According to Forbes, OpenAI has officially launched an app directory for ChatGPT, turning the conversational AI into a platform with real distribution. Developers can now submit their apps for inclusion in a public catalog at chatgpt.com/apps, and users can call these apps directly within any conversation using an “@” or “+” mention. Once connected, an app runs inside the chat thread and can expose a UI when needed, allowing users to interact with third-party services without leaving ChatGPT. The current apps fall into three broad categories: those that connect accounts and sync data, those that fetch external information, and those that render simple UI elements. For now, OpenAI has opened listing and discovery but has not implemented a revenue share or payment system for developers, who must monetize off-platform. The success of this marketplace hinges on OpenAI’s ability to maintain trust through consistent app review and clear policies as competition from other AI platforms heats up.
The Platform Playbook
We’ve seen this movie before, and honestly, it’s a classic. Slack did it by bringing apps into channels. Salesforce did it with the AppExchange. Microsoft Teams treats apps as first-class citizens. Now, ChatGPT is running the same play. The goal is obvious: lock users into your ecosystem by making it the central hub where everything gets done. Instead of that annoying ping-pong game between ChatGPT and your other tools—draft here, design there, edit back here—you can theoretically do it all in one thread. Generate a document and send it straight to a design app. Pull live housing data mid-conversation. Build a playlist that ports to your streaming service. It’s a compelling vision for reducing friction. But here’s the thing: vision and execution are two very different beasts.
The Developer Dilemma
So OpenAI has built the storefront. Great. But what’s in it for the builders? Right now, not a direct revenue path. The company opened discovery but stopped short of a full economic model. No in-flow payments. No revenue share. That means early developers are basically using this as a lead generation channel, hoping to pull users into their own ecosystems to monetize. That can work for simple utilities or brand plays. But for any serious product that requires deep integration? Teams are going to want usage analytics, retention dashboards, and yes, a way to get paid. I think OpenAI knows this and is probably building it. They’re likely testing the waters to see what kind of apps emerge before flipping on the monetization switch. The risk is that if they wait too long, or if the rules feel shaky, developers will bail for other platforms like Anthropic’s Claude or Google’s Gemini. Trust in the review process is everything now.
The Trust And Adoption Hurdle
This is the make-or-break part. For users to rely on this, they need to trust the apps in the directory. For developers to invest, they need to trust OpenAI’s review team. Early experiences with review speed, clear rejection reasons, and stable policies will define the whole marketplace. If it feels arbitrary or slow, it’ll die on the vine. And then there’s the enterprise question. Large organizations aren’t going to let employees freely connect ChatGPT to, say, their CRM or data warehouses without serious admin controls—allow lists, audit trails, clear data boundaries. OpenAI will need robust tooling for their Business and Enterprise plans to make this fly in the corporate world. It’s a huge undertaking.
So What Happens Next?
Basically, the next few months are a live test. Will builders find sustained use? Will users find real, daily value? If yes, ChatGPT solidifies its position as a true platform—a new layer of the software stack. If not, this directory becomes a curiosity, a sidebar feature that few people use. The potential is massive, but so are the pitfalls. Discovery could get noisy and confusing. App quality could be poor. And without a clear economic engine, the best developers might just build chat interfaces into their own products instead. OpenAI has the adoption advantage right now, but that’s not a permanent shield. They’ve made their move. Now we see if the ecosystem actually grows.
