OpenAI has finally unveiled its highly anticipated GPT Store, offering users a selection of ChatGPT community-created custom GPTs featuring specialized chatbots ranging from writing and design to programming and productivity. The launch marks OpenAI's latest move to capitalize on the runaway popularity of its AI creation ChatGPT, which took the world by storm after its launch in November 2022.

ChatGPT's custom GPT Store is open right now, and this is how you can use it to find the pre-programmed AI tools you need.

How to Access the GPT Store

Access and use of the new GPT Store requires a ChatGPT subscription. Only users with ChatGPT Plus, ChatGPT Teams, or ChatGPT Enterprise accounts will be able to use the store's catalog of custom GPTs. You also need a ChatGPT subscription if you want to create your own custom GPT.

However, even premium subscribers may not have immediate access. OpenAI is gradually enabling GPT Store functionality for millions of subscribed users in batches. So, while your premium ChatGPT membership is necessary, it alone does not guarantee you can currently use the store due to the phased rollout. Users without a premium subscription "can currently browse the GPTs catalog but won't be able to use it." Check your ChatGPT account periodically to see if your access has been granted as OpenAI continues expanding availability to additional batches of subscribers.

How do you know when you've been granted access?

On the left sidebar of the ChatGPT interface, you should see Explore GPTs instead of simply Explore. Once you see this, you can start using the GPT Store! Remember, the whole idea of the GPT Store is to help users browse and access a wide range of GPTs built by the community. So, how can you use it to find the right GPT for your tasks?

How to Find the Best Custom GPTs in the GPT Store

Using the GPT Store is quite straightforward. Here's how you can browse and search for custom GPTs:

Once you can access the GPT Store, click Explore GPTs on the left sidebar of the ChatGPT interface to open the store. At the top of the store page, you will see featured categories like Writing, Productivity, Programming, Research and Analysis, and DALL-E for image generation. Click on a category to view a list of the top-performing custom GPT models in that specific category. You can also use the search bar to find GPTs by keyword or related terms. When you find a GPT you want to try, click on it to open the individual GPT page. On the GPT page, you will see information about what that model offers. After testing a GPT that solves your problem well, take one important extra step—click on the GPT name in the top left corner of the page, then click Keep in sidebar. This saves that GPT to the sidebar along with your chat history for easy future access.

However, you should note that at the time of writing, the GPT Store isn't reviewed, and there is no rating system or otherwise. We're hoping that OpenAI will introduce some type of rating system in the near future, as currently, without any system in place, you're effectively on your own when it comes to figuring out what works well. By extension, it seems likely that some form of rating or review system will be implemented once GPT Store revenue sharing is launched, but OpenAI hasn't given any fixed timeline for this.

Is it Worth Upgrading to ChatGPT Plus to Use Custom GPTs?

Since you need a ChatGPT subscription to use custom GPTs, you're probably wondering whether it's worth paying the $20 subscription fee to access the feature.

The short answer is yes. Whether you're a beginner or an advanced ChatGPT user, you'll find many impressive custom GPTs in the store. Furthermore, if your AI prompting skills are not particularly strong, custom GPTs are quite useful because they simplify prompting. Basically, the GPT creator does most of the heavy lifting with regard to prompting, programming the custom GPT for a specific topic, and letting you reap the benefits with minimal work.

With millions of GPTs available, perhaps the biggest argument for subscribing is that someone might have listed a GPT that solves the exact problem you are currently struggling with. Also, remember, a subscription also gives you access to several other perks, most notably access to GPT-4 and the DALL-E text-to-image tool.