guide

ChatGPT Sites: 8 million sites, beta limits still apply

ChatGPT Sites hosts apps with saved data and connected accounts. See how its two plugin features differ, what editors can access and where beta limits bite.

EiliyaSeptember 30, 20267 min read

ChatGPT Sites was already hosting 8 million sites, OpenAI said during its DevDay session. Simon Willison recorded the figure alongside a demo that turned a launch spreadsheet into a working app. Willison's live blog

That's a company claim reported from the room, not an independent count of active or production websites. As of 30 September 2026, Sites is still a public beta, albeit one that can hold saved data, authenticated visitors, scheduled work and connected-app information. Read the hosting limits as closely as you watch the demo.

What ChatGPT Sites can build

Sites creates and hosts interactive websites and lightweight apps through ChatGPT. OpenAI's help guide names dashboards, project trackers, launch calendars, prototypes, internal portals and reports. Start in Work on the web, or Work or Codex in the desktop app, and describe the website you want; mention @Sites to make the request explicit. Sites help guide

The useful starting point is a defined workflow. Deciding what that workflow means is still your job.

For a project tracker, specify who can submit a record, who can change its status and what survives the next visit. For a launch calendar, name the source with the authoritative date. For a report, decide whether visitors see shared information or a personal view.

Treat those as requirements to test. A polished first screen tells you little about whether two users can accidentally overwrite each other's work.

Saved data needs more than a good-looking screen

Willison's session notes report SQLite databases and scheduled tasks for Sites. His launch example watched a shared sheet and updated the resulting app. That's a useful direction for small tools that need to stay useful after generation, though the demo doesn't establish a schedule, execution guarantee or update frequency. Willison's session notes

The Sites guide distinguishes D1 relational storage for structured records from R2 object storage for uploads. It lists a 10 GB database limit per Site and no fixed R2 storage limit. Account-level beta allowances still apply, so don't read that as unlimited included hosting. Sites runtime and storage guide

Ask for persistent storage where your product needs it. A request's status belongs in saved data; the temporary state of an open menu usually doesn't. For recurring updates, inspect the configured task and a completed result: mentioning a schedule in a prompt isn't evidence of working automation.

A sign-in button does not settle the AI bill

The Sites guide documents optional Sign in with ChatGPT on public Sites. It supports saved progress, personalized views and records tied to a visitor. A workspace-restricted Site already uses ChatGPT identity for its access settings. Sites sign-in guide

Ask who can open the website, then what a signed-in visitor can do inside it. A public landing page might stay open while its saved dashboard requires sign-in.

The button doesn't, by itself, mean the visitor's subscription pays for every AI request in your app. Identity and eligible plan-funded inference are separate capabilities; OpenAI describes commercial plan use as a limited trial with selected partners. DevDay product documentation

If you're building an AI app, settle who pays for inference before inviting visitors. Hosting and identity alone don't answer that question.

A ChatGPT Sites plugin can work in either direction

The announcement uses Sites and plugins in two related ways. Get the direction wrong and you'll get the plan advice wrong too.

Feature	What happens	Access boundary
Plugins inside a Site	A visitor supplies connected-app data to the app	Workspace-private Sites with the feature enabled
A plugin hosted by a Site	The Site hosts an MCP server that ChatGPT can call	Separate plugin installation and authorization

For plugins inside a Site, OpenAI lists Business, Enterprise, Healthcare and Edu. Each visitor uses their own connected accounts and permissions; sharing the Site doesn't share its builder's connections. DevDay recap, Sites plugin administration

An assigned-issues dashboard shows the benefit: the same interface can show your issues to you and a colleague's issues to them. Admins decide which plugins Sites may use, and visitors choose which connections to allow. Writes require enabled actions, consent and an explicit user action.

For a plugin hosted by a Site, the help page lists all plans, subject to actual Sites access and permissions. The owner publishes the MCP tools, then users install and connect the associated plugin. Workspace sharing requires its own permissions; personal and Pro users can't currently share the hosted plugin directly by invitation or link, even though website sharing is separate. Hosting a plugin with Sites

Choose the direction your product needs. A website that reads a visitor's issue tracker and a handbook that ChatGPT can search solve different problems.

Editors can publish and read the live database

A new Site is limited to its owner and workspace admins until you change its audience. Enterprise public publishing is off by default. Editor access is separate from visitor access. Sites access administration

Where collaboration is available, owners can invite active members of the same workspace as editors. The owner must complete the first publication; after that, editors can publish later versions. They can also read the live database, so granting editing permission means granting data access. Sites collaboration guide

Agree on a review process before inviting editors. Don't assume later publications wait for another owner approval.

The product guide warns that every deployment URL is a production URL. Save a version without deploying when you want a review candidate, and check the visitor experience before making the revision live.

Bring your own domain; check each showcased Site

Custom domains are documented. You must own the domain and change its DNS records using the values Sites supplies. Custom domains are unavailable in Enterprise workspaces at launch; Sites doesn't register a domain for you. Custom-domain instructions

Shareable profiles give you another discovery route. A personal profile is private by default, and you can choose Sites to showcase. Adding one doesn't change that Site's permissions, and viewers must sign into ChatGPT to see the profile. Shareable profiles help

The help page says Enterprise shareable profiles are coming soon, despite the recap's broader launch-plan wording. A showcase can collect your finished examples, but you still need to check who can open each app.

ChatGPT Sites limits can stop public access

Sites usage is included up to plan-specific beta limits across the account. Reaching a limit can block new Sites, additional storage or continued public access to a high-usage Site, while leaving existing Sites editable. OpenAI directs you to the limits shown in your own account. Sites beta limits

Reddit user MeOnly1234 reported a usage warning without a clear explanation of which resources caused it. The author says they haven't established whether automated traffic counts. Treat that as a user report, not proof of a quota defect or a universal billing rule. The original report

Before you host an important website, check whether you can explain its remaining capacity before it becomes unavailable. If you can't, start with a recoverable internal tool.

Let visitors fund the calls, and earn on usage

AI Pass offers optional Spaces hosting for self-contained HTML apps, per its supplied integration guide, and a portable wallet visitors connect to pay for exact usage without a subscription. With Sign in with ChatGPT, the user's plan pays for eligible calls and you earn nothing on that usage; with AI Pass you can add a markup and earn on eligible paid usage under the current AI Pass terms.

Start today at the docs: pick your tool, paste one brief, let your agent inspect and set up the project, then approve in your browser. There's no application, waitlist, provider keys or manual OAuth client setup. Choose hosting separately from inference funding; AI Pass is independent, unaffiliated with and not endorsed by OpenAI.

FAQ

Can ChatGPT Sites use a custom domain?

Yes, where the feature is available. Bring a domain you own and update its DNS. Enterprise custom domains are unavailable at launch.

Are ChatGPT Sites public by default?

No. A new Site is restricted to its owner and workspace admins until you change its audience.

Which plans support plugins inside Sites?

Business, Enterprise, Healthcare and Edu. Connected features require an enabled workspace-private Site and visitor authorization.

Does ChatGPT Sites have unlimited hosting?

No. Plan-specific beta allowances apply across the account. A high-usage Site may lose public availability when a limit is reached.