ChatGPT Apps.
ChatGPT apps are third-party applications that run inside ChatGPT. Users call them up during a conversation to browse an offer, fill in a form or pull data from another service without leaving ChatGPT. Technically they are built on the Model Context Protocol (MCP).
ChatGPT Apps — Explained in Detail
OpenAI introduced apps in ChatGPT in October 2025 together with a developer kit, the Apps SDK (OpenAI, 'Introducing apps in ChatGPT and the new Apps SDK', 6 October 2025). An app has two parts: an MCP server that supplies data and actions, and optionally a small interface that ChatGPT displays in the conversation, such as a map, a list or a form. When someone asks about a flat, a trip or a design, ChatGPT can suggest a suitable app, or the person calls it by name. The app delivers results and ChatGPT puts them in context.
The terminology is still shifting. On 11 November 2026 ChatGPT listed its entries in a directory called 'Plugins', which contains bundles of skills as well as apps. Our count, signed out and from Switzerland, found at least 6,126 entries; according to OpenAI, what an account sees depends on plan, region, workspace and interface. In Claude, comparable integrations are called MCP connectors.
Two other developments need to be kept separate. ChatGPT Ads are paid placements shown alongside answers, whereas an app is a tool someone deliberately opens. Agentic commerce describes buying through an AI agent all the way to payment; apps can be one building block for that, but need not be. Also distinct is the Business Hub, where companies manage their profile within ChatGPT.
For most small businesses, a ChatGPT app of their own is not the first step today. It makes sense when an offer benefits from searching or calculating in conversation, such as a product catalogue, an availability check or a configurator, and when the data is available through a clean API. More fundamental is that ChatGPT and other assistants can understand and cite your website. That is the job of generative engine optimisation and an agent-ready website.
When an app of your own makes sense
Three questions help you decide. Is there a task customers currently complete on your website that maps well onto a conversation, such as 'Which model suits me?' or 'Is there a slot on Saturday?' Is the data up to date and available through an API? And is someone responsible for maintaining the app when products or prices change? If any of these is missing, a good, machine-readable website usually achieves more.
Making your company visible in AI answers is the core of our GEO agency work. Paid visibility in ChatGPT is covered on ChatGPT Ads Switzerland. Custom MCP integrations, whether for ChatGPT or Claude, are part of AI agent development.
Example: a bike shop weighs up its own ChatGPT app
A constructed example: a bike shop in Bern with an online store is considering a ChatGPT app that suggests e-bikes based on height, commute and budget and shows in-store availability. The product data lives in the shop system and is reachable via an API; the advice logic already exists as a questionnaire on the website.
Before commissioning the app, the owner checks the basics. Are product pages, prices and opening hours marked up in a machine-readable way? Does ChatGPT mention the shop at all for typical questions? Only once those points are in order does the app follow as an extra. That way the business does not depend on a single platform feature and stays discoverable through its own website and other assistants.
Related Page
GEO agency SwitzerlandFrequently Asked Questions About ChatGPT Apps
A ChatGPT app is a tool users deliberately open in a conversation to look something up or get something done. ChatGPT Ads are paid placements shown alongside answers. Technically and organisationally the two are unrelated.
Usually not as a first step. It matters more that ChatGPT understands your website and can name your company correctly. An app pays off when an offer benefits from searching or calculating in conversation and the data is available through an API.
They solve the same problem, connecting an AI assistant to another service, and both build on the Model Context Protocol. They differ in their directories, how they appear in the chat and how permissions are granted.
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