OpenAI has begun accepting submissions from third-party developers for their apps to be accessible directly in ChatGPT, and has launched a new App Directory (don’t call it a “store”!) that can be opened from the ChatGPT sidebar and at the URL chatgpt.com/apps.This means the 800 million+ users of OpenAI’s hit chatbot can search for, discover and begin using newly approved third-party apps immediately. Once installed, apps can be triggered during conversations by mentioning them by name (using @) or selecting them from the tools menu.The third-party app submission process officially went live last night, December 17, as OpenAI announced in a blog post and on its developer account on X, though the company notes it will be reviewing all new third-party app submissions before approving them for listing in the App Directory, and making them available to ChatGPT users, to ensure they comply with the company’s public guidelines. Apps that pass OpenAI’s review process will begin rolling out to users starting early 2026.For those enterprises who want to get in on the action with their own ChatGPT apps, OpenAI said it will host a public webinar “Build Hour” event for third-party developers on January 21, where OpenAI engineers will walk through how to build, submit, and design apps for ChatGPT, using real-world examples and taking questions.App Directory vs. GPT StoreThis whole effort marks the start of a broader developer ecosystem beyond the small set of curated partners OpenAI launched its Apps standard development kit (SDK) earlier this fall, and seems to be fulfilling some of the hype that ensued back when OpenAI debuted its “GPT Store” back in early 2024, nearly two years ago. However, despite the pledge of revenue sharing that OpenAI made back then, it hasn’t since provided many updates on the GPT Store, nor have we heard much from GPT builders about making substantive revenue from it. But while those custom, user-generated GPTs were limited primarily to text-based experiences, the new ChatGPT App Directory and SDK features allow for a far more interactive experience including user accessible buttons, maps, multi-views, slider …
