OpenAI has officially opened the doors to its new "App Directory" for ChatGPT, transforming the AI assistant into a central hub for accessing and interacting with a wide array of popular third-party services. This move, which some are calling an "app store" for AI, allows users to connect apps like Spotify, Apple Music, Adobe Photoshop, and Expedia directly to their ChatGPT conversations, enabling complex tasks like booking travel or designing graphics through simple text prompts. The launch marks a significant evolution in how users interact with both AI and their everyday digital tools.
Notable Apps in the ChatGPT Directory (Initial Launch)
- Music & Audio: Spotify, Apple Music
- Design & Creativity: Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Express, Canva, Figma, Cloudinary
- Travel & Hospitality: Expedia, Booking.com, Tripadvisor, OpenTable, TheFork
- Productivity & Business: Google Drive, Dropbox, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Outlook, Notion, Asana, Monday.com, Airtable
- Shopping & Services: Instacart, Target, Uber Eats, DoorDash, Thumbtack, Zillow
- Learning: Coursera, Khan Academy
- Development: Replit, Hugging Face, Vercel, Netlify, GitLab
- Finance: Intuit TurboTax, Intuit Mailchimp, Ramp, PitchBook, Morningstar
The Evolution from Integrations to a Full-Fledged Directory
The concept of apps within ChatGPT isn't entirely new. Over the past several months, OpenAI has been gradually introducing integrations with major platforms. Initially, these worked by recognizing app names within a user's prompt. For instance, asking ChatGPT to "make a Spotify playlist for a workout" would trigger the Spotify integration. This drip-feed approach allowed users to book hotels via Booking.com, create designs with Canva, and find hiking trails with AllTrails. The new App Directory, now visible in the ChatGPT sidebar under a "Beta" label, consolidates these and many more into a single, browsable interface. It represents a shift from a passive, mention-based system to an active marketplace where users can discover, connect, and manage their preferred services.
How the New App Ecosystem Works in Practice
Using the integrated apps is designed to be intuitive. Once a user connects an app from the directory to their ChatGPT account, they can invoke it in any chat by using the "@" symbol followed by the app's name. A prompt like "@Expedia, find a hotel in Manhattan under USD 300 for this weekend" would direct the query through the Expedia integration, returning tailored results within the chat. This conversational interface allows for rapid refinement. A user could follow up by asking for "hotels with a pool" or "only show options near Central Park," creating a dynamic and granular search experience that can be more efficient than navigating multiple filters on a traditional website. The system aims to reduce friction, keeping users within the ChatGPT environment to complete tasks that would normally require app-switching.
How to Use ChatGPT Apps
- Access the Directory: Look for the "Apps" section in the ChatGPT sidebar (currently in Beta).
- Connect an App: Browse categories like "Featured," "Lifestyle," or "Productivity" and connect your account for the desired app.
- Invoke in Chat: In any conversation, type "@" followed by the app name (e.g.,
@Spotify). - Make Your Request: State your request naturally after the app mention (e.g.,
@Spotify, make a 90s rock playlist). - Refine Conversationally: Chat with ChatGPT to narrow down or change the results based on the app's output.
A Growing Roster of Major and Niche Apps
The initial app lineup is extensive and cuts across multiple categories, from productivity to lifestyle. Headline additions include long-rumored integrations like Apple Music and Adobe Photoshop, joining earlier partners like Spotify and Canva. The directory also features a surprising breadth of other services: project management tools like Asana and Monday.com, food delivery via Instacart and Uber Eats, financial services from Intuit TurboTax, and cloud storage connectors for Google Drive and Dropbox. This list, which includes over 60 apps at launch, demonstrates OpenAI's strategy to make ChatGPT a universal interface. For developers, the opening of the directory for submissions signals the beginning of a potentially vast ecosystem, similar to early mobile app stores.
Practical Use Cases and Early Impressions
Early testing reveals both the power and the current limitations of this integrated approach. For creative tasks, asking Canva or Figma to "design a birthday party poster" or "create a presentation on AI growth" can produce serviceable templates in minutes, democratizing design. The Coursera and Khan Academy integrations allow for on-demand learning, with ChatGPT fetching relevant educational videos based on a user's query. For planning, tools like Zillow and AllTrails excel at parsing complex, multi-faceted requests about real estate or outdoor activities through a natural conversation. However, the utility is inherently tied to the depth of the integration. While some apps offer robust functionality, others may provide more superficial access, and the AI can occasionally misinterpret context, requiring users to guide it back on track.
Availability Note: As of December 2025, the ChatGPT apps feature is available to all free and paid plans in regions like the United States, but is not available in the European Union and the United Kingdom due to regional restrictions.
Strategic Implications and the Road Ahead
OpenAI's launch of the App Directory is a strategic move with significant implications. By embedding external services, ChatGPT increases its "stickiness," encouraging users to spend more time within its ecosystem rather than jumping to dedicated apps or websites. This positions ChatGPT not just as a conversational AI, but as a foundational layer or operating system for digital interaction. The notable exclusion of the European Union and the United Kingdom from many of these features highlights ongoing regulatory challenges. Looking forward, the success of this platform will depend on the quality and reliability of the app integrations, user adoption, and how effectively OpenAI manages this expanding ecosystem. If it succeeds, the way we use software may become increasingly mediated through conversational AI.