PaletteBrain
ChatGPT app for macOS: use AI anywhere with a shortcut, with your own OpenAI key.
At a glance
Price not confirmed · Source review 2026-11-04- Price & billing
No charge fact is recorded: the lifetime license is $29 and a future yearly price of $99 is stated, both in $ without a named currency. The product requires the buyer's own OpenAI key, whose cost is separate.
- Free allowance
Not separately confirmed. Check the current plan before relying on a free allowance.
- Best suited to
Mac users who want ChatGPT available in any app with one shortcut, for writing, fixing, and summarizing selected text.; Buyers who prefer a one-time purchase over a subscription, since PaletteBrain states: pay once, own it forever, no recurring fees.
Fit is editorial guidance, not a measured result.- Platforms
Access: not separately verified. Operating systems not separately verified.
Published-source facts and editorial guidance. No product test is implied. Confirm current conditions before purchase.
No product screenshot is claimed for this listing. Use the official website ↗ to inspect the current interface.
What to know before choosing
Good fit
Mac users who want ChatGPT available in any app with one shortcut, for writing, fixing, and summarizing selected text.; Buyers who prefer a one-time purchase over a subscription, since PaletteBrain states: pay once, own it forever, no recurring fees.
Limits and trade-offs
Users without their own OpenAI key, since PaletteBrain requires bringing your own OpenAI key and more.; Windows users, since the product is presented as a ChatGPT app for macOS.
Plans and free allowances
No charge fact is recorded: the lifetime license is $29 and a future yearly price of $99 is stated, both in $ without a named currency. The product requires the buyer's own OpenAI key, whose cost is separate.
Evidence
Official homepage ↗ (reviewed 2026-11-04)
Official published documentation reviewed; not a product test
Dates: Last reviewed 2026-11-04. Last reviewed is the latest source or editorial review date; it is not a content-change date.
A closer look at PaletteBrain
PaletteBrain is a ChatGPT app for macOS that brings AI into every macOS app with a shortcut, so users stop switching windows and copying and pasting text. It offers custom shortcuts for tasks like fixing grammar, translating, summarizing to bullets, and converting text to a blog post, sold as a pay-once lifetime license.
Editorial guidance based on published documentation. The workflow below is a suggested starting point, not a measured product result.
When to choose PaletteBrain
- Mac users who want ChatGPT available in any app with one shortcut, for writing, fixing, and summarizing selected text.
- Buyers who prefer a one-time purchase over a subscription, since PaletteBrain states: pay once, own it forever, no recurring fees.
When to choose something else
- Users without their own OpenAI key, since PaletteBrain requires bringing your own OpenAI key and more.
- Windows users, since the product is presented as a ChatGPT app for macOS.
A practical starting workflow
- Buy the lifetime license and download the macOS app.
- Connect your own OpenAI key.
- Select text in any app and use the shortcut to fix, translate, summarize, or convert it.
Check before committing
- The homepage states the price will go up to $99 per year instead of lifetime as the roadmap advances, so the $29 lifetime price is presented as time-sensitive; amounts appear in $ without a named currency.
- Review is limited to the official homepage text read on 2026-11-04; no product run, no account, no purchase.
Common questions
What is PaletteBrain?
A ChatGPT app for macOS that gives access to ChatGPT across all macOS apps with a shortcut, for tasks like fixing grammar, translating, and summarizing.
How is it priced?
Pay once, own it forever, with no recurring fees: a lifetime license for $29, with the page stating the price will go up to $99 per year instead of lifetime later.
Do I need an OpenAI key?
Yes: the homepage states to bring your own OpenAI key and more.
Compare approaches for this task
- PDF Pals — Mac users in research, legal, product, and HR roles who read long PDFs and need cited answers.; Privacy-minded readers who want documents to stay on their Mac, with no cloud vector database.
- PandaStudio — Creators making YouTube videos, Shorts, and Reels who want an AI agent to cut, caption, and polish raw footage.; Developers and AI-assisted creators who want every edit available as an MCP or CLI command for Claude Code.
Sources and checks
Last source review is not a date of product testing. No rating or test result is implied by inclusion. Check the current plan and terms before buying.