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OpenAI GPT Store Launches: What You Need to Know (2024)

January 12, 2024 3 min read

OpenAI GPT Store Launches: What You Need to Know

OpenAI’s GPT Store is live. It’s an app store for custom ChatGPT versions.

Here’s everything you need to know.

What is the GPT Store?

The GPT Store is a marketplace for custom GPTs—specialized versions of ChatGPT built for specific tasks.

Anyone can create a custom GPT. Now there’s a central place to discover and use them.

How It Works

For Users

  1. Go to ChatGPT (Plus subscription required)
  2. Click “Explore GPTs”
  3. Browse or search the store
  4. Use any GPT directly

No installation. Just click and chat.

For Creators

  1. Build a custom GPT (no coding required)
  2. Publish to the store
  3. Earn money based on usage (revenue sharing coming)

What’s Available

Categories

  • Writing — Content creation, editing, copywriting
  • Productivity — Task management, research, organization
  • Research & Analysis — Data analysis, academic research
  • Programming — Code help, debugging, learning
  • Education — Tutoring, language learning, study help
  • Lifestyle — Fitness, cooking, travel planning
  • Creative — Art, design, music

Notable GPTs

Consensus — Academic research with real papers Canva — Design directly in chat Code Copilot — Programming assistance Video AI — Video creation help AllTrails — Trail recommendations

Are Custom GPTs Worth It?

Advantages

  • Specialized knowledge — Pre-configured for specific tasks
  • Saved instructions — No re-explaining your needs
  • Unique capabilities — Access to custom actions and APIs
  • Time savings — Jump into tasks faster

Disadvantages

  • Quality varies wildly — Anyone can publish
  • Many are basic — Just prompts, no real value-add
  • Discovery is hard — Finding good ones takes effort
  • ChatGPT Plus required — $20/month barrier

Our Testing

We tried 50+ GPTs across categories.

Best Performers

  • Consensus — Actually useful for research
  • Canva — Design integration works well
  • Code Interpreter GPTs — Good for data tasks

Disappointments

Many GPTs are just saved prompts. Nothing you couldn’t do with regular ChatGPT and good instructions.

How to Find Good GPTs

  1. Check reviews — User ratings help filter
  2. Verified creators — Look for established companies
  3. Test quickly — Move on if it’s not useful
  4. Featured section — OpenAI’s picks are usually decent

Building Your Own GPT

No Coding Required

GPT Builder walks you through:

  1. Name and description
  2. Instructions (what it should do)
  3. Conversation starters
  4. Knowledge files (upload docs)
  5. Actions (API connections)

When to Build One

  • Repeated tasks with consistent instructions
  • Personal workflows you want to optimize
  • Sharing capabilities with your team
  • Testing ideas before building real products

Monetization

Revenue sharing is coming. Creators will earn based on usage. Details still emerging.

Competition

The GPT Store competes with:

  • ChatGPT plugins (being merged in)
  • Standalone AI apps
  • Custom development

Main advantage: distribution through ChatGPT’s user base.

Our Verdict

The GPT Store is interesting but immature.

Good for:

  • Discovering useful tools
  • Quick specialized tasks
  • Getting started with custom GPTs

Not yet good for:

  • Replacing dedicated apps
  • Consistent quality
  • Finding gems among mediocrity

Worth exploring, but don’t expect an “app store moment” yet.

What’s Next

  • Revenue sharing rollout
  • Quality improvements (hopefully)
  • More sophisticated GPTs
  • Enterprise features

We’ll keep testing and highlighting worthy GPTs.

The GPT Store is v1. It’ll get better. For now, explore with tempered expectations.

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