ChatGPT (8) — Browse, Use and Build Custom GPTs From the GPT Store

Overview

ChatGPT in 2026 has two parallel marketplaces. The GPT Store is the original — a directory of 159,000+ public Custom GPTs built with prompts and the no-code GPT Builder. The newer App Directory (launched December 2025) is full third-party apps from companies like Spotify, Canva, Adobe Acrobat, Booking.com, MyFitnessPal, and AllTrails — each offering conversational access to core product features directly inside ChatGPT. Both run inside the same chat. In this guide, we'll cover when to use which, walk through finding and using a GPT, and build your own from scratch in under 10 minutes.

Who This Is Useful For

What You Will Build

Three things by the end of this guide:

What You Need

Step 1: GPT Store vs App Directory — The Map

Two related but distinct marketplaces. Quick mental model:

You don't have to pick one — both live in the same ChatGPT interface. You install a GPT or an App, then summon it from any chat by mentioning its name (e.g., "@WeatherWise check tomorrow's forecast").

Step 2: Browse the GPT Store

Click your sidebar → Explore GPTs. The GPT Store opens with featured categories:

Each GPT card shows:

Step 3: Try Your First GPT

Pick a low-stakes one. Good first picks:

Click any GPT card → Start chat. The GPT loads with its custom instructions and sometimes an opening message asking how you want to start.

Try a real task right away. If it's a writing coach, ask for feedback on a paragraph. If it's a recipe finder, ask for tonight's dinner. If it doesn't work the way you hoped, leave it and try a different one — the marketplace is big.

Step 4: Build Your Own Custom GPT — The Conversational Way

This is the part most people skip and shouldn't. Building a Custom GPT takes 10 minutes and gives you a personal assistant exactly tuned to one of your recurring tasks.

Click Explore GPTs → + Create. The GPT Builder opens with two tabs:

For your first GPT, stay in Create mode. Type:

Build me a custom GPT that helps me write professional emails
in English and 繁體中文.
It should:
1. Ask me what the email is about, who I'm writing to, and
   the tone I want (warm / formal / direct)
2. Draft the email in the language I tell it
3. Always offer 2 alternative versions — shorter and longer
4. Never use cliches like "I hope this finds you well" or
   "Looking forward to hearing from you"
5. Match Taiwan-style 繁體中文 (not Mainland) when writing
   in Chinese
Name it: Email Coach

The GPT Builder will:

1. Generate a name, description, and profile picture
2. Write the system instructions
3. Suggest a starting prompt for users
4. Show you a preview chat to test it

Test it in the right-side preview. If a reply is off, just tell the Builder: "the formal version is too stiff, make it warmer" — it updates the instructions automatically.

Step 5: Configure Advanced Options (Optional)

Switch to the Configure tab once your GPT works in basic form. Here you can fine-tune:

For your Email Coach GPT, you might:

Step 6: Publish or Keep Private

At the top of the GPT Builder, three sharing options:

For your first GPT, start with Only me or Anyone with the link. Use it for a few weeks, refine, then consider publishing.

If you publish to Everyone, you can join OpenAI's GPT builder revenue program — US-based builders earn based on user engagement. Real numbers: most individual creators hit $100–$500/month unless they reach the top 0.01% of engagement. Don't quit your job, but if you build something genuinely useful for thousands of people, the revenue is real.

Step 7: Five GPTs Worth Installing for Everyday Use

A handpicked starter set for normal users — search the store for these names; minor variations exist but the leaders are well-rated.

1. Image Generator (Official OpenAI GPT)

The polished frontend for gpt-image-2. Better default settings than starting from scratch in chat.

2. Canva (App Directory)

Design directly from chat. Posters, social posts, presentations — all without opening Canva itself.

3. Consensus

For any "is this true?" or "what's the research say?" question. Pulls from peer-reviewed papers and gives cited summaries.

4. Wolfram

For any math, science, statistics, or computation. Significantly more accurate than vanilla ChatGPT for numbers.

5. Spotify (App Directory)

Build playlists, discover music, control playback — all from chat. Great showcase of what an "app" inside ChatGPT feels like vs a "GPT".

Going Further

Build a personal GPT collection. Over a few months, you'll build 3–5 Custom GPTs for your specific recurring tasks. Each one is small, focused, and reusable. That collection becomes your personal AI workspace.

Use Knowledge files thoughtfully. A GPT with a tight 3-document Knowledge base (your résumé, your company's tone guide, your project context) outperforms a generic GPT every time.

Browse the App Directory monthly. New apps ship regularly from real companies. The right new app can collapse a multi-tab workflow into a single chat — worth a 5-minute scan once a month.

Key Takeaways

Here's what you learned in this guide:

After two weeks of using GPTs and Apps, you'll find yourself reaching for them by name — and your "where's that prompt I keep using" frustration disappears.