OpenAI Launches a Marketplace and Takes Aim at the App Store Model

On Tuesday, Sept. 29, at its DevDay 2026 event, OpenAI announced the OpenAI Marketplace, a new way for large companies to buy software from OpenAI's partners, along with upgrades that let developers build full app-like experiences inside ChatGPT. Together, the moves put ChatGPT, which OpenAI says has 1.2 billion weekly users, in a position that looks more and more like an app store.

What happened

The OpenAI Marketplace is aimed at enterprise customers. According to OpenAI and TechCrunch, businesses that have signed spending commitments with OpenAI can now apply those commitments toward approved software built by partner companies. In simple terms, a company that has already budgeted money for OpenAI can use part of that budget to buy tools from other vendors, as long as those vendors are in the marketplace.

TechCrunch reported that the marketplace launched with more than 30 partners, including Adobe, Figma, HubSpot, Salesforce and ServiceNow. Other companies, including DevRev, Runway and ElevenLabs, announced on the same day that they had joined. According to DevRev's announcement, customers find partners through a Marketplace Directory and contract directly with those partners.

At the same event, OpenAI expanded what developers can build inside ChatGPT itself. According to TechCrunch, plugins can now have their own home in the sidebar, interactive panels that users work with while chatting, and custom file viewers. OpenAI also said it is improving how plugins are discovered and ranked, adding a Plugin Creator tool, and supporting event-based automations through a standard called MCP Events.

OpenAI also expanded Sign in with ChatGPT, which lets people use their ChatGPT account to log in to other apps. TechCrunch named Devin, Notion and Vercel among the launch partners.

Why it matters

For years, the two biggest gatekeepers for software distribution have been Apple's App Store and Google Play. TechCrunch described OpenAI's latest features as taking "direct aim at the app store model." Instead of searching an app store, a ChatGPT user can be shown a relevant app in the middle of a conversation, connect it, and use it without leaving the chat.

The enterprise marketplace matters for a different reason. Big companies often have large, pre-approved budgets with a few major vendors, while smaller software companies struggle to get through procurement. Letting customers spend their OpenAI commitment on partner tools could shorten sales cycles for the companies that get listed.

One important detail is still missing. TechCrunch noted that OpenAI has not yet announced a billing or revenue-sharing system for consumer apps comparable to Apple's. That means developers can reach ChatGPT users, but the rules for how they get paid inside ChatGPT are not settled yet.

What this means for founders and builders

The lesson for anyone building or buying software is that distribution is shifting. Getting found is no longer only about search engines and app stores. It increasingly means being available where people already work with AI.

That creates a real opportunity for smaller products. A focused tool that solves one problem well, and that plugs cleanly into AI assistants, can reach an audience that would have been very expensive to reach through ads.

It also means the value of a product is not only its code. It is whether the product is ready to connect: clean integrations, clear permissions and a simple, useful core feature. Those are the kinds of products KIING DIGITAL LABS builds. If you want to enter a new channel quickly, you can explore software products ready to acquire and start from a finished product instead of a blank page. If you have a specific idea in mind, our team can build it for you from scratch. You can also read how our process works.

The bottom line

OpenAI is turning ChatGPT into a place where software is discovered, used and, for enterprises, purchased. The payment rules for consumer apps are still unclear, but the direction is not. Builders who make their products easy for AI platforms to connect with will have a new and very large storefront.

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• OPENAI
• MARKETPLACES
• CHATGPT PLUGINS
• SOFTWARE DISTRIBUTION