The GPT Store Walled Garden: What you can’t do
The GPT Store
OpenAI’s GPT Store launch promised a huge shift. Many compared it to Apple’s launch of the app store on iPhone. Entrepreneurs and the TwitterSphere exploded with excited chatter about building hugely successful GPT Store businesses.
Now well into the GPT Store’s launch, we see what it can and can’t do. While the store offers GPT builders a lot of power and options, it also has several annoying and stressful limits. For many ambitious creators, it’s been a tale of can’t — a story of limitations, frustrations, and being stuck in a walled garden.
A Walled Garden of GPTs
Building and publishing a GPT to the GPT store is an exciting feeling. But what comes after that? Do millions of people use your GPT? Do the revenue share checks roll in? Some influencers on twitter are already dunking on it. Truthfully, it’s too early to tell, but there are a few things worth pointing out.
Let’s dive into the problems.
Limited Userbase (ChatGPT+ Subscription only)
To use a GPT in the GPT Store, you must have an ChatGPT+ account. The entry ticket isn’t free. It costs $20/month! That means anyone who wants to use your GPT must have a $20/month OpenAI account. This barrier, though relatively cheap in the long-run, excludes the vast majority of potential users, indeed the vast majority of the Internet. It especially excludes the core expected users of a custom GPT, which are those who can’t make a GPT themselves, those who are relative “noobs” to generative AI.
Many GPT builders are making tools for these amateurs, which means the people who would benefit the most from the tool probably can’t use it. Think about it, an AI noob will likely not have a paid OpenAI account.
For creators aiming to reach a broader audience, this gate is not just selective; it’s restrictive. If you’re curious how you can let everyone use your GPT, then you’re in this category.
Limited Distribution (Can’t use it off OpenAI)
If you’re comfortable visiting OpenAI’s walled garden every time you want to use your GPT, then the store is perfectly adequate. However, if you want to take your GPT outside of the garden, to the places where you’re actually doing your work… then you run into some problems.
The GPT Store keeps GPTs locked within theOpenAI ecosystem, unable to integrate into the platforms and places where they’re needed most: personal websites, businesses, shared workspaces like Notion, Sharepoint, etc. The ability to embed AI chatbots into websites is very important for many businesses, brands, and teams. This limitation stifles innovation and slows you down.
Wouldn’t it be better if the GPT was just wherever it needed to be?
Limited Branding (Can’t escape OpenAI’s branding)
Anyone with a business or online presence wants to infuse their brand into their GPTs. However, the GPT Store offers limited customization and branding opportunities. Why does this matter? You can’t fully white-label your GPTs! Your GPT sits in OpenAI’s website, wearing their branding.
This limitation hinders the potential impact of your GPT on your brand. Not only that, it also dilutes the uniqueness of your tool.
A truly white-labeled GPT would appear on your website looking as if you made it. It lends you credibility and integrates seamlessly into your brand identity and design sensibility.
Jailbreaking the Walled Garden?
For many people, the GPT Store is exactly what they need. It covers all the bases.
But for people with specific use cases hoping to share their GPT widely with their team or distribute across the internet, the GPT Store is walling them in.
These users want to:
- Share their GPTs with anyone (including non ChatGPT+ users)
- Embed their GPTs into other websites
- White-label their GPTs with their design and branding
- View responses
Fortunately, there’s a way out of the walled garden. People are increasingly finding ways to share their GPTs outside of OpenAI by porting them onto no-code builders.
Quickly, here’s a step-by-step guide
Step 1: Finding a New Home
The first step to freedom is finding a platform that hosts GPTs. There are a lot of these. I recommend the no-code AI builder Pickaxe or the conversational design platform Botpress, but there’s a lot out there.
Step 2: Copy/Paste your GPT
Recreating a GPT outside the store is not a Herculean task. It’s actually pretty easy! Just go to the configure panel and copy/paste the instructions into the your new platform.
Step 3: Publish & Share!
This is as simple as it sounds! Just publish your new jailbroken GPT and share it with the world! This differs by platform, but most of them make it easy.
If you’re curious about embedding your GPT into a website, you can check out a guide on how to do that on sites most sites (Wix, Squarespace, Notion, etc.)
A New Era for GPTs
This movement isn’t just about overcoming limitations; it’s about redefining the relationship between creators and their AI tools.
The more ownership a creator takes over their GPT, the better.
That’s my opinion at least.
