ThreadVault vs copy-paste and built-in AI chat exports (2026)

There are two common ways to save an AI chat: copy and paste it by hand, or use a site's own export, when it has one. ThreadVault is a third option: a Chrome extension that reads chats from a tab you are already signed into and saves Markdown and JSON on your computer. This page compares those approaches using only what we can verify from ThreadVault 1.2.3. For official export steps on a specific site, see the linked guides.

At a glance

	Copy and paste	A site's own export, when it has one	ThreadVault 1.2.3
How it runs	You select text and paste it into a file or notes app	Varies by site; often one chat at a time, or a delayed account data dump. See the site-specific guides below	Runs in your signed-in Perplexity, ChatGPT, Grok or Copilot tab. No Loomwise account
How many chats	Usually one at a time	Depends on the site	Export this chat for the open conversation, or Bulk export for many chats in one ZIP
Format	Whatever the paste keeps; Markdown symbols, code and tables often need cleanup	Depends on the site (for example Markdown, PDF, or a JSON dump)	Markdown with YAML frontmatter, plus JSON, plus a manifest in the ZIP. Files sorted into a folder per site
Where the work happens	On your computer	On the site's side, then you download a file	In your browser, on your device. Chats are not sent to Loomwise
Cost	Free	Usually free, as part of the account	Free for 25 threads, then $9 for the first 50 buyers, then $19, one-time

Copy and paste

Copy and paste is always available and needs no extension. It is a reasonable choice for a short answer you want in a document right now. For a whole history it is slow, and it is easy to miss a message or lose code-block formatting. ThreadVault is built for the case where you want many chats, in a consistent file format, without re-copying each one.

Built-in or official exports

Some sites let you export a single chat or request a copy of your account data. Those tools are useful, and they are free. The steps and limits differ by site, and they change, so we keep them in their own guides rather than restating them here:

Export all your Perplexity threads and Perplexity to Markdown
Export ChatGPT history and ChatGPT export limits
Grok and Copilot: we only describe ThreadVault's export on those sites, in the Grok and Copilot guides. This page does not claim a built-in export for either one.

What ThreadVault adds

One workflow on four tested sites: Perplexity, ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok and Microsoft Copilot.
Bulk export to one ZIP, with a Markdown file and a JSON file for every chat, organized by site and date, and a manifest that lists successes and failures.
Obsidian-ready YAML frontmatter (title, date, created, updated, source, url, and model when present). Code blocks are kept as they were.
The export is built in your browser. There is no ThreadVault server for your chats to go to.
Large exports can resume, and a chat that cannot be read is listed instead of failing silently.

It is not a replacement for every official export. If you want a site's own archive in that site's format, use that site's tool. If you want readable Markdown and JSON from the four supported sites, in one place, ThreadVault is built for that. Details and site-specific limits are in the Grok, Copilot and all-in-one guides.

Pricing

Free for 25 threads on this browser. Unlimited is $9 for the first 50 buyers, then $19, one-time, inside the extension. No subscription. 30-day money-back guarantee.

Want your Perplexity, ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok and Copilot chats in one ZIP? ThreadVault (disclosure: we make it) is a Chrome extension that exports those chats from a tab you are already signed into. Free for 25 threads.
Add ThreadVault to Chrome Learn more

Related guides

Not affiliated with Perplexity AI, OpenAI, xAI or Microsoft. Last checked November 12, 2026 against ThreadVault 1.2.3 (listing, privacy policy and extension source). Questions or corrections: hello@loomwise.app.