Custom GPT alternative

The Custom GPT alternative your customers can still reach

OpenAI is retiring Custom GPTs on 11 December 2026, and shared GPT links stop working. Bring your instructions and files to Chat Thing and keep your assistant on your website, a link or WhatsApp. The people using it don't need a ChatGPT account, and unlike a GPT, you can read every conversation.

How AI customer support works →

No credit card required · Comparison last updated 2 November 2026

~5 min: to go live
50+: languages
24/7: AI answers
Since 2023: in production

Overview

Custom GPT vs Chat Thing

AI agents trained on your own content, live on your website, a shareable link, WhatsApp, Slack and more, with actions and human handoff when it matters.

Custom GPTs made it easy to package instructions, files and actions into an assistant and share it with a link. Their replacement, ChatGPT plugins, is built for people working inside ChatGPT: a migrated plugin starts private, existing users don't get access automatically, and everyone needs ChatGPT to use it. If your GPT was only ever for you, a plugin or a ChatGPT project is probably the right home. If other people relied on it (customers, clients, students or your own team), Chat Thing gives it a home you control.

Head to head

Feature-by-feature comparison

A fair look across the things that matter. We mark a winner per row — including the rows Custom GPT wins.

Feature	Chat Thing	Custom GPT
After 11 December 2026	Keeps running on your plan	Retired and replaced by ChatGPT plugins
Sharing with other people	Shareable bot page link, website widget, inline embed or your own domain	GPT links stop working; sharing settings don't carry over and plugins start private
Who can use it	Anyone you share it with, no account needed (password optional)	ChatGPT users only
Seeing conversations	Read and export every conversation on every plan; take over live on Standard and up	Builders can't see what people ask their GPT
Instructions	Paste them into the bot's Prompt	Become a skill in the plugin
Knowledge	Uploaded files plus websites, Notion, Google Drive, YouTube and RSS that stay in sync	Uploaded files, copied to the plugin as reference files
Actions and API calls	Power-ups: call your API, MCP servers, Zapier, Make, bookings and email (Basic and up)	Custom actions don't migrate; rebuild them as an app or MCP server
Model choice	Pick from GPT, Claude, Gemini and more (Standard and up)	OpenAI models only; the GPT's chosen model doesn't carry over
Channels	Website and link on every plan; WhatsApp, Slack, Discord, Telegram, email and API on Standard and up	Inside ChatGPT
Analytics and testing	Topic and sentiment analytics (Pro), automated test cases (Enterprise)	No conversation analytics or testing for builders
Built-in tools	Web search and page browsing power-ups	Web search, image generation, code and data analysis built in
Personal use	Built for assistants other people use	Plugins and Projects sit right where you already work

The honest summary: For an assistant only you use, ChatGPT is still the better home: image generation, code and data analysis are built in, and you're already there. For an assistant other people rely on, the retirement changes the answer. Chat Thing keeps it reachable by link, website or WhatsApp, lets you choose the model, rebuilds actions as power-ups and shows you every conversation. It also goes well beyond what a GPT could do: phone calls, scheduled tasks, live human takeover, analytics and automated testing.

How to switch

Move your GPT in six steps

Do it before 11 December, while you can still open the GPT's settings and copy everything out.

1
Copy everything out of your GPT
In ChatGPT, open your GPT's Configure tab. Copy its instructions and conversation starters, find the original knowledge files you uploaded and note any actions it uses.
2
Hand it to the setup assistant
Sign up free and click New bot. Paste your GPT's instructions and conversation starters into the setup assistant, and it builds the bot with you.
3
Upload your knowledge files
Drop the same files into the setup chat, or add them as an Upload files data source later. Add your website too, so answers stay up to date.
4
Rebuild actions as power-ups
Recreate API actions with the API request or MCP server power-ups, or use the ready-made ones for bookings, email and human handoff.
5
Test it against your GPT
Ask both the same 20 real questions and compare. Adjust the prompt or pick a different model until you're happy.
6
Share it and update your links
Share the bot page link, add the widget to your site or connect WhatsApp, then swap the new link into your emails, docs and QR codes.

Read the full step-by-step guide →

Pricing

What you'll actually pay

A static worked example so you can see the difference in billing models, not just the sticker price.

Chat Thing

Flat & predictable

Free to start, $49/mo for WhatsApp, Slack and more

Flat monthly plans for your team: Free $0, Basic $14, Standard $49, Pro $99, Enterprise $299. The people using your bot never pay or sign up.

Custom GPT

Every user needs ChatGPT and the plugin

Custom GPTs come with ChatGPT, but everyone who uses one needs ChatGPT too. After retirement, a migrated plugin starts private, and existing users don't get access automatically.

Sharing an assistant with your customers or clients

Free covers one bot with one data source, which can hold all of a GPT's knowledge files
Basic ($14/mo) adds power-ups, so it's the first plan that can rebuild a GPT's actions
Standard ($49/mo) adds model choice, WhatsApp, Slack and the other channels, human takeover and removes Chat Thing branding
Chat Thing bills by plan, never per user or per conversation; a custom domain is an add-on on paid plans

Chat Thing prices from chatthing.ai/pricing, November 2026. OpenAI's retirement dates are scheduled and may change, so check OpenAI's retirement FAQ for your workspace.

