - [Boba vs QwenPaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boba-vs-qwenpaw.md) - [Boba vs szn](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boba-vs-szn.md) - [Boba vs Tab](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boba-vs-tab-bot.md) - [Boba vs Tomo](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boba-vs-tomo.md) - [Boba vs Town](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boba-vs-town.md) - [Boba vs Zapia](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boba-vs-zapia.md) - [Boba vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boba-vs-zeroclaw.md) - [Boba vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boba-vs-zo-computer.md) - [Brea vs Dots](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/brea-vs-openai-dots.md) - [Del vs Dots](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/del-vs-openai-dots.md) - [HireAlpha vs Dots](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hirealpha-vs-openai-dots.md) - [Dots vs OpenInstinct](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-dots-vs-openinstinct.md) - [Dots vs Orbits](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-dots-vs-orbits.md) - [Dots vs Orchid](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-dots-vs-orchid-ai.md) - [Dots vs szn](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-dots-vs-szn.md) - [Dots vs Tab](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-dots-vs-tab-bot.md) - [Dots vs Zapia](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-dots-vs-zapia.md) - [AstrBot vs Dots](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/astrbot-vs-openai-dots.md) - [Boski vs Dots](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boski-vs-openai-dots.md) - [Caddy vs Dots](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/caddy-app-vs-openai-dots.md) - [CowAgent vs Dots](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-openai-dots.md) - [folk vs Dots](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/folk-nozomio-vs-openai-dots.md) - [GAIA vs Dots](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-openai-dots.md) - [Gemini Spark vs Dots](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-spark-vs-openai-dots.md) - [Grok Bot vs Dots](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grok-bot-vs-openai-dots.md) - [Haven vs Dots](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/haven-vs-openai-dots.md) - [Hermes Agent vs Dots](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-openai-dots.md) - [Instinct vs Dots](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-openai-dots.md) - [IronClaw vs Dots](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ironclaw-vs-openai-dots.md) - [Leon vs Dots](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/leon-vs-openai-dots.md) - [Lindy vs Dots](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lindy-vs-openai-dots.md) - [nanobot vs Dots](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanobot-vs-openai-dots.md) - [NanoClaw vs Dots](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanoclaw-vs-openai-dots.md) - [Dots vs OpenClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-dots-vs-openclaw.md) - [Dots vs PicoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-dots-vs-picoclaw.md) - [Dots vs Poke](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-dots-vs-poke.md) - [Dots vs QwenPaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-dots-vs-qwenpaw.md) - [Dots vs Town](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-dots-vs-town.md) - [Dots vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-dots-vs-zeroclaw.md) - [Dots vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-dots-vs-zo-computer.md) - [Natura tinyNature vs Dots](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/natura-vs-openai-dots.md) - [Dots vs Pally](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-dots-vs-pally.md) - [Dots vs Tomo](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-dots-vs-tomo.md) - [Dots vs Wajo (Fo)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-dots-vs-wajo.md) - [Boba vs Gemini Spark](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boba-vs-gemini-spark.md) - [Boba vs Leon](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boba-vs-leon.md) - [Boba vs Talorys](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boba-vs-talorys.md) - [Boba vs Wajo (Fo)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/boba-vs-wajo.md) - [Dots vs Talorys](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-dots-vs-talorys.md) ## Disclosure - Boba competes with LocalGhost, which Anchor Terminal's founder builds. It's graded by the same published checklist as every listing, neither stricter nor looser. Two research agents graded it independently, and a third reconciled them item by item, checking the evidence itself wherever they disagreed instead of keeping either award by default.