ChatGPT agent

ChatGPT's agent mode — the successor to Operator — gives the assistant its own virtual computer. With it, ChatGPT can browse the web, fill out forms, run code, and complete real tasks like making bookings, comparing options, or assembling slide decks. Before anything consequential, like a purchase or a login, it pauses for a user checkpoint, keeping a human in the loop on the actions that matter.

Its biggest advantage is reach: agent mode is bundled into ChatGPT Plus at $20/month and the Pro plans, so the hundreds of millions of people already in ChatGPT get an agent at no extra cost and with no new tool to learn. It also benefits from tight integration with ChatGPT's memory and broader toolset, so the agent shares context with your normal conversations.

The trade-offs are speed and limits. There are monthly task limits on the Plus tier, and a generalist agent is naturally slower than tools purpose-built for one job. For existing ChatGPT subscribers, everyday web tasks, and consumers new to agents who want a safe, familiar on-ramp, it's the most frictionless way to start — even if specialists outperform it on narrow workloads.