OpenAI app store is underperforming
Six months after launch, OpenAI’s ChatGPT App Store hasn’t disrupted Apple — third‑party AI apps are limited, developers complain about clunky workflows and weak monetization, and Apple’s curated App Store still leads for revenue and UX. The gap highlights distribution and payment challenges for AI app marketplaces. (bloomberg.com)
OpenAI launched the Apps SDK on Oct. 6, 2025 and moved apps into preview for ChatGPT Business, Enterprise and Education users on Nov. 13, 2025, touting reach to “over 800 million” ChatGPT users outside the EEA, Switzerland and the U.K. on initial rollouts. (openai.com) Bloomberg found more than 300 app integrations live but reported partner reluctance to hand off payments or customer relationships and developer complaints about a slow approval pipeline, buggy coding tools and sparse usage data. (bloomberg.com) OpenAI currently requires developers to monetize by linking out to native apps or websites while saying it is “exploring internal monetization options,” a setup that builders say limits direct in‑chat revenue capture. (engadget.com)(unite.ai) OpenAI’s developer docs already include a requestCheckout API and an “Instant Checkout” flow built on the Model Context Protocol, signaling a technical path to in‑chat payments even as revenue‑share terms remain unspecified. (developers.openai.com)(webfx.com) By contrast, Apple’s App Store generated roughly $117 billion in consumer spending in 2025 and Apple collected an estimated ~$900 million from generative‑AI apps that year, underscoring the revenue gap OpenAI faces. (businessofapps.com)(9to5mac.com) Reporting and the LA Times note discoverability problems — many integrations are buried in menus and partners limit in‑chat functionality — even though pilot partners such as Booking.com, Canva, Coursera, Figma, Expedia, Spotify and Zillow were named in OpenAI’s launch materials. (latimes.com)(openai.com)
