How to Make Money with ChatGPT Apps

Hey builders,

OpenAI just quietly released the playbook for making money with ChatGPT Apps.

And it's nothing like how Apple does it.

Right now? They're not taking a cut. Zero commission. Nothing.

But here's the thing - this won't last forever. And understanding WHY they're doing this reveals exactly where this platform is heading.

Today I'm breaking down:

→ The two paths to monetize ChatGPT Apps
→ How the technical flow actually works
→ Why OpenAI is giving developers 100% (for now)
→ The strategic play you need to understand
→ What this means for builders moving fast

Let's go.

Right now there are two paths to monetization

OpenAI has released two monetization options:

→ External Checkout (recommended, available now)
→ Instant Checkout (private beta, select marketplace partners only)

Let me break down each one.

Full details here:

External Checkout: The Recommended Path

This is the path OpenAI wants you to use right now.

External checkout means users click out to YOUR site. You handle pricing, payments, subscriptions, fulfilment - everything.

OpenAI stays completely out of the money flow.

No commission. No fee. Nothing.

This is huge. You're essentially getting distribution to 850M+ weekly users while keeping 100% of revenue.

The tradeoff? Users leave the ChatGPT interface to complete payment. There's friction. But you own the entire customer relationship.

Instant Checkout: The Private Beta

Select marketplace partners can now let users pay without leaving the chat.

It's built on the Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP), co-developed with Stripe.

The key detail: You're still merchant of record. You still use Stripe, Adyen, or any PSP. ChatGPT is just the interface layer.

More on ACP and how the check out experience will roughly feel here:

Before you get too excited, a few things to note:

→ Physical goods only (digital goods + subscriptions coming)
→ "Select marketplace partners" = approval required
→ Private beta = not open for general submissions

If you're building digital products or subscription services, you'll need to use external checkout for now. But this is clearly the direction things are heading.

Now, why are OpenAI doing this?

Here's where it gets interesting.

Apple launched the App Store in 2008 with a 30% commission from day one.

Steve Jobs got applause for it - back then, developers were lucky to see 30% after retail took its cut. The App Store was genuinely better.

17 years later? Still 30%.

They've made some reductions under pressure:

→ 15% for subscriptions after Year 1 (2016)
→ 15% for small devs earning under $1M (2020)
→ 17% in the EU after DMA fines (2024)

But the standard rate hasn't moved. 30% since day one.

OpenAI is taking a completely different approach.

So, why give developers 100%?

Because the AI race is brutal.

Google, Anthropic, xAI - everyone is fighting for developer mindshare. OpenAI can't afford to charge 30% when Claude and Gemini are one API call away.

So they're doing what any smart platform does in a land grab: subsidise early, monetise later.

The playbook is clear:

→ Get developers building
→ Get merchants comfortable
→ Lock in the ecosystem with 850M weekly users
→ Then introduce fees once switching costs are high and competition has thinned out

If you want to read more about how this new platform opportunity will likely play out, I wrote a piece on it here:

Apple could charge 30% from day one because there was no alternative. The iPhone was pretty much the only game in town.

OpenAI doesn't have that luxury. Yet.

Different market. Different playbook. Same endgame: own the platform layer, get people to build on it, then monetise.

The monetization opportunity will be this advantageous at the beginning, not forever

If you've been waiting for clarity on ChatGPT App monetization, this is it.

The window is open. Commission is zero. Distribution is massive.

But this won't last forever.

The builders who move now get to:

→ Establish user bases before fees hit
→ Build brand recognition inside ChatGPT
→ Lock in customers before competition saturates
→ Learn the platform while stakes are low

We're still in Phase 3 of platform evolution - the gold rush period where distribution is being handed to early movers.

By the time OpenAI introduces fees (and they will), many of the winners will already be established.

Getting Started

If you're serious about building on this platform, here are some resources that’ll help:

1. appsonchatgpt.com - a resource to help builders build apps and get them discovered:

2. YouTube deep dives - we’ve been sharing videos deep diving into many topics, including How to Build Apps inside ChatGPT:

As always, feel free to drop me a reply with feedback or questions.

I read every reply!

Happy building,

Elliot

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