Switch from Dust to Task Machine
Dust brings conversations, tasks and files together in shared Pods. Task Machine organizes work as owned Tasks and repeatable Workflows, with decisions in your Inbox.
Prefer the side-by-side comparison?Why people switch
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Steps depend on context
Dust lets skills reference other skills, but the agent decides when to enable them from context and instructions. That leaves step selection with the agent.
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Busy webhooks drop requests
Webhook triggers default to 42 runs per sliding 24 hours, and editors can change that limit. Requests received while the limit is reached are dropped rather than queued.
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Paid seats cannot revert
After a member upgrades from a Free seat to Pro or Max, Dust does not let them return to Free. Annual seats vacated when someone leaves are not refunded.
What maps to what
Every answer links to its source and shows when we last checked it. The oldest check on this page was November 15, 2026.
| Area | In Dust | In Task Machine |
|---|---|---|
| Tasks |
In Dust
Pod tasks can be assigned to members and started by agents. Starting an agent opens a linked conversation where you can follow and redirect the work. |
In Task Machine
A Task belongs to a person or an agent and keeps its plan, discussion, decisions, runs and history together. Use that record to steer a report or hand work to a teammate. |
| Recurring work |
In Dust
Schedules and webhooks start agents automatically. Each run creates a conversation, which can appear in a shared Pod. |
In Task Machine
Schedule a Task or Workflow in your timezone, or start a Workflow from service events. Recurring work keeps a stable root Task and each occurrence's own status and history. |
| Approval |
In Dust
Admins configure approval settings for tools, including always asking for confirmation or never asking. An agent needing approval pauses until you respond. |
In Task Machine
Set each agent's actions to Ask first or Automatic. Decisions arrive in your Inbox with context, and a Human approval step can hold a report before sending. |
| Memory |
In Dust
Agent Memory retains information across conversations. Memories are private to each user and separate for each agent, and you can browse and delete them. |
In Task Machine
Agents keep lessons such as an accepted example or a mistake to avoid. Memory can belong to an agent, Project, Goal, Team or workspace, and you can read, correct and restore notes. |
| Connections |
In Dust
Admins add Dust-built or public MCP servers. You can also host a custom server at a public URL and connect it to Dust. |
In Task Machine
Install services from the Connectors catalog or add a custom API, command-line tool or Model Context Protocol connection. Assign each connection to the agents that need it. |
| Models |
In Dust
Choose a specific model or Basic, Standard or Premium. Auto uses a maintained candidate list with availability fallback, rather than choosing a model from each task. |
In Task Machine
Auto chooses a model for each stage from the task, model capabilities, pricing and applicable budgets. You can fix a specific model on an agent instead. |
| Pricing |
In Dust
Business has Free, Pro and Max seats with individual credit allocations. Enterprise also offers a pooled plan where members draw from shared workspace credits. |
In Task Machine
Usage based, from $29 a month before tax. The whole payment becomes usage that your workspace shares, with no base fee. |
A fact we cannot find or cannot check is left out, and prices can change after the date shown. Task Machine publishes this comparison and is an interested party. Dust is named only to identify it, and there is no relationship between the two companies. Has something changed? Tell us.
You may stay with Dust if
You may stay with Dust if your team works well in shared Pods. Pod conversations are indexed so agents can use them as context alongside files and tasks. Its browser extension also brings agents into your current tab, with permission before they access page content.
What you give up
Task Machine's docs do not describe an equivalent browser side panel or an importer for Pod conversations and exported Dust agent configurations. You rebuild instructions and review boundaries, reconnect services and select reference material for the Library. An archive preserves the old setup but does not recreate it as a working process.
There is no trial. Your first payment funds usage, so budget for testing the replacement as well as running it.
How the switch works
- Before cancelling, keep an archive using Dust's agent configuration export as YAML, a text-based configuration file. Copy skill instructions and the open-task list, retain original source documents, and check export options for Pod conversations and files before deleting anything. An agent configuration export is not a backup of the whole Pod.
- Create your workspace. Connect the services for one selected job, then upload its reference files to the Library. Review who can read each folder.
- Rebuild that job with a Playbook, or define explicit steps in the Workflow builder. For a weekly customer report, separate gathering updates, drafting, checking sources and approving delivery.
- Choose Supervised autonomy for the new agents and keep an approval before sending or updating outside records. Test copied inputs and compare the output with a known good example before allowing live writes.
- Set the schedule and timezone. Disable the corresponding Dust automations through its automation controls before enabling live delivery in the replacement. Check your seat commitments before cancelling paid access.
Common questions
Can I import my Dust agents and Pod data?
Dust documents an agent configuration export. Task Machine's docs do not describe importing it or Pod history. Keep the archive, rebuild the job and upload supported reference files to the Library.
Will moving cost less?
Compare a representative job rather than treating a Dust credit as one Task. Dust charges credits for model processing and tool actions. Task Machine's pricing starts at $29 a month before tax, funds shared workspace usage and has no base fee or trial. You keep 100% of your revenue, Task Machine takes no cut and never custodies your accounts.
Do I need to turn every Dust skill into a Workflow?
No. Use a Task for one result. A Workflow fits a process that needs explicit steps, branches, approvals or verifier checks, such as checking a report before it reaches a customer.
Can I keep Dust while testing the move?
Yes. Test the replacement without live sending or record updates, then disable the corresponding Dust automation before switching delivery. Keep only one live process responsible for each external action.