The Dust Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Dust in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Dust
The Insider’s Guide
Platform for building AI agents on your company's knowledge
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among AI agents, read from Dust’s own pages.
Made by Dust · checked Oct 5, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Dust’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Dust’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 5, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.2
GPA, above 12 of the 51 other AI agents we grade
Dust is a platform for building and running AI agents that work with a company's own knowledge and tools. Agents connect to sources such as Slack, Notion, Google Drive and GitHub, can use any of 20+ models, and are available in the web app, in Slack and in a Chrome extension sidebar. The self-serve Business plan is priced per seat with a monthly credit allowance, and an Enterprise plan adds provisioning, audit and deployment controls.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Dust, taken from its own pages and our grades.
People ask an agent in Slack or a Chrome sidebar.
- 1
Best for company agents that know your own docs and chats
Audit logs, SCIM and unlimited connectors sit on Enterprise, at a price you have to ask for.
- 2
Paid plans start at $24 a month for each person
As its pricing page puts it: $24 per seat / month, billed yearly (Pro).
- 3
You can try it first
Free seat with a one-time 500 credits for the lifetime of the seat and no time limit
- 4
It runs on Web
Web, with a browser extension too.
- 5
Agents with company context
Agents draw on connected company data from sources such as Slack, Notion, Google Drive, GitHub, Salesforce and Zendesk to answer questions and take action.
- 6
Model choice per agent
All plans include 20+ models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Mistral and DeepSeek. The model is chosen per agent, and none is locked to a higher plan.
- 7
Schedules and triggers
Multi-agent workflows can run on a schedule or in response to events. Dust also lists Zapier, Make, n8n and Power Automate as supported automation platforms.
- 8
A 2.2 GPA, above 12 of 51
That is against the other AI agents we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
To replace Dust you would be making an AI agent, with the models and the safeguards behind it. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Dust at a glance
- Pricing
- Free trial, from $24 per seat / month, billed yearly (Pro)
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- Free seat with a one-time 500 credits for the lifetime of the seat and no time limit
- Runs on
- Web, Browser extension
- Made by
- Dust
- Category
- AI Agents
- Our grade
- 2.2 GPA, fair
The report card
Best for company agents that know your own docs and chats
Dust is where a company builds AI agents that answer from its own Slack, Notion, Google Drive or GitHub, asked in the web app, in Slack or in a Chrome sidebar. Pro is $24 a seat on the yearly plan, but the free seat is 500 credits once, the self-serve plan stops at 3 data connectors, and credits don't roll over. Audit logs, SCIM and unlimited connectors sit on Enterprise, at a price you have to ask for.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | Pro is $24 a seat each month billed yearly, or $30 monthly, with 8,000 credits a seat. That's the middle of the road for agent tools here. No model is locked behind a dearer plan, but credits don't roll over and the prices exclude VAT. |
| Free plan and trial | C | The Free seat is 500 credits for the life of the seat, with no monthly refill, and then it asks you to upgrade. So it's a trial with no clock on it rather than a plan anyone stays on. |
| Features | C | Agents answering from your Slack, Notion, Google Drive, GitHub, Salesforce and Zendesk, any of 20-plus models each, schedules and triggers, permissions split by team and Frames turning answers into shared dashboards. The cap is the catch: the self-serve plan allows 3 data connectors, 5 MCP servers and 5 spaces. |
| Ease of use | C | People ask an agent in Slack or a Chrome sidebar. Someone has to connect the company's data, set the permissions and build the agents first, and there's no rating on record. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | A web app, Slack and a Chrome extension, with Zapier, Make, n8n and Power Automate listed and a developer API. No phone or desktop app on the listing. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Dust is for
- Fits if your company wants agents that answer from its own docs and chats
- Works for organizations that need their data kept in the US or the EU
Who it is not for
- Tight if you're staying free, as the Free seat is 500 credits once and never refills
- Not for you if you need more than 3 data sources, 5 MCP servers or 5 spaces without an Enterprise deal
- Skip it if you need audit logs, SCIM or custom data retention, which sit on the custom-priced Enterprise plan
- Pricey if heavy users need Max, at $120 a seat a month billed yearly or $150 monthly
- Watch out: credits don't roll over, prices exclude VAT, and there's no phone or desktop app
Good to know
Good for
- Companies that want agents grounded in internal knowledge
- Teams that mix light and heavy users on different seat types
- Organizations that need US or EU data residency
Worth knowing
- The Free seat is a one-time allowance of 500 credits, not a monthly quota; once it is used, free users are prompted to request an upgrade.
- The self-serve Business plan covers teams of up to 100 and is limited to 3 data source connectors, 5 remote MCP servers and 5 spaces.
- SCIM provisioning, audit logs, custom data retention and single-tenant deployment require Enterprise.
- Monthly credits reset each billing period without rolling over, and listed prices exclude VAT.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$24
A month to start, for each person
Dust is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $24 per seat / month, billed yearly (Pro).
That's the middle of the road for agent tools here.
Free
$0
A Business-plan seat with 500 credits for its lifetime and no monthly refill, meant for occasional users or people trying Dust.
Pro
$24
per seat / month, billed yearly; $30 billed monthly
8,000 credits per seat each month on the Business plan, which covers teams of up to 100, with SSO available on request from 5 seats.
Max
$120
per seat / month, billed yearly; $150 billed monthly
40,000 credits per seat each month, for people who regularly run complex automations, deep research or tool-heavy workflows.
Enterprise
Custom
Unlimited connectors and MCP servers, workspace-pooled credits, SCIM, audit logs, custom data retention, single-tenant deployment and an SLA.
Trying it first
Free seat with a one-time 500 credits for the lifetime of the seat and no time limit
Read from dust.tt on Oct 5, 2026.
