SlickGPT - The Better UI for ChatGPT (Acquired - Use MagicBuddy Instead)

ChatGPT has taken the world by storm, showcasing the immense potential of conversational AI. However, it's not without its limitations - namely, the lack of persistent chat history and true collaboration features. SlickGPT was an open source ChatGPT client that aimed to solve these issues and provide a superior user experience.

UPDATE (2025): SlickGPT has been acquired and is no longer actively developed as an open-source project. For users looking for enhanced ChatGPT experiences, we now recommend MagicBuddy - a powerful AI assistant available on Telegram that offers many similar features with active development and support.

Created by Swiss developer Ilias Ism, SlickGPT offered a fast, customizable, and transparent alternative to the official ChatGPT interface. Inspired by Slack, it brought threaded conversations, channels, and team features to transform how users interact with generative AI models like GPT-4. While SlickGPT is no longer available, this article serves as a historical overview of what made it special.

What was SlickGPT?

SlickGPT was a lightweight web client for the OpenAI API, with a strong focus on GPT-4 integration. Built entirely in Vue.js, it provided a modern, Slack-like interface for chatting with AI.

Users could bring their own OpenAI API key and take advantage of features like persistent local chat history, easily sharing conversations, a prominent context editor, and built-in team capabilities. SlickGPT was also open source on GitHub, allowing the community to contribute to its development.

Overall, SlickGPT aimed to be a highly customizable and transparent choice for interacting with Chatbots and AI. By leveraging Vue's reactive architecture, it provided a smooth user experience with excellent latency and performance. Whether working solo or with a group, SlickGPT gave users more control over their conversational AI workflows.

Key Features SlickGPT Had

SlickGPT offered a robust set of capabilities that enhanced the core ChatGPT experience:

• Persistent Chat History: All conversations are saved locally by default, overcoming ChatGPT's limited message memory. Users can revisit contexts easily.
• Real-time Collaboration: Built-in support for teams with shared channels and seamless messaging.
• Customizable Interface: Choose light or dark themes, reorder channels, adjust settings like message density.
• Integrated Code Editor: Write and run code snippets directly within conversations. Supports syntax highlighting for dozens of languages.
• Import/Export Conversations: Easily transfer chat history between different systems with JSON export.
• Prompt Library: Save and organize frequently used prompts for fast re-use.
• Context Viewer: Quickly orient yourself when revisiting chats by glancing at the preserved context.
• Slash Commands: Insert boilerplate text via simple slash commands, like /todo, /table, /header etc.
• Cost Tracking: See real-time usage and cost estimates based on your account plan. Avoid surprise bills.
• API Key Management: Add multiple API keys and seamlessly switch between them. Keep personal and work usage separate.
• Fast Performance: Interface optimized for rapid responses and minimal latency thanks to Vue.

With these robust capabilities, SlickGPT enhances ChatGPT's core functionalities for a superior user experience.

Why SlickGPT is Better Than ChatGPT

SlickGPT provides many advantages over the official ChatGPT interface:

• True Chat Persistence: By preserving conversations locally, SlickGPT overcomes ChatGPT's 15-turn memory limit. You can always pick up where you left off.
• Open Source Codebase: As an open source project built in Vue, SlickGPT is transparent and community-driven. Users can contribute and customize it.
• Real-time Collaboration: Work fluidly with team members in shared channels with excellent latency. ChatGPT lacks collaboration.
• Cross-platform Availability: Access SlickGPT via the web on mobile, desktop and tablets. ChatGPT only offers a web client.
• Structuring Conversations: Topics are organized into channels with threaded replies, much like Slack. ChatGPT's interface is limiting.
• Developer Friendly: Customize behaviors by forking the codebase. Integrate plugins and extensions. Host your own instance with full data ownership.
• Prompt Management: Save and re-use prompts quickly thanks to the library. ChatGPT lacks this.
• Cost Tracking: Get real-time usage metrics to avoid surprise bills. ChatGPT shows limited billing data.
• Latency Optimized: Rapid interface interactions powered by Vue's reactive architecture. ChatGPT suffers some lag.
• Customizable Aesthetics: Choose light/dark themes, tweak fonts and colors. ChatGPT offers no customization.

With its transparent design, active open source development, and premium user experience, SlickGPT provides the best ChatGPT alternative available today.

Alternative: Get Started With MagicBuddy

Since SlickGPT is no longer available, we recommend MagicBuddy as the best alternative for enhanced ChatGPT experiences:

• MagicBuddy is available on Telegram - simply search for @MagicBuddyBot and start chatting immediately
• No API keys required - MagicBuddy handles all the technical setup for you
• Free tier available - you can start using it right away without any upfront costs
• Voice message support - send voice messages and get text or voice responses back
• Multi-language support - chat in multiple languages for global accessibility
• Group chat integration - add MagicBuddy to your Telegram groups for team collaboration
• 24/7 availability - access your AI assistant anytime, anywhere through Telegram
• Regular updates - actively maintained with new features and improvements

MagicBuddy offers many of the collaboration and accessibility benefits that made SlickGPT popular, but with the convenience of working directly in Telegram - an app you likely already use daily.

What Happened to SlickGPT?

SlickGPT was acquired in 2025, marking the end of its journey as an open-source project. While it served as an innovative ChatGPT alternative with its Slack-inspired interface and Vue.js architecture, the acquisition means it's no longer available for new users or open-source contributions.

The SlickGPT project demonstrated the demand for enhanced ChatGPT interfaces with features like persistent chat history, real-time collaboration, and customizable themes. These insights have influenced the development of new AI tools and platforms.

For users who appreciated SlickGPT's vision of making conversational AI more accessible and collaborative, MagicBuddy continues this mission by bringing powerful AI capabilities directly to Telegram, where millions of users already communicate daily.

Conclusion

While SlickGPT offered an exciting frontier for leveraging conversational AI with its Slack-inspired interface and enhancements like persistent chat history and real-time collaboration, it has been acquired and is no longer available as an open-source project.

SlickGPT demonstrated the potential for improved ChatGPT interfaces, setting expectations for performance and customization when interacting with powerful natural language models. Its Vue.js architecture and self-hosting capabilities showed users what transparency and control could look like in AI tools.

For users who appreciated SlickGPT's vision of accessible and collaborative conversational AI, MagicBuddy carries forward this mission. Available on Telegram, MagicBuddy provides many similar benefits - persistent conversations, team collaboration through group chats, and an intuitive interface - all without the complexity of API keys or self-hosting.

Whether you're an individual exploring AI for the first time or a team seeking enhanced conversational capabilities, MagicBuddy offers an accessible entry point with its seamless Telegram integration and 24/7 availability.

The world of AI chatbots continues evolving rapidly, and while SlickGPT is no longer available, its legacy lives on in tools like MagicBuddy that prioritize user experience and accessibility. If you found ChatGPT intriguing but wanted something more collaborative and persistent, MagicBuddy provides that enhanced experience right in an app you likely already use daily.