ChatGPT Plugins: What They Are and How to Install Them

Short answer: Yes, ChatGPT has plugins. A plugin lets ChatGPT work with a tool you already use, such as Canva, Slack or Google Drive, inside the chat. Open Plugins in the ChatGPT sidebar, pick one, select Install plugin, and connect your account if it asks.

Does ChatGPT have plugins?

Yes. OpenAI calls them plugins. You find them under Plugins in the ChatGPT sidebar on the web, the desktop app and the mobile app.

What are ChatGPT plugins?

A plugin can contain one or more of these:

• Apps. An app connects ChatGPT to a service such as Google Drive or Slack, so ChatGPT can look things up and do tasks there.
• Skills. Saved instructions for a task, such as a set format for a weekly update. A skill needs no outside service.
• Extensions. Panels, forms and file viewers that open beside the chat.

A plugin can also show maps, cards or playlists inside the chat.

ChatGPT plugins vs ChatGPT apps

An app is one connection to an outside service. A plugin is the package you install, and it can include one or more apps.

You see both words because OpenAI renamed the feature. It called an early 2023 beta “plugins,” launched “apps” in October 2025, and in July 2026 replaced the App Directory with the Plugin Directory. Your existing app connections kept working. Older articles may also say “connectors,” and very old versions of the ChatGPT phone app may still show Apps instead of Plugins.

Which ChatGPT plans can use plugins?

Some plugins work on every ChatGPT plan, Free included. Some need a paid plan.

If a plugin is missing for you, your plan or region may be the reason. On a work account, your administrator decides which plugins you can use. On Plus and Pro, you connect plugins yourself in your own settings.

How to install plugins in ChatGPT

The steps are the same on the web, the desktop app and the mobile app:

1. Open Plugins in the sidebar. You can also go to Settings > Plugins.
2. Find a plugin. Browse categories such as Popular and New & Noteworthy, or search by name. You only see plugins you can install.
3. Open it and read the details. Check what it does, the apps it includes, and any setup it needs.
4. Select Install plugin.
5. Connect your account if asked. Select Connect, sign in, and review the permissions it asks for. Use the account that holds what you want ChatGPT to see. A personal account will not open files that only your work account can reach.

Some plugins need no sign-in. A plugin marked Desktop only works only in the ChatGPT desktop app.

How to use a plugin in a chat

There are four ways to use an installed plugin:

• Just ask. ChatGPT uses your installed plugins on its own when they fit what you ask.
• Mention it by name. Type @ and the plugin name, for example: “@Canva, turn this outline into a clean pitch deck.”
• Pick it from the menu. Select + and type its name, or select Plugins in the message box.
• Accept a suggestion. ChatGPT may suggest a plugin that fits the chat, such as a home-search app when you talk about buying a house.

ChatGPT may ask before it reads something or acts through an app. You can change how often it asks in the plugin’s permission settings.

How to remove or disconnect a ChatGPT plugin

1. Open Settings > Plugins.
2. Select the plugin or app.
3. Under Connected accounts, open the account’s ••• menu. If that section isn’t there, use Connection or the plugin’s ••• menu.
4. Select Disconnect.

Before you confirm:

• Uninstalling a plugin can disconnect every account you connected through it.
• Disconnecting does not delete your chats, saved files or memories.
• The other service may have its own way to unlink ChatGPT. Check its account settings too.

What are the best ChatGPT plugins?

It depends on what you do. OpenAI’s first app partners, in 2025, were Booking.com, Canva, Coursera, Figma, Expedia, Spotify and Zillow. For work, OpenAI points to Slack, SharePoint, Airtable and Google Drive.

Directory rankings favor plugins people keep using after they install them. A plugin with an OpenAI Verified badge was reviewed by OpenAI for quality, reliability and usefulness.

Install SpendHack in ChatGPT

SpendHack is a free app in ChatGPT for shopping on Amazon. Tell it what you need, such as “a quiet blender that’s easy to clean, Prime only, 4 stars or better,” and it finds products that fit so you can compare them in the chat. ChatGPT can’t reliably show today’s Amazon prices on its own. Each product shows the current price, the list price and percent off, any coupon, limited-time deals with their end time, ratings and review count, Prime eligibility, and product images. You can also ask for today’s deals by category. It covers amazon.com.

To add SpendHack, select the button on our home page. When it opens SpendHack in ChatGPT, select Install plugin. How it works has example questions to try.

Sources

• OpenAI Help Center, “Plugins in ChatGPT” (help.openai.com/en/articles/20001256-plugins-in-chatgpt)
• OpenAI Help Center, “Connecting and managing app accounts in ChatGPT” (help.openai.com/en/articles/20001494-connecting-and-managing-app-accounts-in-chatgpt)
• OpenAI Help Center, “Connected apps in ChatGPT” (help.openai.com/en/articles/11487775-connected-apps-in-chatgpt)
• OpenAI Help Center, “ChatGPT — Release Notes” (help.openai.com/en/articles/6825453-chatgpt-release-notes)
• OpenAI, “Plugins in ChatGPT” (chatgpt.com/features/plugins)
• OpenAI, “Introducing apps in ChatGPT and the new Apps SDK,” October 6, 2025 (openai.com/index/introducing-apps-in-chatgpt)
• OpenAI, “ChatGPT plugins,” March 23, 2023 (openai.com/index/chatgpt-plugins)
• TechCrunch, “OpenAI expands ChatGPT’s plug-ins with app-like interfaces and automations,” September 29, 2026 (techcrunch.com/2026/09/29/openai-expands-chatgpts-plugins-with-app-like-interfaces-and-automations)