ChatGPT plugins have now existed twice. The first version launched in March 2023, collected a little more than 1,000 plugins, and was shut down in April 2024. In July 2026, OpenAI brought the name back: the Plugin Directory replaced the App Directory, and in September it announced plans to retire custom GPTs and move them to plugins.
So "ChatGPT plugins" means something different depending on the year you read about it. This guide covers both: what plugins are and how they work in 2026, what they cost, what happened to the originals, and how GPTs, connectors, apps, ChatGPT agent, and Atlas fit into the same story. 🔌
TL;DR: ChatGPT plugins returned on July 9, 2026, when the Plugin Directory replaced the App Directory. Today's plugins bundle skills, apps built on the Model Context Protocol, and templates. The original 2023 plugins ended on April 9, 2024, and custom GPTs are next. Build AI agents that keep working after the chat ends →
What Are ChatGPT Plugins in 2026?
ChatGPT plugins are installable packages that connect ChatGPT, and OpenAI's Codex, to outside tools and data. Since July 9, 2026, a plugin can bundle skills (reusable instructions, examples, and code), apps (connections to services built on the Model Context Protocol), and app templates for a workflow. You find them in the Plugin Directory at chatgpt.com/plugins.
OpenAI described the change in one line: "We're also replacing the App Directory with the Plugin Directory. Existing app connections are unaffected. Plugins can package skills, apps, and app templates for specific workflows."
| Part of a 2026 plugin | What it does | Example use |
|---|---|---|
| Skills | Reusable instructions, examples, and code | A house style for sales emails, applied every time |
| Apps | Live connections to outside services through MCP servers | Search listings, design a slide, check a calendar |
| App templates | Preset app setups for a workspace | An admin rolls out the same connections to a team |
Because ChatGPT and Codex share the directory, a developer publishes once and reaches both products. The underlying standard, the Model Context Protocol (MCP), is the same open protocol many other AI tools use, which is why the plugin ecosystem of 2026 looks far more portable than the one of 2023. Our history of MCP explains how the protocol spread.
How Do ChatGPT Plugins Work Now?
A ChatGPT plugin works in four steps: install it from the Plugin Directory, sign in to any services its apps connect to, call it in a chat with an @ mention or accept ChatGPT's suggestion, and let its apps and skills run inside the conversation. The apps talk to outside services through MCP servers, and the results come back into the chat.
The difference from 2023 is the plumbing. The original plugins each described their own web API in an OpenAPI file and a manifest. The 2026 plugins sit on MCP servers, a shared standard that the same service can expose to many AI tools at once.
Are ChatGPT Plugins Free?
Mostly yes. In September 2026, OpenAI's pricing page lists plugins, interactive apps, and using GPTs as included on the Free, Go, Plus, and Pro plans. The original 2023 plugins required ChatGPT Plus at $20 a month. Availability of a given plugin still varies by plan, region, workspace settings, and device.
| Question | Answer in September 2026 |
|---|---|
| Do I need a paid plan to use plugins? | No. Plugins and apps are listed on Free, Go, Plus, and Pro. |
| Do connected services cost extra? | Sometimes. A plugin's app can require its own account or subscription. |
| Are plugins available everywhere? | Not necessarily. Apps launched outside the EU in October 2025, and we found no OpenAI announcement of a launch in the EEA, the UK, or Switzerland. |
| Can business workspaces use them? | Yes, with admin controls. Apps reached Business, Enterprise, and Edu in preview in November 2025. |
What Happened to the Original ChatGPT Plugins?
OpenAI launched the original ChatGPT plugins as an alpha on March 23, 2023, opened a beta to Plus users on May 12, 2023, and wound the program down in 2024 after users and builders moved to GPTs. New plugin conversations stopped on March 19, 2024, and existing ones ended on April 9, 2024. The store held a little more than 1,000 plugins by then.
The story since then runs through five products, and each one borrowed from the last.
