ChatGPT Now Accepting App Submissions: OpenAI's Platform Play Takes Shape

OpenAI has quietly opened the gates for developers to submit applications directly to ChatGPT, a move that signals the company's serious intent to become the dominant platform for AI-powered software distribution. This isn't just an iteration on the GPT Store—it's the foundation for something bigger.

The announcement, posted to OpenAI's official blog, confirms what many developers have been anticipating: a formal submission process for integrating third-party applications with ChatGPT's growing user base of over 200 million weekly active users. For developers who've been building on OpenAI's APIs, this represents a potential distribution channel that could rival traditional app stores.

From GPT Store to App Ecosystem

OpenAI's platform ambitions have been building for over a year. The GPT Store, launched in January 2024, was the first experiment—a marketplace for custom GPTs that let anyone create specialized chatbots. The results were mixed. While millions of custom GPTs were created, discovery was poor, monetization was limited, and most creators saw minimal engagement.

This new app submission process suggests OpenAI learned from those limitations. Rather than simply hosting custom prompts wrapped in a chatbot interface, the company appears to be building infrastructure for more sophisticated integrations—applications that can leverage ChatGPT's capabilities while providing genuine utility.

The distinction matters. Custom GPTs were essentially prompt engineering with a storefront. Apps submitted through this new process could potentially offer deeper integration with external services, more complex functionality, and—crucially—better business models for developers.

The Platform Economics Question

What OpenAI hasn't clarified yet is how developers will make money. The GPT Store's revenue-sharing program, announced with much fanfare, delivered underwhelming results for most creators. Top GPT builders reported earnings in the hundreds of dollars—hardly enough to justify serious development investment.

For this new app ecosystem to succeed, OpenAI will need to solve the monetization problem. The most likely models:

• Revenue sharing on subscriptions: Apps that drive ChatGPT Plus subscriptions could receive a cut of that recurring revenue.
• Transaction fees: For apps that facilitate purchases or services, OpenAI could take a percentage—the classic app store model.
• Premium placement: Developers could pay for visibility within ChatGPT's interface, similar to App Store search ads.
• Enterprise licensing: B2B applications could be sold through ChatGPT Enterprise with revenue sharing.

Apple takes 30% of App Store transactions. Google takes the same. If OpenAI positions itself as the primary distribution channel for AI applications, it could command similar economics—a potentially massive revenue stream as the AI app market matures.

Why This Matters for Developers

The calculus for developers building AI applications just changed. Previously, the options were: build a standalone app and compete for attention, integrate with existing platforms via plugins, or build on top of APIs and hope for organic discovery. Now there's a fourth path: submit to ChatGPT and potentially reach its enormous user base directly.

The appeal is obvious. ChatGPT users are already primed to interact with AI, already paying for subscriptions in many cases, and already habituated to the conversational interface. For certain categories of applications—productivity tools, creative assistants, educational resources, professional services—this could be the most efficient path to users.

But there are risks. Building on someone else's platform means accepting their rules, their review process, their revenue terms. Developers who've been through Apple's App Store review process know the frustration of arbitrary rejections and opaque guidelines. OpenAI's track record on developer relations has been inconsistent—the company has made breaking changes to its APIs with limited notice, and communication hasn't always been clear.

The Competitive Landscape

OpenAI isn't the only company trying to build an AI app platform. Google has been integrating Gemini more deeply into its services. Anthropic's Claude is available through Amazon's Bedrock. Microsoft, OpenAI's largest investor and partner, has its own Copilot ecosystem that competes in enterprise contexts.

But OpenAI has one significant advantage: ChatGPT's brand recognition. When most people think of AI assistants, they think of ChatGPT first. That mindshare translates into distribution power. If you're a developer choosing where to launch your AI application, going where the users already are makes strategic sense.

The question is whether OpenAI can convert that brand advantage into a sustainable platform business. The GPT Store proved that having users doesn't automatically mean having an effective marketplace. App discovery, quality control, and developer economics all need to work for the ecosystem to thrive.

What to Watch

Several details remain unclear from OpenAI's announcement. The review process, the technical requirements for submission, the categories of apps being accepted, and the monetization framework are all unknown. These specifics will determine whether this becomes a significant opportunity for developers or another underwhelming experiment.

Early signals to monitor:

• Approval rates and timelines: How selective is OpenAI being? Fast, permissive approvals suggest quantity over quality. Slow, rigorous review suggests a curated approach.
• Featured apps and editorial curation: Will OpenAI actively promote certain applications? Editorial support was lacking in the GPT Store.
• Developer documentation and support: The quality of tooling and guidance will indicate how seriously OpenAI is investing in this ecosystem.
• Monetization announcements: Until there's a clear path to revenue, serious developers will remain cautious.

The Bigger Picture

OpenAI's move reflects a broader truth about AI's evolution: the foundational model layer is commoditizing. GPT-4, Claude, Gemini, and open-source alternatives are increasingly comparable for many use cases. The next phase of competition will be about ecosystems—who can build the most compelling platform for AI-native applications.

Apple won mobile not just because the iPhone was good, but because the App Store created a thriving developer ecosystem. OpenAI is betting it can do the same for AI. Whether that bet pays off depends on execution, developer relations, and whether users actually want to discover new AI applications through ChatGPT rather than the open web.

For now, developers should watch closely. This could be the beginning of the most important distribution channel for AI applications—or another false start in OpenAI's platform ambitions. The submission process is open. The opportunity is real. The details will determine whether it's worth building for.