ChatGPT for Mac Now Available to All Users, But There’s a Catch

The latest from OpenAI's development, ChatGPT for Mac, is now available for all users to download and install on their computers to get a dedicated app for all needs from the chatbot.

This new app offers an integrated experience for all, promising its renowned features and significant technology that are widely accessible to users, improving on what the web version offered.

ChatGPT for Mac is Now Available to All, With a Catch

OpenAI now makes the ChatGPT for Mac app available for all users to download, which means both Free and Premium user accounts, delivering the native experience of the chatbot to their computers.

Previously, it was only available for ChatGPT Plus Premium users to download back when the company introduced it last May. However, while it widened its user base by moving it out of the paid subscription experience, there is still another catch: the macOS Sonoma operating system version.

Users must update their Mac's operating system to at least the macOS 14 or the latest from Apple, the macOS 14.5, with both Intel and M-series powered Macs eligible for it as long as they have Sonoma.

ChatGPT for Mac: Is It Worth It to Install the App?

Instead of using the ChatGPT web version on Apple PCs, users may enjoy a direct approach by using the dedicated app from OpenAI, which brings over everything the web has to offer. Users may select from GPT-3.5, GPT-4, and GPT-4o models and onboard several custom GPTs from OpenAI's website to access.

Keyboard shortcuts, including the option + space bar, are also available to launch the prompt box. However, it is only available on OpenAI's website for now and not yet on the Mac App Store.

OpenAI and Apple's Partnership for New OS

There have been various reports of both companies entering negotiations and talks regarding the integration of the GPT LLM into Apple's tech, particularly for new operating systems like iOS 18.

While it may not have been obvious before, Apple and OpenAI's partnership was a massive development for tech when it was announced at the last WWDC 2024 event, especially for its presence on Apple Intelligence.

Over the past year, when AI debuted and saw massive development from different companies, it was known that Apple had stepped into the shadows with what it had to offer, unlike Google and Microsoft.

This even led to developers creating new apps like MacGPT to bring over OpenAI's LLMs and its chatbot, ChatGPT, to the Apple computer that was only available on the web.

However, this year seems to mark a new beginning for Apple, especially since it announced its OpenAI partnership following the upcoming ChatGPT for Mac app, which was initially locked away on Premium.

Now, all users would get the chance to download the app and use it natively on their Macs, requiring the latest macOS Sonoma to run the chatbot.