In a landmark announcement at its annual DevDay 2025, OpenAI revealed that ChatGPT now boasts 800 million weekly active users—a staggering milestone in the rapid rise of generative AI. But the big news didn’t stop there. OpenAI also introduced the Apps SDK (Software Development Kit), enabling third-party developers to build applications that operate inside ChatGPT conversations.
This moment marks a turning point: ChatGPT is no longer just a chatbot or an assistant. It’s evolving into a platform—a stage on which apps can live, interact, and magnify their reach.
In this article, we’ll unpack:
- What reaching 800 million weekly users really means
- What the new Apps SDK offers and how it works
- Use cases and early app integrations
- What this shift implies for developers, brands, and the future of AI
- Challenges, risks, and ethical considerations
Let’s dive in.
1. ChatGPT’s Explosive Growth: 800 Million Weekly Users
A Milestone That Speaks Volumes
When Sam Altman took the stage at DevDay, he announced that over 800 million people use ChatGPT every week. To put that in perspective: this number rivals the user bases of major social networks and communication platforms, but achieved in just a few years.
Analysts point out that ChatGPT’s 800 million weekly users outpace the combined reach of its biggest rivals. Indeed, OpenAI claims that the combined weekly user count of Meta AI, Google Gemini, xAI’s Grok, Anthropic’s Claude, and Perplexity is about half that of ChatGPT’s.
Why This Growth Matters
This level of adoption is significant for several reasons:
- Network effect: As more users rely on ChatGPT, it becomes more sticky and harder for alternatives to compete.
- Data advantage: With billions of messages processed daily, OpenAI can feed more real-world usage data into model training and refinements.
- Platform leverage: With a vast user base, ChatGPT becomes an attractive distribution channel for developers and brands.
- Monetization potential: High scale opens up new revenue models—from premium subscriptions to app-based commerce inside conversations.
In short: ChatGPT now has the reach of a major consumer platform—and it’s leveraging that reach to shift from “assistant” to “platform.”
2. Introducing the Apps SDK: Turning ChatGPT into a Platform
ChatGPT’s evolution is anchored by the Apps SDK, launched in preview alongside the user number reveal. The SDK is the toolset developers will use to build, test, and integrate apps that users can invoke inside ChatGPT conversations.
Architecture & Technology
- Built on MCP (Model Context Protocol)
The Apps SDK extends the open standard MCP, which governs how ChatGPT connects to external tools and data. - Web-based UI and interactive interfaces
Unlike traditional native mobile apps, these applications run as interactive web components inline in the chat. - Full-stack control for developers
The SDK gives app creators control over data, triggers, conversational logic, and UI. - Open source and portable
OpenAI made the Apps SDK open source, so apps built with it can run wherever the standard is adopted. - Preview mode and developer submission pipeline
Currently, the SDK is in preview mode. Developers can build and test, but app submission, review, and publication will come later.
How ChatGPT Apps Work (For Users)
From the user’s perspective, apps are available seamlessly within the conversation flow:
- ChatGPT may suggest an app at the relevant moment (for example, when planning travel, it could suggest an app like Booking).
- Users can invoke apps by name, e.g., “Spotify, make me a playlist.”
- Apps render UI elements inline — for instance, map views, design previews, charts, and interactive controls.
- During the first app use, ChatGPT will ask to connect the user (login, permissions, etc.).
3. Early Integrations & Use Cases
At launch, several major apps are already plugged into ChatGPT via the SDK. Here’s a look at some of them and what they enable:
Spotify
Inside ChatGPT, Spotify integration means you can ask for playlists, search for music, and get recommendations—and ChatGPT can orchestrate the interaction, embedding results inside the chat.
Canva & Figma
Design tools like Canva and Figma can now be invoked within ChatGPT. For example, you might ask, “Create an Instagram banner for my sale,” and Canva presents design previews. Want revisions? You can prompt ChatGPT to tweak elements. When needed, you can jump into full editing mode in the native app.
Zillow
ChatGPT + Zillow allows users to search the housing market conversationally. Ask, “Show me 3-bedroom homes near me under $500k,” and interactive maps and listings appear inline.
Expedia / Booking.com
Travel planning becomes more interactive. You can request “a 3-star hotel in Paris next weekend” and get options. The app integration updates availability and pricing dynamically.
Coursera
Education gets conversational. Ask ChatGPT to teach or recommend courses; Coursera integration can fetch relevant content, show previews, and potentially let you enroll—all within the chat.
Coming Soon: Uber, DoorDash, Target, OpenTable, etc.