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| Mar 23, 2023 | Plugins alpha. OpenAI's own browsing and code interpreter tools, a retrieval plugin, and launch partners such as Expedia, Instacart, KAYAK, Klarna, OpenTable, Shopify, Slack, Speak, Wolfram, and Zapier |
| May 12, 2023 | Browsing and plugins beta rolls out to all Plus users, with the Plugin Store |
| Aug 2023 | Code Interpreter is renamed Advanced Data Analysis |
| Nov 6, 2023 | GPTs launch with custom actions that, in OpenAI's words, work "like plugins" |
| Jan 10, 2024 | The GPT Store opens. Users had already created more than 3 million custom GPTs. |
| Mar 19 and Apr 9, 2024 | The plugins beta closes: no new plugin chats, then no plugin chats at all |
| May 13, 2024 | GPTs open to Free users |
| Jun 4, 2025 | Custom connectors built on MCP arrive in deep research |
| Jul 17, 2025 | ChatGPT agent launches. The standalone Operator site closes on Aug 31, 2025. |
| Sep 10, 2025 | Developer mode beta adds full MCP client support, read and write |
| Oct 6, 2025 | Apps in ChatGPT and the Apps SDK, built on MCP, with partners such as Booking.com, Canva, Coursera, Figma, Expedia, Spotify, and Zillow |
| Dec 17, 2025 | App submissions and the app directory open. Connectors are renamed apps. |
| Jul 9, 2026 | ChatGPT Work launches, and the Plugin Directory replaces the App Directory |
| Jul 2026 | ChatGPT agent is no longer available, and OpenAI points users to ChatGPT Work |
| Aug 9, 2026 | The ChatGPT Atlas browser stops working |
| Sep 11, 2026 | OpenAI announces plans to retire custom GPTs and migrate them to plugins |
The Original 2023 Plugins: What They Did
The 2023 plugins were the first time ChatGPT could reach beyond its training data. OpenAI built three itself, and a dozen partners launched on day one. Most of their ideas live on today as built-in ChatGPT tools or as apps.
| 2023 plugin | What it did | Where the idea lives in 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Browsing (OpenAI) | Searched the web with Bing and read pages | Built-in search in ChatGPT |
| Code Interpreter (OpenAI) | Ran Python in a sandbox to analyze data and files | Built-in data analysis |
| Retrieval (OpenAI, open source) | Connected ChatGPT to your own documents in a vector database | File uploads, projects, and connectors |
| Expedia and KAYAK | Searched flights, hotels, and rental cars | Travel apps such as Expedia and Booking.com |
| Instacart | Turned recipes into shopping carts | Shopping apps and merchant experiences |
| Klarna | Recommended products with shopping links | Shopping and product discovery |
| OpenTable | Searched and booked restaurants | Booking apps |
| Wolfram | Added real computation and curated knowledge | Built-in code and math tools |
| Zapier | Connected ChatGPT to thousands of apps | MCP apps and automation tools |
| Speak | Explained phrases for language learners | Built-in tutoring and voice |
The original 2023 browsing plugin. Image credit: OpenAI
The plugin idea was right and the packaging was early. Each plugin was a one-off integration that only ChatGPT could use, discovery happened in a crowded store, and users had to pick which plugins to switch on for each chat. The 2026 design fixes all three: MCP servers work across many AI tools, plugins bundle what a workflow needs, and ChatGPT can suggest the right one.
Instacart's 2023 plugin turned a recipe into a shopping cart. Image credit: Instacart
GPTs, Apps, and Plugins: What Is the Difference?
GPTs are customized versions of ChatGPT with instructions, knowledge, and actions. Apps connect ChatGPT to outside services through MCP. Plugins, since July 2026, package apps and skills for a workflow. The 2023 plugins were one-off API integrations. OpenAI now plans to fold custom GPTs into plugins.
| 2023 plugins | Custom GPTs | Apps (2025) | Plugins (2026) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | One service's API, described for ChatGPT | A customized ChatGPT with instructions and actions | A service connected through an MCP server | A package of skills, apps, and templates |
| Built on | OpenAPI file plus a manifest | Instructions, files, custom actions | Model Context Protocol | MCP apps plus skills |
| Where you found it | Plugin Store | GPT Store | App directory | Plugin Directory |
| Status (Sept 2026) | Retired April 2024 | Retirement announced | Live, now part of plugins | Live |
Are Custom GPTs Going Away?
