OpenAI's GPT Store is officially launching next week

OpenAI’s much-anticipated app store for custom AI is finally ready to open its doors next week.

After weeks of delays following the company’s November boardroom saga, OpenAI just sent an email to developers confirming that the GPT Store will officially launch sometime in the coming week. The marketplace will allow users to share, discover, and potentially monetize custom chatbots built on top of models like GPT-4.

The store was initially slated to go live in November right after OpenAI’s DevDay, but was pushed into December and eventually delayed to the new year after CEO Sam Altman was abruptly fired and reinstated in a whirlwind weekend of executive chaos.

Getting shelf-ready and the missing revenue piece

Before creators can list their custom bots, they have some housekeeping to do.

According to the email viewed by TechCrunch, developers must review updated usage policies and GPT brand guidelines to ensure their creations comply. Builders will also need to verify their user profiles and set their GPTs to public visibility.

Once live, the store will feature a leaderboard tracking top-performing GPTs, alongside spotlight features highlighting useful creations across various categories. On the privacy front, chats will not be shared with bot creators, and users can still keep enterprise or personal GPTs strictly private.

However, the biggest question mark remains monetization.

While OpenAI previously teased a revenue-sharing model tied to how much the community uses a given GPT, the developer email made no mention of payout terms. Back in November, Altman and CTO Mira Murati admitted there was no firm plan yet for bot monetization. An OpenAI spokesperson noted that more details will be shared next week.

Why it matters

We think the launch of the GPT Store marks OpenAI’s official evolution from an AI model provider into a full-fledged software platform.

For independent builders and creators, this solves the critical problem of discoverability. Until now, sharing a custom GPT meant passing around direct ChatGPT links. A centralized storefront with search and rankings offers a massive distribution channel for niche tools, whether that is a specialized cooking assistant or a company-specific coding tutor.

At the same time, this threatens to decimate low-end software agencies and consultancies whose core business relies on charging clients for simple wrapper bots. When anyone can spin up a functional AI tool with plain English prompts in minutes, the value of generic AI integration drops to zero.

Still, OpenAI’s silence on payout mechanics is a notable risk. A platform is only as good as the builders it retains. If OpenAI fails to deliver a clear, profitable revenue-sharing structure, the store risks turning into a graveyard of shallow hobbyist projects rather than a home for sustainable software businesses.