ChatGPT is a user-friendly, OpenAI-powered chatbot that is widely used across many industries. A unique feature of ChatGPT is its plugins.

The plugins store is a collection of custom-built plugins that can be used to enhance the functionality of ChatGPT.

In this blog post, we will delve into the features of the ChatGPT plugin store, explain how to add and use them and weigh in on the advantages and disadvantages of using plugins.

Adding Plugins from the ChatGPT plugins store:

The process of adding and enabling plugins from the ChatGPT plugins store is a straightforward process.

1. Go to ChatGPT

2. When inside the ChatGPT dashboard, navigate to the “Plugins” tab

3. When you've found a plugin you like simply click "Install" to activate the plugin to start using it.

It's really that simple to install ChatGPT plugins!

Now its important to note, not all ChatGPT plugins free of charge. Some may require payment. It is also vital to ensure that the plugins installed are compatible with your version of ChatGPT, as plugins arent compatible with GPT-3 only GPT-4.

Benefits of Using Plugins:

When you use ChatGPT enabled Plugins they can drastically improve the functionality of ChatGPT. They can be used to automate tasks and simplify processes.

For example, the “deployment” plugin can be used to to instantly deploy GPT-4 generated code to the cloud. There are also plugins for web development, real estate, tutoring, and even social media! Overall, plugins are an excellent way to add more value to a chatbot conversation without having to invest additional coding time and resources.

Heres a great example of the power of plugins:

Creating a project in ChatGPT

1. Download "DeployScript" from the ChatGPT plugin store
2. Ask ChatGPT to generate an app "QR code generator:
3. Click the generated link and go to your deployment
4. Edit your project based on what you want to change
5. Publish and share your project on social media!

This is instead of having to manually copy and paste the code into github then setting up an AWS server and then finally deploying it... with DeployScript you can do all of this in an instant!

Here's another usecase for chatgpt plugins:

Need to take a vacation ? Just install the Expedia ChatGPT plugin!

1. Click the plugins tab in ChatGPT

2. Type "Expedia" in the search bar

3. Click the Install button

4. Type in the following prompt "List 10 popular vacation spots in X area that are within $X and $X price range per night"

And here's on more example of how to use chatgpt plugins

Link reader

1. Click the plugins tab in ChatGPT

2. Type "Link reader" in the search bar

3. Click the Install button

4. Type in the following prompt "summarize this page: insert X URL"

Drawbacks of Using Plugins:

As with anything there are some drawbacks, plugins have some downsides. One of the most significant downsides is lack of functionality. Not all plugins are actually useful. And this is the core problem behind plugins. Its inherently limited by what OpenAI's safety systems allows plugin creators to actually do.

For example:

plugins have a 1500 character token limit outside chatGPTs 8k token limit. This greatly limits the complexity chatgpt plugins can support. This means less complex applications and less complex actions a given plugin can do.

So instead of the usual unconstrained freedom developers are used to they're forced to work within ChatGPTs limitations.

Now this will evenatlly be sovled in the future but its not clear how long it will take unfortunately. It could take months or years. Theres no telling. And there's no workaround to this problem either.

So ChatGPT plugins are stuck in a middle area where they want to do more and they can but openAI can't let them due to technology limitations.

On top of that installation of plugins may cause vulnerabilities that can lead to security breaches, so OpenAI has to carefully vet plugins and limit what they can do to avoid this.

While plugins make it easier to add functionality to ChatGPT, they also come with tradeoffs between added functionality and increased maintenance requirements and costs.

How to Use Plugins:

The use of plugins on ChatGPT takes the form of prompts and responses. All plugins are pre-programmed with triggers to start executing actions or processes.

For example, you can use a plugin to launch a “deployment” by asking to "Deploy" at the end of your prompt. You can do this with the DeployScript Plugin by simply asking at the end of your prompt to "Deploy"

How to Deploy with DeployScript

1. Select the DeployScipt from the Plugins dropdown menu

2. Craft your prompt and add "Deploy" at the end of your prompt

3. Sit back and watch ChatGPT do its magic!

Just checkout what I made here: Click here

There's really countless usecases for ChatGPT plugins. You're only limited by your imagination!

Plugin Store Highlights:

The ChatGPT plugin store has numerous features that make it very useful. One of the most useful things is the huge amount of ChatGPT plugins.

The plugin store also has many options for customization and third-party integrations. It provides insights on the best plugins that are trending. For developers, the ChatGPT plugin store presents an opportunity to earn income by submitting their custom-built plugins to the store.

Conclusion:

The ChatGPT plugin store is a valuable product that enables users to enhance the functionality of ChatGPT without the need for extensive coding.

As a user, it is important to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of installing plugins and to ensure that they are compatible with your ChatGPT version.

Despite the drawbacks, plugins remain a useful tool for ChatGPT, and with the features provided by the plugins store, users can easily find a plugin that best suits their needs.

In all, if used correctly, the ChatGPT plugin store can lead to immense benefits for businesses and developers alike.

Bonus my favorite plugin:

1. DeloyScipt
2. Export To PDF
3. SubstackIQ
4. Link reader
5. Experian
6. Mini Habits