COMPARISONS
ChatEngram vs AI Toolbox vs ExportGPT: Which AI Chat History Tool Should You Use?
If you have ever lost a useful ChatGPT answer in a sea of old conversations, you have probably looked at browser extensions that save, search, and export your AI chats. Three names come up again and again: ChatEngram, AI Toolbox, and ExportGPT. They solve overlapping problems in different ways, so this guide compares them on what actually matters. Pricing below is as of October 2026.
The Short Version
- Use ExportGPT if you only need to export ChatGPT conversations to files (Markdown, PDF, Word) and do not need search, folders, or other AI platforms.
- Use AI Toolbox if you live mostly in ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, or Grok and want folders, full-text search, and a prompt library inside the chat interface, with a generous free tier.
- Use ChatEngram if you work across many AI platforms, want everything auto-saved and searchable in one place without manual exporting, care about local-first privacy, or also want your CLI coding agent sessions (Claude Code, Codex CLI, OpenCode, Gemini CLI) in the same searchable memory.
Head-to-Head Comparison
| ChatEngram | AI Toolbox | ExportGPT | |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI platforms | ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, DeepSeek, Perplexity, Grok, Microsoft Copilot (7) | ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Grok (4) | ChatGPT (1) |
| CLI coding agents | Claude Code, Codex CLI, OpenCode, Gemini CLI | No | No |
| Auto-save in background | Yes | No (organizes what exists) | No (manual export) |
| Full-text search | Yes, across all platforms at once | Yes, per module (with filters) | No |
| Export formats | Markdown, JSON, TXT; sync to Notion/Obsidian | TXT, Markdown, JSON, PDF | Text, Markdown, Screenshot, PDF, Word, HTML, JSON, Excel, CSV |
| Folders / organization | Tags, favorites, pins | Nested folders, smart tags | No |
| Local-first | Yes (browser storage) | Conversations stay in browser | Browser-local processing |
| Free plan | ChatGPT + DeepSeek, auto-save and search | 2 folders, 5 search results per query, TXT export, all 4 modules | Core export formats free (PDF/Word/HTML/JSON/Excel/CSV are Pro) |
| Monthly | $4.90 | $9.99 per module | — |
| Lifetime | $119, all platforms | $99 per module; $199 All Access (all 4 modules) | — |
| Chrome Web Store users | ~150 | 40,000+, 4.7/5 | ~40,000 |
What Each Tool Does Best
ExportGPT: the single-purpose ChatGPT exporter
ExportGPT does one thing: it exports the ChatGPT conversation on your screen to a file. It supports the widest range of export formats of the three — Text, Markdown, Screenshot, PDF, Word, HTML, JSON, Excel, and CSV — with the richer formats (PDF, Word, HTML, JSON, Excel, CSV) on the Pro tier.
There is no search, no folders, and no support for other AI platforms. If your workflow is "finish a ChatGPT conversation, save a clean copy to a file," it is the simplest tool for the job, and the free tier covers the basics.
AI Toolbox: folders, search, and prompts inside your AI chats
AI Toolbox (formerly ChatGPT Toolbox, by Infi Developments) is the most established of the three, with 40,000+ Chrome Web Store users and a 4.7/5 rating. It installs once and adds four modules — ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Grok — with nested folders, full-text search (with role, date, and exact-match filters), message bookmarks, bulk export, smart tags, and a prompt library with prompt chaining.
The free plan is genuinely useful: 2 folders, 5 search results per query, unlimited single-chat TXT export, and all four modules. Paid plans are per module: $9.99/month or $99 lifetime each, with an All Access Lifetime at $199 covering all four modules plus every future module. Cross-device sync is included on every plan.
Its limitation is scope by design: it organizes and searches conversations inside the four supported web AIs. It does not auto-save across platforms into one archive, and it does not touch CLI coding agents.
ChatEngram: one searchable memory for all your AI work
ChatEngram takes a different approach: instead of adding features inside each AI's website, it automatically saves every conversation in the background and puts them all into one local-first, searchable archive. Search once, find answers across ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, DeepSeek, Perplexity, Grok, and Microsoft Copilot at the same time.
Two things set it apart. First, auto-capture: there is nothing to remember, no export button to click — new chats are saved as they happen, and past history can be imported from official exports. Second, it is currently the only tool of the three that imports local CLI coding agent sessions (Claude Code, Codex CLI, OpenCode, Gemini CLI) into the same index, so a bash command from a terminal session and an answer from a ChatGPT thread are searchable together.
The free plan covers ChatGPT and DeepSeek with auto-save and search. Pro ($4.90/month) and Lifetime ($119 one-time) unlock all seven platforms, unlimited history, batch export, and Notion/Obsidian sync. Everything is stored in the browser by default; nothing is uploaded unless you configure a sync target.
The Pricing Math That Matters
This is where the comparison gets concrete. If you use a single AI — say, only ChatGPT — AI Toolbox's $99 lifetime for that module is the cheapest paid option of the three, and ExportGPT's free tier may be all you ever need.
The math flips the moment you use more than one AI. AI Toolbox charges per module: two platforms cost $198 lifetime, and the All Access bundle is $199. ChatEngram's Lifetime is $119 once, for all seven platforms — $80 less than AI Toolbox's all-platform bundle, with no per-module upsell. If your week touches ChatGPT, Claude, and a coding agent, the lifetime prices are not close.
Privacy: Where Your Conversations Live
All three tools keep conversation content in the browser rather than uploading it to their own servers. The practical difference is scope: ExportGPT processes the single chat you export; AI Toolbox indexes the conversations inside its four supported sites; ChatEngram keeps a persistent local archive of everything across seven platforms plus CLI sessions. If your threat model includes "I do not want my chat history to depend on any vendor's cloud," local-first archiving is the deciding factor — and it is also why keeping your own export matters regardless of which tool you use.
Which Should You Choose?
- Only ChatGPT, occasional exports: ExportGPT (free tier is enough).
- ChatGPT/Gemini/Claude/Grok power user who wants folders and in-site search: AI Toolbox — start free, pay $99/module or $199 All Access only if you hit the caps.
- Multiple AIs, auto-save, one cross-platform search, local-first, or CLI coding agent sessions: ChatEngram — free for ChatGPT + DeepSeek, $4.90/month or $119 lifetime for everything.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I switch from AI Toolbox or ExportGPT to ChatEngram?
Yes. Export your existing history (AI Toolbox supports bulk export; ChatGPT itself offers an official data export), then import it into ChatEngram once. New conversations are captured automatically from then on.
Does ChatEngram replace the ChatGPT/Gemini/Claude websites?
No. Like the other two tools, it works alongside the original AI websites. You keep chatting normally; ChatEngram captures, indexes, searches, and exports in the background.
Which tool is best for DeepSeek or Perplexity users?
DeepSeek has no native export at all, and neither AI Toolbox nor ExportGPT covers it. ChatEngram supports DeepSeek on the free plan and Perplexity on paid plans.
Do any of these tools work with Claude Code or other CLI agents?
Only ChatEngram. It watches your local agent session folders (Claude Code, Codex CLI, OpenCode, Gemini CLI) and imports the transcripts into the same searchable index as your web chats.
Is my chat history safe with these extensions?
All three process conversations locally in your browser. As a general rule, keep your own periodic exports regardless of tool — platforms change, extensions get acquired, and your archive should not depend on any single vendor.
One searchable memory for all your AI work
ChatEngram auto-saves conversations across ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, DeepSeek, Perplexity, Grok, and Microsoft Copilot — plus CLI coding agent sessions — into one local-first, searchable archive.