Beam

Beam is a native macOS app that puts ChatGPT one hotkey away. Instead of switching to a browser tab and copying and pasting, you press CTRL+Space to open a floating chat panel over whatever you are working on. The developer stresses that Beam is not an Electron app, which it says means low memory use, lag-free performance and a familiar macOS look and feel.

Working in context

You can select any text, chat about it and, with a single key press, insert the answer back into the app you were using. A second hotkey lets you select an area of the screen and ask ChatGPT about it, which is useful for explaining a chart, an error message or a section of a document.

Actions and templates

Actions are reusable commands such as summarising a website, translating text or explaining a concept. Templates save prompts you use often, such as a blog post, an email or a birthday message, so next time you only fill in the blanks. Every feature can be reached by a keyboard hotkey.

PDFs and profiles

Chat with PDF lets you get summaries, ask questions and find answers in your documents. AI profiles let you configure how the models respond, instead of relying on old chat threads to carry context. There is also a floating window for the official ChatGPT application.

Security and privacy

Beam is sandboxed and, according to the developer, has no access to anything else on your system. It only talks to OpenAI's servers, the developer says it has no access to your data, and all data is saved locally on your Mac. The app has had more than 20 updates since release, and the site claims over 1,500 users.

Pricing

Beam is sold on a pay-what-you-want basis. The FAQ covers whether you need a ChatGPT Plus subscription; because Beam works with OpenAI, expect to supply your own OpenAI API key and pay OpenAI for usage, so check the FAQ before buying.

Who it suits

It suits Mac users who use ChatGPT many times a day and want it built into their workflow with keyboard shortcuts.

Things to consider

Beam is macOS only. Anything you send still goes to OpenAI, so follow your employer's rules about sharing confidential text or screenshots. Hotkeys such as CTRL+Space may clash with input-source shortcuts, so you may need to remap them.