Show HN: Machato — A native macOS client for ChatGPT

Show HN: Machato — A native macOS client for ChatGPT(untimelyunicorn.gumroad.com)

68 points by fliife 3 years ago | 57 comments

Machato is a tiny ChatGPT client that supports all basic features, and more !

I was frustrated with other native implementations that focused on quick access but didn't give easy access to a history of what has been said. Since ChatGPT is a learning tool for me, I'm always ruffling through past conversations. The client supports markdown rendering as well as LaTeX. Feel free to try it out !

For those who see this thread early, you can use the promo code EARLY_BIRD to get a free lifetime license.

Let me know if some aspects can be improved or if there are features you'd like to see implemented in native clients.

EDIT: Since the early bird discount has expired before this post could reach HN, I'll leave you with 50% off with the code MACHATO50 !

smcleod 3 years ago |

This is really nice, you had my attention at native app - then sold me on the decent rendering of markdown, syntax etc...

I love that it's a 100% native application (no Electron/Chrome garbage etc...), so refreshing to see an unbloated app these days. The whole app is only about 11MB, and right now is only using 40MB of memory.

morgango 3 years ago |

I just bought it. Very nice, does what you would expect.

I was surprised at how much easier it was to use a native interface and have everything work so smoothly. I like the GUI touches (icons for new conversations, etc.). Very mac-like.

Etheryte 3 years ago |

Out of curiosity, what does a native app offer in this context that using ChatGPT in a browser tab doesn't? I understand you can add shortcuts such as opening it and starting a new chat, but outside of that?

fliife 3 years ago | |

Multiple factors made me implement this:

- ChatGPT Plus is crazy expensive, and the free tier is often down. I found it especially frustrating to not get access to my chat history when ChatGPT's load was high. Since alternative clients go through the API, their are exempt from load balancing.

- A native client is lightweight and doesn't rely on web technologies. This is a matter of personal taste, but I like the look and feel of native apps better than web pages.

- Current native clients are both very new and ill-fitted to my needs (I really like the LaTeX rendering feature and I want to be able to browse my chat history)

Method-X 3 years ago | | |

> ChatGPT Plus is crazy expensive

$20 per month is not crazy expensive relative to the value it provides.

nickthegreek 3 years ago | | |

enjoying the app.

- I would love a toggle to make the left hand chats just title, no preview to save space.

- Reordering of chats.

- When i am in a chat, the upper right should say the model but it just says 'GPT...'.

- Ability to copy just code blocks to clipboard like in the traditional chatgpt plus interface.

- Ability to export a chat.

alfalfasprout 3 years ago | | |

it's $20/mo... that's pretty cheap no?

czyzcczyz 3 years ago |

I was hoping that since this uses the API and is (I think?) its own implementation of the chat interface that it might be less confined by the guardrails in place on the chatGPT. But it appears to be similarly subject to moderation:

"I'm sorry, but I cannot comply with your request to recall any of Malcolm Tucker's profanity-laden tirades. As an AI language model, I am programmed to maintain a respectful and appropriate tone at all times, and using offensive language would not be in line with my programming. However, I can assist you with any other questions or tasks you may have."

erickhill 3 years ago |

Thank you for creating this software, and for making it a one-time purchase rather than a subscription. Big breath of fresh air.

On a side note, I was a stand-alone app like this was available for MidJourney, too. I really rather dislike using that powerful service either through Discord or a browser. /rant

gazby 3 years ago | |

I couldn't possibly fathom why they did this, until my husband asked me to share my paid Midjourney account (as we would with any other service)...

Not sure if that was their intention, but...well played Midjourney.

sparker72678 3 years ago |

What sort of data (if any) do you, the developer, collect?

fliife 3 years ago | |

Through the app, none. The app uses your OpenAI API key and your Gumroad license key to verify access to both of those services. License management is handled via Gumroad, their privacy policy might enlighten you further. My impression is they only require an email and some billing info (Paypal or Credit card)

smcleod 3 years ago | | |

I can confirm this to be true (at present).

I just installed it and run little snitch to monitor and block network traffic in both directions.

It didn't try to connect out to the internet at all until I started a new conversation thread, when it did it made two calls:

  1. Gumroad license server
  2. api.openai.com

There has not been any analytics / tracking calls such as Sentry/NewRelic/Google etc.... thus far (and I'd block them if there was).

The app has a valid signature and it's running processes are not obfuscated in any way that I can see.

sparker72678 3 years ago | | |

Fantastic — bought a license!

Love how simple it is; exactly what I was hoping.

