ChatGPT plugins were extensions that you could use within the ChatGPT interface. The system quickly grew into a massive ecosystem but has since been replaced by GPTs.
They allowed ChatGPT access to the internet, third-party services, and new features, making it significantly more powerful:
OpenAI announced the discontinuation of ChatGPT plugins:
- Since March 19, it has no longer been possible to start new chats with plugins or install new plugins.
- As of April 9, plugins were completely deactivated. This means it is no longer possible to continue existing chats with plugins.
This step was foreseeable with the introduction of GPTs in November 2024, as they offer more features than plugins and are also significantly easier to create.
But don't worry:
To make the transition from plugins to GPTs easier for you, I've compiled a list of the 100 most popular ChatGPT plugins and found the corresponding GPTs for you (meaning GPTs from the same developer that work the same or similarly):
- ChatGPT plugins were discontinued in April 2024 and replaced by GPTs, which offer more features
- For all 100 popular plugins, there are corresponding GPT alternatives from the same developers
- Plugins extended ChatGPT with internet access and external services for current information
1. Popular ChatGPT Plugins and Their GPT Replacements
2. Using ChatGPT Plugins
2.1 How Did You Get Access to the Plugins?
To get access to ChatGPT plugins, you needed ChatGPT Plus, the paid version of ChatGPT for $20 per month.
Additionally, you had to enable the plugins in the settings, as it was a beta feature (until the discontinuation in March/April 2024):
2.2 How Could You Use ChatGPT Plugins?
To use ChatGPT plugins, you first had to switch to the plugin model in ChatGPT.
You could do this with the same dropdown menu that allowed you to choose between GPT-3.5 and GPT-4:
Similar to the Apple App Store, you could add or remove ChatGPT plugins as you wished through a Plugin Store.
You could find the store by opening the upper right selection menu "No plugins enabled" and then clicking on "Plugin store":
2.3 Why Were ChatGPT Plugins Useful?
Plugins compensated for one of ChatGPT's biggest weaknesses:
ChatGPT's training data only extended to September 2021 (in GPT-3.5) or April 2023 (in GPT-4), which often led to the tool outputting outdated numbers, dates, or facts.
With plugins, ChatGPT could access the internet and external databases, allowing ChatGPT to deliver not only more accurate, up-to-date, and significantly more information.
Additionally, plugins could massively extend the functionality and capabilities. With the Wolfram Alpha plugin, ChatGPT could do math really well, and with Show Me Diagrams, it could create diagrams.
