The AI Client That Wraps Claude, DeepSeek, GPT-4, and Gemini Pro Into One Clean Interface
You've probably got accounts on three different AI platforms by now, each with its own interface, its own quirks, and its own way of handling conversations. Switching between them is friction you don't need—and if you're building something that depends on multiple models, that friction multiplies fast. NextChat is a lightweight AI client that wraps several major providers into a single, fast interface. It supports Claude, DeepSeek, GPT-4, and Gemini Pro, and it runs as a web app, a desktop app, or even on your phone.
What It Does
NextChat is an open-source AI assistant frontend. It doesn't run its own models—instead, it gives you a unified chat interface that connects to multiple AI backends. You bring your own API keys (or use the hosted SaaS version), and NextChat handles the rest. The project describes itself as "light and fast," and that's the core design philosophy: a clean chat experience without the bloat of a full platform.
The project started as ChatGPT-Next-Web and has since evolved into a broader multi-model client. It's built as a web application that can be deployed on platforms like Vercel, Zeabur, or Gitpod, or run locally as a desktop app on Windows, MacOS, and Linux. There's also a native iOS app available on the App Store, with the source code promised to follow. The client supports the Model Context Protocol (MCP) as an opt-in feature—you can enable it by setting ENABLE_MCP=true before building.
Why It's Cool
What makes NextChat worth looking at isn't that it's another AI chat interface—it's that it picks its fights carefully.
It covers the major models without locking you in. You can talk to Claude, DeepSeek, GPT-4, and Gemini Pro from the same window. That's useful if you're comparing outputs, or if you have a task that works better on one model than another. You don't need to remember which tab has which service.
The deployment story is straightforward. The README gives you one-click deploy buttons for Vercel, Zeabur, and Gitpod. That's not just convenience—it means you can spin up your own instance without touching a server config file. For a tool that handles API keys, self-hosting is a real advantage: your data stays on infrastructure you control.
There's an enterprise edition. This is worth calling out because it signals that the project isn't just a weekend hobby. The enterprise features include brand customization, resource integration (unified management of dozens of AI resources), permission control, knowledge base integration, and security auditing. If you've ever tried to roll out an internal AI tool at a company, you know these are the features that separate a toy from something you can actually deploy.
The iOS app exists and works now. The source code isn't public yet, but the app is live on the App Store. That's a practical win—mobile access to multiple AI models in one app is genuinely useful, and it's not something most open-source projects deliver.
MCP support is an interesting addition. The Model Context Protocol is still emerging, but having it as a build-time option means NextChat is positioned to interoperate with tools that use that protocol. It's not a headline feature yet, but it's forward-looking.
How to Try It
The fastest way to try NextChat is through the hosted web app at app.nextchat.club. If you want to run your own instance, the one-click deployments are the easiest path.
For Vercel:
# Click the "Deploy on Vercel" button from the README
# You'll need to set OPENAI_API_KEY and optionally CODE as environment variables
For local development or self-hosting, clone the repository and run it:
git clone https://github.com/ChatGPTNextWeb/ChatGPT-Next-Web
cd ChatGPT-Next-Web
# Set your environment variables
# Then build and run
If you want MCP support, set the environment variable before building:
export ENABLE_MCP=true
Desktop binaries are available on the releases page for Windows, MacOS, and Linux. The iOS app is on the App Store under "NextChat AI."
The repository lives at github.com/ChatGPTNextWeb/ChatGPT-Next-Web.
Final Thoughts
NextChat is a solid choice if you need a multi-model AI client that doesn't get in your way. It's not trying to be a platform or an ecosystem—it's a clean wrapper around the models you probably already use, with enough deployment flexibility to fit into different workflows. The enterprise features suggest the project has real traction beyond the open-source hobbyist crowd, and the iOS release makes it practical for daily use. If you're tired of juggling tabs for different AI services, this is worth the five minutes it takes to deploy.
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