Ways to pay less
Annual discount
Save 20% with yearly billing
Dust's pricing page shows a 20% saving on yearly billing: Pro is $24 per seat a month instead of $30, and Max is $120 instead of $150.
Stated on dust.tt
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
2
Places it runs: Web and Browser extension
Platform for building AI agents on your company's knowledge. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: public API, AI search, workflow automation, AI agents.
- Agents with company context
- Agents draw on connected company data from sources such as Slack, Notion, Google Drive, GitHub, Salesforce and Zendesk to answer questions and take action.
- Model choice per agent
- All plans include 20+ models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Mistral and DeepSeek. The model is chosen per agent, and none is locked to a higher plan.
- Schedules and triggers
- Multi-agent workflows can run on a schedule or in response to events. Dust also lists Zapier, Make, n8n and Power Automate as supported automation platforms.
- Spaces and permissions
- Spaces segment data by team, and a two-layer permission model separates what agents can access from who can use them. The Business plan includes 5 spaces.
- Frames
- Frames turn agent output into interactive dashboards, reports and memos that a team can explore and work on together.
- Slack and Chrome extension
- Agents can be mentioned in any Slack channel or messaged directly, and a Chrome extension opens them in a sidebar on any web page.
Where it runs
- Web
- Browser extension
What it works with
- Slack
- Notion
- Google Drive
- GitHub
- Salesforce
- Zendesk
- Zapier
- Make
Dust is made by Dust.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
12/51
Other AI agents it is graded above
Dust's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 12 of the 51 other AI agents we grade, and level with 10.
It stands best on platforms and integrations (B, above 5 of 51) and worst on features (C, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $24 a month for each person, against a middle price of $21.25 for the category: 24 of the 44 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 17 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 52 AI agents we grade, cut by the letter each got. Dust’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 14 of 51
- CFree plan and trialAbove 9 of 51
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 51
- CEase of useAbove 5 of 51
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 5 of 51
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 49 AI agents. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Dust is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace Dust you would be making an AI agent, with the models and the safeguards behind it. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 29 of the 51 other AI agents grade higher. It costs $288 a year.
What you could not
- An AI agent, with the models and the safeguards behind it.
- A search engine with an AI model behind it.
- Connections to other products, each kept working as those products change.
- It is priced for each person, which means accounts and billing for a team.
- What a company asks for before it lets staff use something: roles and permissions.
What this rests on. Dust’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Gumloop, Relevance AI, Lindy, Runbear and MindStudio
The 5 tools Dust is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.0GPA
Gumloop
Free trial · from $37/mo
AI agent builder for teams, with unlimited seats on shared credits.
- Only Dust lists a browser extension.
- Dust also covers AI search.
- Gumloop also covers no-code.
- 2.0GPA
Relevance AI
From $19/mo
Low-code platform for building AI agents and multi-agent teams.
- Only Relevance AI lists iOS and Android apps.
- Dust also covers AI search.
- Relevance AI also covers chat assistant and no-code.
- 2.4GPA
Lindy
Free trial · from $29.99/mo
AI teammate for Slack that works across your team's tools.
- Dust also covers AI search.
- Lindy also covers meeting notes, chat assistant and inbox filtering.
- 2.2GPA
Runbear
Free plan · from $99/mo
Shared AI agents for teams, deployed in Slack and Microsoft Teams.
- Runbear has a free plan. Dust does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Dust lists a browser extension.
- Dust also covers AI search.
- 2.6GPA
MindStudio
Free plan · from $16/mo
No-code builder for AI agents, with 200+ models billed at cost.
- MindStudio has a free plan. Dust does not, though it has a free trial.
- MindStudio is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Dust also covers AI search.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
14
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Dust free?
No, Dust is a paid product, but you can try it first. Free seat with a one-time 500 credits for the lifetime of the seat and no time limit.
How much does Dust cost?
Dust lists 4 plans. Free: $0.
What platforms does Dust work on?
Dust is available on Web. It also has a browser extension.
Does Dust offer any discounts?
Dust publicly lists the following: Save 20% with yearly billing.
Does Dust have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 5, 2026. Dust is listed for Web.
Does Dust have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 5, 2026. Dust is listed for Web.
Is Dust open source?
Dust is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 5, 2026.
Does Dust have an API?
Yes. Dust offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does Dust integrate with?
Dust's listing names Slack, Notion, Google Drive, GitHub, Salesforce, Zendesk, Zapier and Make.
Who makes Dust?
Dust is made by a company of the same name.
What are the alternatives to Dust?
The closest alternatives to Dust in our directory are Gumloop, Relevance AI, Lindy, Runbear and MindStudio.
How does Dust compare with other AI agents?
Dust's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 12 of the 51 other AI agents we grade, and level with 10.
Is Dust good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Dust C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $24 a month for each person, against a middle price of $21.25 for the category: 24 of the 44 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Dust?
To replace Dust you would be making an AI agent, with the models and the safeguards behind it.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Dust’s own pages on Oct 5, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 10, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Dust's own pages on 5 October 2026. Also tested with a demo account on 2026-01-18.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Dust. Prices change, so check dust.tt before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
3,189
Tools graded, in 94 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Dust, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/dust
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Dust: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 5, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/dust
Know someone choosing between AI agents?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/dust/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded AI agents after Dust, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- AI Agents Insider's GuideEvery one of the 52 AI agents we grade, compared
- Genspark Insider's GuideAI workspace with an agent for research, slides, sheets and docs3.2 GPA
- Manus Insider's GuideGeneral AI agent for research, slides, websites and browser tasks3.2 GPA
- OpenClaw Insider's GuideOpen-source personal AI agent you run yourself and message in chat3.2 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Dust’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Dust is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Dust. Prices and plans change: check dust.tt before you buy.