The honest bit

Where Custom GPT wins

No tool wins everything. Here's where Custom GPT is genuinely the stronger choice.

If the GPT was only for you, it stays inside ChatGPT, where you already work.
Image generation, code and data analysis are built into ChatGPT.
Your GPT's users who already pay for ChatGPT don't need anything new.

Stay in ChatGPT and migrate to a plugin or a project if your GPT is a personal tool, or if everyone who uses it already works inside ChatGPT.

Why switch

Why teams move to Chat Thing

Your links keep working

Give people one bot page link for emails, docs and QR codes, or put the bot on your own site, so your links no longer depend on ChatGPT.

See every conversation

A GPT never showed you what people asked it. Chat Thing shows every conversation on every plan, so you can spot wrong answers, find gaps in your knowledge and export transcripts. On Standard and up, you can step in live.

No ChatGPT account required

Customers, clients and students just open the link or the widget and start chatting. Add a password if the bot should stay private.

Far more than a GPT could do

Custom actions don't migrate to plugins, but here they become power-ups that call your API or MCP servers. Bots also answer on WhatsApp, Slack and phone calls, keep knowledge in sync, run scheduled tasks and hand chats to your team.

More than a chatbot

A complete support platform, not a thin wrapper

Chat Thing does the whole job — from answering and escalating to analytics and actions.

Analytics & insights

Analytics that close the loop

Every conversation is logged and searchable. See what customers ask most, where the AI struggles, and exactly which docs to improve.

Top questions and themes at a glance
CSAT and customer ratings on every answer
Spot the gaps in your knowledge base

Omnichannel

One assistant, every channel

Deploy the same trained assistant across your website widget, Slack, WhatsApp, Discord, Telegram, email and a public API — meet customers wherever they are.

Website widget in a single line of code
Slack, WhatsApp, Discord and Telegram
Email plus a public API for anything custom

Knowledge

Learns your business, stays in sync

Point it at your website, docs, PDFs, Notion, files, RSS and YouTube. It keeps learning and auto-syncs, so answers never go stale.

10+ data source types
Auto-resyncs when your content changes
Answers grounded in your content, not guesswork

Human takeover

Jump into any conversation live — and let the AI hand off to your team the moment something needs a person.

Tool-calling power-ups

Your assistant can take actions — look up an order, hit your API, trigger a workflow — not just answer questions.

Choose your model

Run on GPT, Claude, Gemini and more. Pick the model behind your assistant for the quality your support needs.

50+ languages

Train in one language and answer customers in 50+, automatically.

Customer ratings

Built-in thumbs up / down on answers, so you always know what's working and what to fix.

Never trains on your data

Your content is only ever used to answer your customers — never to train AI models.

Proof

Built for the long run

Chat Thing has run businesses' AI assistants in production since 2023, with customers staying for years.

People have already come to Chat Thing specifically to replace a Custom GPT they shared with customers.

We never train AI models on your data. Export your conversations or delete your data whenever you like.

FAQ

Custom GPT alternative — your questions

When do Custom GPTs stop working?

OpenAI has scheduled Custom GPTs to retire on 11 December 2026. After that, GPTs and their pages become inaccessible, so shared links stop working. Enterprise workspaces with an approved deferral have until 11 February 2027. Dates can change, so check OpenAI's retirement FAQ for your workspace.

What doesn't carry over when I migrate a GPT to a plugin?

According to OpenAI, custom actions, the GPT's chosen model, past conversations and sharing settings don't transfer. Migrated plugins start private, and people who used the GPT don't get access automatically.

Can I move my Custom GPT to Chat Thing?

Yes. Click New bot and give Chat Thing's setup assistant your GPT's instructions, conversation starters and knowledge files, and it builds the bot with you. Then rebuild any actions as power-ups. Our step-by-step guide walks through it, including how to set it up by hand.

Do my users need a ChatGPT or Chat Thing account?

No. Anyone with the bot page link, or visiting a site with your widget, can chat straight away. You can add a password if the bot should only be used by certain people.

Can I see what people ask my bot?

Yes, on every plan. The Conversations page shows every conversation your bot has, across all channels, and you can search and export transcripts. A Custom GPT never showed its builder what people asked. Standard and up let your team take over a chat live, and Pro adds analytics on topics, sentiment and common questions.

Can I keep using GPT models?

Yes. On Standard and above you choose the model for each bot, including OpenAI's GPT models, and you can switch to Claude, Gemini or others any time.

Is there a free plan?

Yes. The Free plan includes one bot with one data source, enough to move a simple GPT and share it by link or on your website. Paid plans start at $14/mo and add power-ups, more bots and more channels.

Compare other tools

Sources: OpenAI: Custom GPT retirement and migration FAQ, Virtualization Review (Sep 2026), EdTech Innovation Hub, Chat Thing pricing