Task Machine vs Dock
Dock coordinates business agents through a Chief of Staff and shared workspaces. Task Machine organizes work as Tasks and Goals with reviewed plans and checks against acceptance criteria.
Visit Dock Switching from Dock? Read the migration guideTask Machine and Dock, point by point
Built from each company's public pages. Every answer links to its source and shows when we last checked it. The oldest check on this page was November 13, 2026.
| What you compare | Task Machine | Dock |
|---|---|---|
| Goals |
Task Machine
Yes
Give a Goal an agent lead and link Metrics, such as weekly signups or open pipeline value. The lead sees each Metric's latest value and trend, reviews the Goal on its own when a number or the linked work changes and on a schedule, and proposes what is missing for you to approve. |
Dock
Partly
Agents accept goals and delegate parts to specialists, and a channel example shows progress toward a lead target. Its docs do not describe tracked goal metrics beyond conversational progress reports. |
| Leads |
Task Machine
Yes
Goals, Projects and Teams each have a lead, a person or an agent. A Goal lead checks that the work can still reach the outcome. A Project lead reviews its Tasks against the Goals that direct it and asks you to settle conflicts between them. A Team lead triages the queue. Every gap becomes a proposal you approve. |
Dock
Yes
A Chief of Staff runs work involving several agents, briefs each specialist, sets routines and keeps shared knowledge current. Agents escalate decisions up their reporting line. |
| Tasks |
Task Machine
Yes
Every job is a Task that a person or an agent owns. The Task keeps its plan, discussion, decisions, runs and history together, so you can steer one job in detail without reading a chat log, and people and agents hand work to each other on the same record. |
Dock
Yes
Handoffs transfer responsibility for finishing a task to an agent or a person. An append-only log records who did what and when. |
| Recurring work |
Task Machine
Yes
Start a Task or Workflow once, on a schedule in your timezone, or when a service event arrives, such as a paid invoice or a pull request review. A recurring job keeps one stable root Task and gives each occurrence its own status and history, so repeated work does not flood your board. |
Dock
Yes
Agents run hourly, daily, weekly or one-off routines in your timezone. Webhook rules wake specific agents from outside events, with optional batching between check-ins. |
| Workflows |
Task Machine
Yes
A Workflow repeats your steps in the same order every time, with branches, human questions and approvals, and verifier checks that judge each result against its requirements and send weak work back with feedback. Every run keeps a step-by-step history you can read afterwards. |
Dock
Partly
You can split recurring work among specialists and specify handoffs and human decisions. Dock describes agents adapting their steps, rather than a defined multi-step process that runs the same way each time. |
| Autonomy |
Task Machine
Yes
Consequential decisions land in your Inbox with their context. You set what each agent may do on its own: every action is either Ask first or Automatic, per agent, and you can change that whenever the work or the stakes change. |
Dock
Yes
Each agent has Allow, Ask or Deny permissions by action type, with Ask requiring approval every time. The Inbox collects work needing a decision and lets you reply without opening the workspace. |
| Learned autonomy |
Task Machine
Yes
Task Machine studies the approvals and corrections you already make. When an agent does well it proposes giving it more freedom, and when it needs closer supervision it proposes tighter review, each with the evidence. A short lucky streak is not enough, and nothing changes until you accept. |
Dock
Not published
Its docs describe manually moving permissions from Ask to Allow and learning your working preferences. They do not describe proposals to change an agent's authority based on your approval history. |
| Memory |
Task Machine
Yes
Agents keep lessons from your corrections, such as an accepted example or a mistake to avoid, and carry the relevant notes into later work. Memory is kept per agent, project, goal, team and workspace, and you can read, correct and restore any note. |
Dock
Yes
Agent memory updates during work and carries standing knowledge into later conversations. You can read, edit or delete entries in the Memory tab. |
| Planning |
Task Machine
Yes
Plan in Chat with your agents, and the plan becomes Tasks or Library documents instead of staying in a chat log. Before an agent starts, you review its plan and the acceptance criteria its work will be judged against. |
Dock
Partly
The Chief of Staff plans and coordinates work in conversation, and shared docs can hold plans. Its docs do not establish a conversation becoming a plan artifact reviewed before execution. |
| Intake |
Task Machine
Yes
Send work in over HTTP with a project token. It lands in the project as a Task, or in your Inbox as a proposal first. A team lead agent triages it to the right owner and asks you only when the decision is yours. |
Dock
Yes
Each connected tool gets a webhook URL, and plain-language rules route events to agents. Channel events can also tag the right person and let an agent pick up work in the thread. |
| Connectors |
Task Machine
Yes
Install services from a catalog as MCP servers, APIs or command-line tools, or add your own custom Connector for any of the three. Events Connectors receive webhooks from a service, such as a paid invoice, and start Workflows or wake a waiting Task. |
Dock
Yes
The official CLI documents MCP endpoints, API keys and webhook configuration. Incoming webhook rules wake agents from connected services. |
| Models |
Task Machine
Yes