Yes. On September 11, 2026, OpenAI announced plans to retire custom GPTs across ChatGPT plans and provide a migration path to plugins. In Enterprise workspaces, custom GPTs are scheduled to stop running on December 11, 2026, and OpenAI's help center says new GPT creation is no longer available on personal accounts, including Free, Go, Plus, and Pro.
OpenAI's framing is continuity, not removal: "We're planning to retire custom GPTs across ChatGPT plans and provide a migration path to plugins." If you built GPTs for your team, three practical steps follow.
- List your GPTs and what each one does: instructions, knowledge files, and actions.
- Map each to a plugin: instructions and examples become skills, and actions become apps.
- Move shared knowledge somewhere that outlives any one chat product, such as a workspace your team already uses.
That third step is the lesson of three generations of ChatGPT extensions. Instructions and files locked inside one product have had to move twice in three years.
What Happened to ChatGPT Agent and Atlas?
OpenAI folded Operator into ChatGPT agent in July 2025, then removed ChatGPT agent in July 2026 and pointed users to ChatGPT Work and its cloud browser for long, multi-step tasks. The ChatGPT Atlas browser, launched in October 2025, stopped working on August 9, 2026, with its agentic browsing moved into ChatGPT and Codex.
The pattern matches the plugins story: standalone experiments get folded into the main product once the capability matures. Shopping followed the same path. Instant Checkout, launched in September 2025 with the Agentic Commerce Protocol, was scaled back in March 2026, when OpenAI let merchants use their own checkout. For the wider picture of AI agents that use a browser, see Browser Agents Explained.
ChatGPT Plugins vs AI Agents: What Is the Difference?
A ChatGPT plugin gives ChatGPT more tools inside a conversation. An AI agent plans and runs multi-step work, often on a schedule or trigger, keeps memory between runs, and acts through integrations after the chat ends. Plugins make one chat smarter. Agents keep work moving when nobody is chatting.
| Capability | ChatGPT plugins (2026) | Taskade AI Agents |
|---|---|---|
| Tools | Apps and skills inside a chat | Built-in tools such as web search, code, and file analysis, plus custom tools |
| When it runs | When you ask in a chat | On request, on a schedule, or on a trigger |
| Memory | Chat and project context | Persistent memory tied to your workspace |
| Acting in other apps | Through each plugin's apps | Automations with 100+ bidirectional integrations |
| Team work | Workspace plugins with admin controls | Shared workspace with role-based access from Owner to Viewer |
| Where results live | In the chat or the connected service | In projects your team sees in multiple project views |
| Standard | Model Context Protocol | Model Context Protocol, through a hosted MCP server on paid plans and the MCP Client action in automations |
Workspace DNA: Why Persistent Context Beats One-Off Plugins
The weakness every generation of chat extension shares is that the context lives in the chat. Close the conversation and the working memory goes with it.
Taskade is built the other way around, on a loop called Workspace DNA:
- Memory: your projects hold documents, tasks, decisions, and files, and they persist.
- Intelligence: AI agents with built-in tools read that memory, reason over it, and collaborate with other agents. A hosted MCP server on every paid plan lets MCP-compatible tools such as Claude Desktop and Cursor work in the same workspace.
- Execution: automations with 100+ bidirectional integrations act on what the agents decide, then write the results back.
Memory feeds Intelligence, Intelligence triggers Execution, and Execution creates Memory. That loop is why a workspace keeps getting more useful while a plugin resets with every chat.
From plugins to building your own tools
Plugins connect AI to tools someone else built. Taskade Genesis lets you describe the tool you need and get a working app, with agents and automations built in. Over 150,000 apps have been built this way and shared in the Community Gallery. For the wider trend, see our guide to vibe coding and agentic AI.
