> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://itsfoss.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # HuggingChat is the First Open Source ChatGPT Alternative That Anyone Can Use - URL: https://itsfoss.com/news/huggingchat-chatgpt/ - Published: 2023-04-27T12:24:06.000Z - Updated: 2023-04-27T12:24:06.000Z - Description: Forget ChatGPT. Focus on HuggingChat, the open-source project. - Author: Sourav Rudra - Tags: Open Source, News, #Import 2025-11-08 21:15 The wave of new AI chatbots is not stopping anytime soon; another contender has jumped into the ring with ChatGPT. Released recently, it's called '**HuggingChat**.' The main focus of this chatbot is to provide a more **transparent**, **inclusive,** and **accountable** **alternative to ChatGPT**. Don't get me wrong, HuggingChat is not the first open-source alternative to ChatGPT. We have covered open-source projects challenging ChatGPT. [ChatGPT but Open Source: That’s What This Project is Aiming ForWill we finally have a working open-source alternative to ChatGPT? This looks promising!![](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/size/w256h256/2022/08/android-chrome-192x192.png)It's FOSS NewsAnkush Das![](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2023/03/opensource-alternative-to-chatGPT.png)](https://itsfoss.com/open-source-chatgpt/) ⭐ However, **HugginChat seems to be the first one available to access as a platform that appears similar to ChatGPT**. So, you are not using just a demo, you are already using what it is supposed to look and behave like - only the backend will get an upgrade as you test/use it. Let's see what HuggingChat is all about. **What is it:** So, basically in its current state, HuggingChat acts as a user interface that facilitates interaction with the **Open Assistant-powered back-end** allowing for chatbot functionality. πŸ“‹ [Open Assistant](https://open-assistant.io/?ref=itsfoss.com) is a project that aims to provide the masses with a feasible chat-based large language model (LLM). ![huggingchat screenshot](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2023/04/HuggingChat.jpg) It looks very similar to ChatGPT, isn't it? HuggingChat is powered by Open Assistant's latest [LLaMA-based model](https://huggingface.co/OpenAssistant/oasst-sft-6-llama-30b-xor?ref=itsfoss.com) which is said to be one of the best open-source chat models available in the market right now. But there's a catch to that model's usage in HuggingChat. You see, the [LLaMA model](https://ai.facebook.com/blog/large-language-model-llama-meta-ai/?ref=itsfoss.com) is the work of **Meta AI**, and they have restricted any commercial use of their model. So, the LLaMA model will be used for now, and the **developers intend to add support for more models** in the future, paving the way for varying usage scenarios and even enterprise use cases. Besides that, the chatbot is running in what the folks over at [Hugging Face](https://huggingface.co/?ref=itsfoss.com) (the creators of HuggingChat) call '[Space](https://huggingface.co/docs/hub/spaces-overview?ref=itsfoss.com)'. The inference backend is also running [text-generation-inference](https://github.com/huggingface/text-generation-inference?ref=itsfoss.com) on their Inference API infrastructure. They have also open-sourced the user interface of HuggingChat. You can take a [look](https://huggingface.co/spaces/huggingchat/chat-ui/tree/main?ref=itsfoss.com) here. **Does it work?** Well, sort of. As it is in a **very early development stage (version 0)**, a few key features are missing, such as saving the conversation over a browser restart or when switching browsers. Then there are familiar β€œ*Too much traffic, try again later*” errors that pop up while running chat commands. When I could run a command, I asked HuggingChat about its back end. It provided me with decent info about itself. ![huggingchat screenshot](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2023/04/HuggingChat_2.png) Click to enlarge So, wrapping up. Hugging Chat is not yet close to the levels of ChatGPT, but **alternatives like these are the need of the hour; we** all know what happens when one service dominates a specific niche. [OpenChatKit](https://itsfoss.com/open-source-chatgpt/) or [Dolly](https://itsfoss.com/open-source-model-dolly/) can be some other options that you can look at. But for now, all we can do is wait. These open-source alternatives will need some time, but someday they might be on par with ChatGPT or even better; who knows? 😲 **Want to try it?** You can take HuggingChat for a run by visiting the [chat page](https://huggingface.co/chat/?ref=itsfoss.com); also look at the code that makes it run on the [official website](https://huggingface.co/spaces?ref=itsfoss.com). [HuggingChat](https://huggingface.co/chat?ref=itsfoss.com)