Similarweb: GPTs created by subscribers on OpenAI's GPT Store accounted for just 1.5% of desktop visits to ChatGPT's site in February, suggesting limited appeal
CEO Sam Altman wants customised chatbots to supercharge its business but data suggests ‘GPTs’ have limited appeal
Context & Ripple Effects
OpenAI positioned GPTs as no-code custom versions of ChatGPT, then opened a store for paid users after saying millions had been created. The February traffic figure tests whether that early supply translated into discovery and repeat use.
The result also follows reports that developers lacked users, analytics and a way to charge, while a review identified quality, impersonation and copyright concerns in parts of the catalog. Together, developer frustration over weak discovery and catalog-governance concerns help explain why a large inventory has not necessarily become a destination.
First-order effects
- GPT Store creators face evidence that their products captured only a small share of ChatGPT desktop traffic in February, weakening the immediate case for building a standalone audience there.
- OpenAI’s plan to make customised bots a business-growth lever has a distribution problem: the store is generating far less observed traffic than the scale of GPT creation suggested.
Second-order effects
- OpenAI faces pressure to improve discovery, creator measurement and monetization before a revenue-sharing model can meaningfully motivate developers; the store was launched with a planned creator-revenue program.
- Low traffic raises the value of GPTs that are tied to a specific workflow or audience rather than relying on a general-purpose marketplace, and makes catalog quality controls more consequential.
Third-order effects
- If usage remains concentrated in the main ChatGPT experience, AI-agent marketplaces may resemble app stores with abundant supply but scarce attention, rewarding platforms that control distribution and default surfaces.
- The durable contest shifts from enabling chatbot creation to proving workflow-level utility and trust; whether OpenAI can turn GPTs into a separate ecosystem remains uncertain from desktop-visit data alone.
The trend: This is one data point in the shift from generative-AI creation tools toward distribution, discovery and workflow integration as the real determinants of commercial adoption.