Taskade runs on frontier models from top AI labs, and paid plans start at $10 a month billed annually. Try Taskade AI agents free →
🔗 Related Reading
- History of OpenAI and ChatGPT: the company behind plugins, GPTs, and apps
- The History of MCP: the protocol under ChatGPT's apps and plugins
- 15 Best MCP Servers: tools that AI assistants can connect to
- Browser Agents Explained: Operator, ChatGPT agent, Atlas, and what replaced them
- How LLMs Got Hands: The History of Tool Use: from function calling to plugins to agents
- What Are AI Agents?: how agents differ from assistants and chatbots
- What Is Retrieval-Augmented Generation?: the idea behind the 2023 retrieval plugin
📚 Sources
- OpenAI: ChatGPT plugins (March 2023), Introducing GPTs, Introducing the GPT Store, and Introducing apps in ChatGPT
- OpenAI Help Center: Winding down the ChatGPT plugins beta, Plugins in ChatGPT and Codex, Custom GPT retirement and migration FAQ, ChatGPT agent, and Evolving Atlas into ChatGPT
- OpenAI: ChatGPT release notes and Developer mode
💬 Frequently Asked Questions About ChatGPT Plugins
What are ChatGPT plugins?
ChatGPT plugins are add-ons that connect ChatGPT to outside tools and data. The first version launched in March 2023 and was retired in April 2024. The second launched on July 9, 2026, when the Plugin Directory replaced the App Directory, and it packages skills, apps, and app templates for ChatGPT and Codex.
What happened to the original ChatGPT plugins?
OpenAI wound down the plugins beta after users and builders moved to GPTs. New plugin conversations stopped on March 19, 2024, and existing plugin chats ended on April 9, 2024, when the store held a little more than 1,000 plugins.
What replaced ChatGPT plugins?
First GPTs (November 2023), then connectors built on the Model Context Protocol (June 2025), apps and the Apps SDK (October 2025), an app directory (December 2025), and the Plugin Directory (July 2026), which replaced the App Directory.
How do ChatGPT plugins work now?
Install a plugin from the Plugin Directory, sign in to the services its apps use, then call it in a chat with an @ mention or accept a suggestion. Its apps reach outside services through MCP servers, and its skills apply reusable instructions and code.
Are ChatGPT plugins free?
In September 2026, OpenAI lists plugins, interactive apps, and using GPTs as included on Free, Go, Plus, and Pro. Specific plugins can still depend on your plan, region, workspace settings, device, and the connected service's own account.
Is there a ChatGPT plugin marketplace?
Yes. The Plugin Directory at chatgpt.com/plugins is the current storefront, shared by ChatGPT and Codex. It replaced the App Directory on July 9, 2026.
Are custom GPTs going away?
Yes. OpenAI announced on September 11, 2026 that it plans to retire custom GPTs and migrate them to plugins. In Enterprise workspaces they are scheduled to stop running on December 11, 2026, and personal accounts can no longer create new GPTs.
What is the difference between ChatGPT apps and plugins?
Apps connect ChatGPT to a service through the Model Context Protocol. Plugins package one or more apps with skills and templates for a workflow. Existing app connections kept working when plugins replaced the App Directory.
What happened to ChatGPT agent and ChatGPT Atlas?
ChatGPT agent was removed in July 2026, and OpenAI pointed users to ChatGPT Work and its cloud browser. The Atlas browser stopped working on August 9, 2026.
How do AI agents compare to ChatGPT plugins?
A plugin adds tools to a chat. An AI agent plans and runs multi-step work on a schedule or trigger, remembers between runs, and acts through integrations after the chat ends. Taskade AI agents add persistent memory and automations with 100+ bidirectional integrations.
Can Taskade work with ChatGPT and other AI tools?
Taskade speaks the Model Context Protocol, the standard behind ChatGPT's apps and plugins. A hosted MCP server on every paid plan lets MCP-compatible tools such as Claude Desktop and Cursor work in your Taskade workspace, and the MCP Client action lets Taskade automations call other MCP servers on every plan.
What is Workspace DNA?
Workspace DNA is Taskade's loop of Memory, Intelligence, and Execution: projects hold the memory, agents turn it into intelligence, and automations execute on it and write back. Unlike a plugin inside one chat, the loop keeps context and work going across every run.
Three generations of ChatGPT extensions have taught the same lesson: tools come and go, but the work and its memory need a home. ▲ ■ ●