2026Updated 15 September 2026
Dust is a workbench. The Brain arrives installed.
Dust lets your team build agents over 20+ models and 70+ connectors. See it beside WorkElate Chief, the Brain, from public product information, not a controlled test.
Dust, the product we are comparing againstThe short answer
Dust lets AI operators build custom agents in minutes across 20+ models, with a dual-layer permission model and self-serve euro pricing. The Brain instead arrives installed, holds one memory across your systems, and waits for a person's yes before it acts.
Dust and the Brain, side by side
Six columns that decide it. Bold is the value, grey is the qualifier, and every Dust cell comes from its own public pages, listed below.
PickWorkElate Chief, the Brain. One memory across the systems you already run: it reads what they record, judges what needs a person, and asks before it changes anything. A two-week Sprint, then $30K–$100K fixed.
Why the Brain →| Tool | Sits on | Speaks first | Carries to done | Who approves a write | How it is bought | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Brain Pick200 to 2,000 people, many systems | your systemsinstalled by WE_AINA, no rip and replace | ✓ranked list with reasonsafter deciding it is worth your time | ✓with a person's yesfind, read, draft, send, assign | ✓a person, alwaysthe AI cannot approve its own action | 2-week Sprintthen $30K–$100K fixed | One memory across the systems you already run |
| DustAgent workbench | a workspace70+ connectors into a Dust workspace | ~agents on triggersin workflows your team builds | ~agents, depth to documenttriage, CRM updates, review, by agents you build | ✕not documenteddual-layer permission model | 24 euro per monthPro, billed yearly; Max 120 euro; Enterprise on request | Teams that want to build their own agents |
✓yes, as documented~partly, or only where you build it✕no, or not documented
Strengths and limits
Each line on the left comes from Dust's own public pages; each line on the right is a limit we hold ourselves to.
Where Dust is strong
- ✓Custom agents in minutes, 20+ models
- ✓70+ connectors into the workspace
- ✓Dual-layer permission model
- ✓Self-serve, Pro 24 euro per month
Where it stops
- ✕Agents are what your team builds
- ✕Speaks first only in workflows you build
- ✕Per-action approval of writes not documented
- ✕Enterprise pricing on request
Where the Brain is strong
- ✓One memory across the systems you already run
- ✓Ranked briefing, a reason on each line
- ✓Anything that sends, deletes or shares stops for a person
- ✓Two-week Sprint, then $30K to $100K fixed
Where it stops
- ✕No third-party connectors in the box
- ✕Installed through an engagement, not self-serve
- ✕No certification badges yet
- ✕No public Sprint fee
Questions buyers ask
Is Dust or WorkElate Chief better for a 500-person company?
If you have AI operators who want to build and share their own agents, Dust, today, on a card. If nobody has time to be an AI operator, the Brain, because it arrives installed with the judging and the stop before sending already done. At 500 people, ask who would own the agents a year from now.
Can I use Dust and the Brain together?
Yes, where Dust records something the Brain can read. The Brain reads what a connected system emits, and an agent run in Dust is one such event; connecting it is engagement work in the Sprint, not a switch in a settings page.
What does Dust cost?
Dust publishes its prices: Pro at 24 euro per month billed yearly, Max at 120 euro, and Enterprise on request. Self-serve, no installation.
What does the Brain cost?
A two-week Diagnostic Sprint first, then a fixed build of $30K to $100K on your stack. The Sprint fee is not published; it is scoped on the first call, and the build price is fixed before it starts.
Which one, and when
When to choose Dust
Your team wants to build
AI operators who will create and share their own agents.
You want to choose the model per agent
GPT, Claude, Gemini, Mistral and more, per use.
You want to start today on a card
At a published price, no installation.
When to choose the Brain
Nobody has time to be an AI operator
What needs a person, ranked, with a blocker.
You want one memory across the systems
Not a set of agents each pointed at a source.
You want the defaults done
A stop before anything sends, with a cap on interruptions, by default.
Comparison based on publicly available product information as of September 2026, not a controlled test. If we have something wrong, tell us and we will fix it. Sources read: dust.tt/, dust.tt/home/pricing, dust.tt/home/security. Third-party connectors are what a WE_AINA engagement builds, not a shipped list. Product image from Dust's public site.
Updated 15 September 2026 · WE_AINA
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