Auto is the default. For each stage of the work it chooses a model from the task, current model capabilities, pricing and your applicable budgets, and you can fix a specific model on an agent when you want to. |
Dock
Partly
You choose a model and reasoning effort for each agent and can switch models in the composer. Its docs do not describe automatic model selection for each task or step. |
| Cloud or your own computer |
Task Machine
Yes
Run agents in Managed Cloud with nothing to install, or connect a Local Worker, a computer you control, for local files, tools and accounts. You choose where each agent runs. |
Dock
Yes
Choose cloud agents on Dock's machines or local agents through the Mac app. Cloud agents keep working with your laptop shut, while local agents can access your Mac's files and tools. |
| Your own subscription |
Task Machine
Yes
Sign in to your ChatGPT (Codex), Claude or GitHub Copilot subscription on a Local Worker, and the agents there use it instead of Task Machine's models. |
Dock
Partly
Connected Claude subscriptions and supported ChatGPT models can fund local agents instead of Dock usage. Cloud agents always use Dock usage, and not every OpenAI model supports subscription funding. |
| Pricing |
Task Machine
Yes
Usage based. From $29 a month before tax, the whole payment becomes usage that your workspace shares across people and agents, with no base fee and no trial. Larger monthly amounts lower the AI and Cloud rates. |
Dock
Yes
Starter is $40, Standard $100 and Scale $200 per person per month, including 5, 10 or 20 cloud agents and 10,000, 20,000 or 50,000 business credits. Additional usage or credits can be purchased and roll over. |
| Correctness |
Task Machine
Yes
Every Task carries acceptance requirements, and each one gets a Pass, Fail or Uncertain check against the delivered work before a person reviews it. Workflow steps can add a verifier check that sends failed work back with feedback. You review the plan first, so the criteria exist before work starts. |
Dock
Partly
Dock says agents check their own results, and the Chief of Staff runs a nightly self-review to retain lessons. Its docs do not describe evaluating delivered work against defined criteria or tests. |
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. Dock is named only to identify it, and there is no relationship between the two companies. Has something changed? Tell us.
Who each one suits
Dock suits you if you want business specialists for sales, research or operations, coordinated by a Chief of Staff, with people and agents working in shared docs, tables and channels.
Task Machine suits you if you want each job organized as a Task, with a reviewed plan, acceptance criteria and checks against the delivered work, alongside Goals with linked Metrics.
You may stay with Dock if its specialist handoffs, shared workspaces and per-agent approval settings already fit your work. Its terms state precisely that Dock is in beta.
Coordinating agents and checking their work
Dock's Chief of Staff briefs specialists, sets their routines and keeps their knowledge current. A handoff transfers responsibility for finishing the work, and agents escalate decisions up their reporting line. Its Inbox keeps conversations needing your decision and lets you reply there.
Task Machine gives work a Task with its plan, discussion, decisions and run history together. You review the plan and acceptance criteria before an agent starts. Reviews check the delivered work against those requirements.
Dock describes recurring specialist handoffs where agents adapt how they do their part. Task Machine Workflows repeat defined steps with branches, human questions and verifier checks that can return failed work for revision.
Where agents run and how they learn
Both products offer cloud and local execution. Dock's local agents run through its Mac app, while its cloud agents keep working without your laptop. Connected Claude subscriptions and supported ChatGPT models fund only local agents. Task Machine offers Managed Cloud or a Local Worker on a computer you control.
Dock lets you edit persistent agent memory and choose Allow, Ask or Deny for action types. Task Machine also keeps editable Memories, and can propose changes to an agent's independence from the approvals and corrections you make. Nothing changes until you accept the proposal.
What the prices cover
Dock charges per person per month: Starter costs $40, Standard $100 and Scale $200. Those plans include 5, 10 or 20 cloud agents and 10,000, 20,000 or 50,000 business credits respectively, plus model-usage allowances. Business credits cover paid data and media work such as verified contacts, outreach, images and video. Purchased extra credits or usage roll over, while monthly allowances reset. Larger teams can request Custom pricing.
Task Machine is usage based, from $29 a month before tax, with the whole payment becoming usage shared by the workspace and no base fee. You keep 100% of your revenue, Task Machine takes no cut and never takes custody of your accounts. Dock's per-person allowances and Task Machine's shared usage cover different units of work.
Common questions
Can both ask before an agent acts?
Yes. Dock offers per-agent Allow, Ask and Deny permissions and collects decisions in its Inbox. Task Machine lets you choose which actions each agent must ask about and review those decisions in the Inbox.
Can Dock agents use my existing AI subscription?
Local agents can use a connected Claude subscription or supported ChatGPT models. Cloud agents use Dock usage, and some OpenAI models cannot use subscription funding.
Does Dock choose a model automatically?
Its model guide describes choosing a model and reasoning effort per agent. Task Machine's Auto selects a model for each stage of the work, considering the task and applicable budgets.
Is Dock out of beta?
No. Its terms say, "Dock is in beta." This comparison reports its published capabilities, not a signed-in product test.