RelaiteRelaite vs ChatGPT
Short version: ChatGPT is the better general assistant and it isn't close — better models of its own, voice, image generation, mature mobile apps. Relaite is for a different job: several purpose-built agents, grounded in your own files, shared with specific people, running on whichever model you pick with your own key. If you want one assistant that does everything, use ChatGPT. Read on for where the difference actually bites.
At a glance
| Relaite | ChatGPT | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A place to build and share several agents | A general-purpose assistant |
| Models | Any model on OpenRouter, chosen per agent | OpenAI's own models |
| How you pay | Free app; you pay OpenRouter directly at their rates | Free tier plus paid monthly subscriptions |
| Free to start | 25 messages, no card | Free tier, no card |
| Your API key | Yours, stored on your device, never on our servers | Not applicable — you're on their account |
| Spreadsheets | CSV stored as a table; queried with real SQL in a sandbox | Uploaded files analysed in the assistant |
| Documents | Per-agent knowledge base with citations | Uploads and project files |
| Sharing | Share an agent with chosen contacts; they @mention it in your chat | Shareable custom GPTs |
| Tools reaching the internet | Off unless the agent has the skill, and each call asks you first | Built in |
| Voice, image generation | No | Yes |
| Native mobile apps | No — installs as a web app | Yes |
Three real differences
1. Your spreadsheet gets queried, not skimmed
When you add a CSV to a Relaite agent, the file is stored as a table. On a question that needs
it, the model writes one SELECT and Relaite runs it against a throwaway, read-only
SQLite database — single statement, row-capped, five-second deadline, no extensions. You get a
computed answer over the whole file, not an estimate from whichever rows fitted in the prompt.
Ask for a chart and it renders from those exact numbers.
This matters most on the boring questions: "what did we close on 31 December 2020", "sum column F by month". Language models are famously shaky at arithmetic over long tables. Running SQL sidesteps the problem instead of hoping the model gets it right.
2. Sharing is scoped to people you name
A shared Relaite agent goes to contacts you choose. They @mention it inside their conversation with you and see its replies — not its instructions. So the prompt you spent an afternoon tuning stays yours while its usefulness doesn't.
3. You own the key and the bill
Relaite never charges you. After 25 free messages you add your own OpenRouter key, and from then on you pay OpenRouter at their rates with no markup from us. The key lives on your device, travels with each request, and is never written to our database or logs. Switch models per agent — a cheap one for chatter, a strong one for the agent that reads your contracts.
When ChatGPT is the better choice
Pick ChatGPT if…
- You want one assistant, not a set of them
- You want voice, image generation, or a native mobile app
- You'd rather pay one predictable monthly fee than manage a key
- You use it constantly — flat pricing wins at high volume
- You want the frontier model with no setup at all
Pick Relaite if…
- You want several agents with different jobs and different models
- Your questions are about your own spreadsheets and documents
- You want to hand an agent to specific colleagues, friends or family
- You'd rather pay per message than subscribe
- You want the key — and the billing relationship — to stay yours
Cost, honestly
These aren't comparable as one number. ChatGPT's paid tiers are a monthly subscription — check their pricing page for today's figure. Relaite charges nothing and you pay the model provider per message.
So the answer depends on volume. Chat all day, every day, and a flat subscription is probably cheaper. Use it in bursts — a few questions about a report, then nothing for three days — and paying per message usually costs less than a monthly fee you're not using. See Relaite pricing for the full breakdown.
Common questions
- Is Relaite a ChatGPT alternative?
- Partly. ChatGPT is a general assistant with its own models. Relaite is a place to build several purpose-built agents, ground them in your own files, and share them with specific people — running on whichever model you choose through your own OpenRouter key.
- Which is cheaper, Relaite or ChatGPT?
- They charge differently. ChatGPT's paid tiers are a monthly subscription. Relaite charges nothing: you get 25 free messages, then you use your own OpenRouter key and pay the model provider directly at their rates, with no markup. If you chat constantly, a flat subscription may cost less; if you use it in bursts, paying per message usually costs less.
- Can ChatGPT answer questions about my spreadsheet?
- Both can work with an uploaded file. The difference is method: Relaite stores a CSV as a table and runs the model's SELECT against it in a sandboxed read-only SQLite database, so aggregates and lookups are computed rather than estimated, and the whole file is queried regardless of its size.
- Can I share an agent with someone in ChatGPT?
- ChatGPT has shareable custom GPTs. Relaite's sharing is contact-scoped: you pick specific people, they @mention the agent inside their conversation with you, and they see its replies without seeing its instructions.