ChatGPT app directory and GPT Store: marketplace launch, SDK features, and platform evolution

Graziano Stefanelli
6 hours ago
3 min read

OpenAI has moved ChatGPT beyond a closed assistant, transforming it into a platform where users can install third-party apps and custom GPTs for a far broader range of tasks.

This transformation started with the GPT Store and matured with the launch of the full app directory and Apps SDK in December 2025, enabling developers to publish advanced integrations and users to discover new capabilities directly inside ChatGPT.

Here we explain how the ChatGPT app directory works, what sets it apart from the older GPT Store, what the Apps SDK enables for builders, and why this new marketplace model matters as ChatGPT becomes an application platform for early 2026 and beyond.

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The marketplace rollout began with the GPT Store and culminated in the app directory.

OpenAI introduced the GPT Store on January 10, 2024, giving Plus, Team, and Enterprise users a place to share and discover custom GPTs—prompt- and file-driven bots designed for niche tasks, tutoring, research, or workflow automation.

By November 2025, OpenAI announced the Apps preview and SDK for business and education clients, marking the first step toward deeper, code-based integrations.

On December 18, 2025, the app directory launched for all ChatGPT Plus, Team, and Enterprise users, renaming “connectors” to “apps” and opening public submissions through a new developer portal.

This two-stage process took ChatGPT from simple prompt customization to a fully realized application marketplace.

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Major ChatGPT marketplace milestones

Date	Event
Jan 10, 2024	GPT Store goes live
Nov 13, 2025	Apps preview with SDK
Dec 18, 2025	Full app directory launch

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The app directory enables in-chat discovery and installation of third-party apps.

Users can now browse the app directory within ChatGPT under Tools → App directory, exploring categories from productivity and analytics to shopping, education, and media.

Each listing details what the app does, its required permissions, and any use of ChatGPT Memory or external data.

Apps are installed in one click, appearing alongside built-in tools like Code Interpreter, Browse, and DALL·E, and can be invoked directly within any conversation.

The interface shows clear consent for data access and allows users to remove or manage apps at any time.

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The Apps SDK empowers developers to build richer, more connected integrations.

Released in December 2025, the Apps SDK lets developers submit code-based apps that go beyond prompt engineering.

Capabilities include:

Secure API connectors for real-time data
Custom in-chat UI widgets for richer user experience
State management for ongoing, domain-specific workflows
Full OAuth support and granular permission handling

Apps can connect to SaaS platforms, trigger business logic, and manage sessions or memory independently of the main ChatGPT instance.

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Key differences: GPTs versus full apps.

Custom GPTs are prompt-based and require no code, while apps built with the SDK can include backend logic, external API calls, and interactive widgets.

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Functional differences: GPTs vs Apps

Dimension	Custom GPT	App (SDK)
Creation method	Prompt + files	Code + SDK
Data integration	Internal only	External APIs, OAuth
UI/UX	Conversational only	In-chat widgets, forms
Listing	GPT Store	App directory
Monetization	Usage pool pilot	To be determined

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Notable launch partners and early use cases.

Initial apps include integrations from Apple Music (music curation), DoorDash (ordering), Zillow (real estate), and Khan Academy (interactive learning), showing the range of possibilities inside the directory.

These partners showcase live data retrieval, transactions, and guided learning all inside ChatGPT’s familiar interface.

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Developer submission and review process.

To publish an app, developers use the Apps SDK portal, submitting their app for OpenAI’s review of security, privacy, and policy compliance.

Approved apps appear in the directory for Plus, Team, and Enterprise users.

OpenAI is expected to expand monetization options, but initial listings focus on reach and experimentation over direct revenue.

Apps can optionally use ChatGPT Memory or store their own state, with permissions clearly disclosed to the user.

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Privacy, memory, and enterprise control.

Each app declares if it reads or writes to ChatGPT Memory and whether user data may be used to improve models.

Users can manage permissions at install or later in settings.

Enterprise admins can globally disable app data sharing and manage memory features for compliance.

This framework aims to balance ecosystem openness with granular user control.

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ChatGPT’s platform shift positions it as an app operating system for chat.

With the app directory and SDK, ChatGPT is now a distribution channel for third-party conversational applications, not just a chatbot.

The platform approach echoes mobile app stores—app discovery, security review, and monetization—within an AI-powered interface.

The move increases value for end users and opens a major new market for developers.

Looking ahead, the app directory cements ChatGPT’s evolution from single-purpose assistant to a foundation for vertical AI experiences.

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DATA STUDIOS

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[datastudios.org]