Question 1

What exactly is a ChatGPT App?

Accepted Answer

A ChatGPT App is a custom application that lives inside ChatGPT and appears when any of the 800M ChatGPT users search for services in your industry. Users can interact with your services, book appointments, browse products, get information, and complete transactions - all without leaving ChatGPT.

Question 2

When did the ChatGPT App Store open?

Accepted Answer

The ChatGPT App Store officially opened on December 17, 2025. This represents a massive opportunity for early adopters to claim their space in front of 800 million weekly ChatGPT users before competitors saturate the market.

Question 3

What's the approval rate for ChatGPT apps?

Accepted Answer

Apps built with MakeAIHQ have a 95% approval rate from OpenAI. Our platform ensures your app meets all OpenAI compliance requirements including proper MCP protocol implementation, security standards, UI/UX guidelines, and content policies.

Question 4

How long does it take to build a ChatGPT app?

Accepted Answer

With MakeAIHQ's templates and AI-powered tools, you can build a fully functional ChatGPT app in 48 hours or less. Most customers have a submission-ready app within 2 days of starting.

Question 5

Do I need ChatGPT Plus to create or use apps?

Accepted Answer

You don't need ChatGPT Plus to create apps with MakeAIHQ. However, users need ChatGPT Plus or Enterprise to access and interact with custom ChatGPT Apps. Since Plus users represent the premium, high-intent segment of ChatGPT's 800M users, this works in your favor for customer quality.

Question 6

What's the difference between Starter, Professional, and Business plans?

Accepted Answer

Starter ($49/mo): 1 app, 5 basic templates, subdomain hosting, 10K tool calls/month. Professional ($149/mo): 3 apps, all 15+ templates, custom domain option, 50K tool calls/month, priority support. Business ($299/mo): 10 apps, export option, API access, 200K tool calls/month, custom components, priority support with video calls.

Question 7

Is there a free trial?

Accepted Answer

New users get a 24-hour trial with 1 app and basic features. No credit card required to start. After the trial, choose any plan or cancel without charges.

Question 8

Can I upgrade or downgrade my plan later?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely. You can upgrade or downgrade anytime from your dashboard. Changes take effect immediately, and we prorate billing automatically. No penalties for changing plans.

Question 9

What happens if I exceed my tool call limit?

Accepted Answer

We provide warnings at 80% and 90% capacity. At 100%, you can: (1) Auto-upgrade to next tier, (2) Purchase overage blocks ($10 for 5K calls), or (3) Throttle mode (app remains live but some features limited). Your app never goes completely offline without permission.

Question 10

Do you offer annual pricing or discounts?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Annual plans save 17%: Starter $39/mo ($470/year), Professional $119/mo ($1,430/year), Business $239/mo ($2,870/year). We also offer multi-location discounts (10% for 5+ locations), nonprofit pricing (30% off), and educational discounts (40% off).

Question 11

Do I need coding skills to create a ChatGPT App?

Accepted Answer

Not at all. Our visual builder uses drag-and-drop tools, pre-built templates, and guided workflows. If you can use WordPress or Shopify, you can build a ChatGPT App.

Question 12

What technologies power MakeAIHQ apps?

Accepted Answer

Apps are built on Model Context Protocol (MCP) standard, run on enterprise Node.js infrastructure with automatic scaling, use Firestore for data storage, integrate with OpenAI's GPT-4 models, support REST APIs for external integrations, and are hosted on Google Cloud Platform with 99.9% uptime SLA.

Question 13

Can I use my own custom domain?

Accepted Answer

Professional, Business, and Enterprise plans support custom domains. Use your existing domain (chatgpt.yourbusiness.com) or dedicated domain. We provide SSL certificates, DNS configuration support, and automatic renewal.

Question 14

What about data security and privacy?

Accepted Answer

We're SOC 2 Type II compliant, GDPR and CCPA compliant, with end-to-end SSL encryption, data encrypted at rest (AES-256), regular third-party security audits, automatic backups (daily with 30-day retention), DDoS protection and WAF, and role-based access controls.

Question 15

How fast are the response times?

Accepted Answer

Average response time is under 200ms for tool calls and under 1 second for widget loading. Our infrastructure uses global CDN with edge caching, automatic load balancing, and intelligent routing.

Question 16

How long does it take to build and publish an app?

Accepted Answer

Using our templates, basic app in 30-60 minutes. Full customization 2-4 hours. Once built, standalone web app is live on your subdomain instantly. For ChatGPT Apps Directory submission, most businesses build submission-ready apps in under a day.

Question 17

Do I need to submit my app to ChatGPT App Store?

Accepted Answer

Submission is optional but highly recommended. Submitted apps appear in ChatGPT's official app directory and get preferential discovery when users search. Apps can still work via direct link without submission, but discoverability is limited.

Question 18

What's the January 21, 2026 deadline about?

Accepted Answer

OpenAI's 'Build Hour' initiative deadline. Apps submitted before this date get grandfather privileges (priority placement, locked-in terms, early adopter badges), faster review times (24-48 hours vs weeks), better discovery algorithms, and preferential ranking.

Question 19

What support options are available?

Accepted Answer

Starter: email support (48hr response), documentation, videos, community forum. Professional: priority email + chat (24hr response), weekly webinars. Business: priority support + video calls, dedicated slack, phone support. Enterprise: dedicated account manager, 24/7 support with 1hr SLA.

Question 20

Do you help with app submission to ChatGPT?

Accepted Answer

Yes! All plans include submission assistance: detailed checklist, automated compliance checks, review before submission, resubmission help, and discoverability optimization tips. Business and Enterprise plans include full white-glove submission service.

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