OpenAI has signaled that many more apps are on the roadmap: Uber, DoorDash, Target, OpenTable, Instacart, TripAdvisor, Peloton, and others.
These integrations hint at a future where users need not leave ChatGPT to accomplish many tasks—they can stay in conversation, and apps come to them.
4. Implications for Developers, Brands & the Future
A New Distribution Channel
If you build an app inside ChatGPT, you potentially gain access to 800 million weekly users at launch. OpenAI explicitly positions the SDK as a way to “reach over 800 million ChatGPT users.”
That is a powerful incentive. Early adopters may get tremendous visibility before the space becomes crowded.
Conversational Commerce & Agentic Payments
OpenAI hinted at enabling instant checkout inside ChatGPT via integrations using a protocol called Agentic Commerce. This lets users purchase services or goods without leaving ChatGPT. Over time, ChatGPT could become a front door for commerce in many verticals.
Platform vs App Store
ChatGPT is positioning itself as an alternative (or complement) to app stores. In fact, TechCrunch described it as “turning ChatGPT into the new app store.” Wired framed it as aiming to be a universal app frontend.
This shift challenges the control Apple, Google, and others exert in their ecosystems. Instead of users discovering apps via search or app stores, they might discover them via conversation and AI recommendations.
Brand Strategy & Preparation
Brands and product teams should pay attention now. According to industry analysis, here’s how brands can prepare:
- Study the SDK documentation and guidelines early to align with ChatGPT’s design patterns.
- Prototype experiences that make sense in conversational contexts (e.g. micro-tasks, recommendations, visual previews).
- Plan data/permission flows—how will users authenticate, what data will be shared, what privacy boundaries exist?
- Optimize for discovery inside ChatGPT, not just via external marketing.
- Monitor monetization paths—OpenAI will likely introduce policies and revenue-share models as the app directory becomes public.
For many brands, this represents a second chance: even if they don’t have a standalone mobile app, they might reach ChatGPT users via integration.
The Future of AI + Apps
Looking further ahead, this could reshape the tech landscape:
- Unified experiences: Rather than switching among separate apps, ChatGPT becomes the hub.
- Adaptive, context-aware apps: Apps may evolve to respond dynamically to conversation context.
- Reduced friction: From booking to shopping to designing, tasks can be completed conversationally with fewer clicks.
- Access equalization: Developers without deep mobile resources can reach users via ChatGPT with less friction.
- Interoperable ecosystems: Because the SDK is open source and built on standards, apps might port to other conversational platforms in future.
In essence, ChatGPT is staking a claim at the intersection of conversation, AI, and app experiences.
5. Challenges & Risks
This transformation isn’t without pitfalls. Let’s examine potential hurdles.
1. Moderation, safety, and policy enforcement
Embedding external apps inside conversation complicates moderation. If an app presents erroneous information or malicious content, who is responsible—the app maker or OpenAI? Ensuring safety standards and policy compliance will be critical.
2. Privacy & data security
Apps may access user data, authenticate, and perform transactions. Managing user consent, encryption, and data governance becomes more complex. Users will need transparency about what data they share when they “enable” apps.
3. Platform dominance and competition
By controlling the app platform, OpenAI gains tremendous influence. Some developers or incumbents might resist ceding control to a third party. Antitrust and regulatory scrutiny could follow. In fact, OpenAI has recently flagged competition concerns with EU regulators.
4. Fragmentation & discoverability
If many apps flood in, users might struggle to find relevant ones. A good directory, curation, and recommendation mechanism will be crucial.
5. Technical limitations & performance
Running web-based UIs inline in a chat interface is nontrivial—latency, responsiveness, browser compatibility, and resource constraints are real concerns.
6. Regional access & regulation
At launch, apps are not available in the European Union. Geographic regulation, data privacy laws like GDPR, and local compliance may slow adoption in certain markets.
Conclusion: A New Chapter for ChatGPT & AI Apps
With 800 million weekly users, ChatGPT has achieved a scale that few digital platforms ever reach. But more importantly, OpenAI is now leveraging that scale by transforming ChatGPT from a conversational tool into a platform—one capable of hosting interactive, embedded apps built by third parties.
The Apps SDK is the key to this pivot. It opens opportunities for developers, brands, and AI-first startups to reach massive audiences inside the context of conversation. At the same time, it raises profound questions about platform power, moderation, privacy, and the evolving relationship between AI and software.
If you’re a developer, product manager, or brand strategist, it’s time to pay close attention. The ChatGPT ecosystem is no longer just about language models—it’s becoming an app frontier.