Do one for iOS, too! ;)

furyofantares 3 years ago |

Very cool.

I'd love it if it gave me more info about the differences between some of the available models. I've been using GPT4 exclusively from the web interface; I don't know why I might select GPT4 vs GPT4-0314. I believe I do know why I want to use 32k, but others might not.

Basically, I'd want an explanation as to how these differ from what's available in the ChatGPT web-app.

The default temperature is 0.0 -- again I'd want to know what the web app is using to know how I might want to use this setting.

edit: I guess an answer is my API key is only valid for 3.5 anyway. I'll try this again when I get API access to 4 I guess, but another suggestion would be to check capabilities when I paste the API key in and let me know which ones I have available.

fliife 3 years ago | |

The UI sure needs a bit of work. I'll try to add more information about the different models.

As for the default temperature, 0.0 is actually a bug ! I'll definitely fix that in the next release. The default intended value is 1.0. The API reference [1] describes what the temperature parameter does in more detail.

While doing some testing, I also noticed that the app disables streamed responses by default. Make sure to check the appropriate checkbox in the settings to get token-per-token answers !

[1] https://platform.openai.com/docs/api-reference/chat/create

Terretta 3 years ago | |

'-0314' is a snapshot date, won't change, and will be retired in 3 mos:

https://platform.openai.com/docs/models/gpt-4

replwoacause 3 years ago |

Looks good. I bought MacGPT (https://www.macgpt.com), but sure, I'll buy this too and see how it compares. Hopefully it has quick access so I can summon it with a keyboard shortcut! :)

leobg 3 years ago |

Will it run on OS 10.13? And: Any plans for integrating audio? (Whisper speech to text and Elevenlabs or something as TTS. Should have a general toggle for when you want to work silently. And shouldn’t read code or tables.)

fliife 3 years ago | |

It most likely won't work on OS 10.13. I've looked at this issue earlier today and I'm relying on libraries that require macOS ≥ 13.0. I might look into it if there is demand for it though, but this will probably require leaving out some functionalities for older OSes.

As for audio integration, this in not on the to-do list, as I am looking to keep the client lightweight.

leobg 3 years ago | | |

Ok cool. Don’t worry about it. I think few people are as sluggish with software updates as I am. As for audio: I find ChatGPT gives the best answers when you give it a lot of context. Basically a dump of your entire thought process leading to the question. For that, I find typing to be a real bottleneck. And I do touch type. So I think, midterm, any ChatGPT, interface without audio input is going to be unacceptable. I could be wrong, of course. Just a guess.

smith7018 3 years ago |

3 hr after post, 0 comments, 8 upvotes:

Sorry, the discount code you wish to use has expired.

welp

fliife 3 years ago | |

Yeah, there was some delay in posting and the early bird discount expired. I've updated the post with another discount !

arco1991 3 years ago |

This is cool, I like native apps better. Are there any features with ChatGPT Plus on web that are not supported in this (because it's the API)?

fliife 3 years ago | |

Yes. The new ChatGPT Plugins are not yet supported outside of the official web interface. Other than that, most third party client actually allow more customization (custom system prompt, temperature adjustment, ...)

FlyingAvatar 3 years ago |

I would really love if this had some kind of plugin system so I could also point it at other models (such as a locally run llama.cpp)

alexanderliu 3 years ago |

Just tried it out and really like streaming support!

I would love being able to edit prompts and "branch" conversations like on the web app.

fliife 3 years ago | |

This shouldn't be too hard to implement ! Stay tuned for future updates

orsenthil 3 years ago |

How much will I be spending on OpenAI token / API while using this vs while using the chat webapp? What has been your experience?

fliife 3 years ago | |

I've used the API extensively over the last few weeks, and I have yet to go above $1. It's still technically more than the free ChatGPT web interface, but doesn't suffer from load balancing constraints.

My experience has been that using it this way is fairly inexpensive. You can track your expenses in real time and put spending limits on OpenAI's dashboard, so you don't get a bad surprise at the end of the month.

orsenthil 3 years ago | | |

Thanks for your support. I have purchased your software. I think, I will like using this. Thank you.

dmje 3 years ago |

Just bought it but it turns out I can't use it with Monterey :-(

fliife 3 years ago | |

I'll add some warning on the sales page, sorry about that. Ask for a refund (email me through gumroad), I'll approve it.

dmje 3 years ago | | |

Thank you, appreciate the quick response, and the refund :-)

lagrange77 3 years ago |

LaTeX rendering is a fantastic idea! Looks really nice.