Best MCPs for ChatGPT: The Apps and Connectors Worth Installing
ChatGPT got MCP support in two waves: the Apps SDK launched in October 2025, then full Developer Mode MCP client support came late that year. There are now hundreds of apps and remote connectors you can plug into ChatGPT — but only a handful are worth installing first. Here are the picks, split by how you'd actually use them.
The two paths in plain English
Don't get lost in the OpenAI marketing copy. There are exactly two ways to add an MCP to ChatGPT, and the picks below split cleanly along that line.
- Apps directory (one click, any plan). Visit
chatgpt.com/apps, pick an app, OAuth links it to your account. Available on Free, Go, Plus, and Pro. These are the consumer-facing integrations — Spotify, Canva, Booking, DoorDash, and so on. - Developer Mode + custom remote connector (paid). For MCPs not in the directory, open Settings → Connectors → Advanced → Developer Mode (Pro / Team / Enterprise / Edu only), click Add custom connector, and paste the server's remote HTTPS URL. This is how you wire in dev tools — GitHub's hosted MCP, Notion's hosted MCP, Stripe's hosted MCP — that aren't in the consumer directory.
Both paths use the same MCP protocol underneath, but ChatGPT only accepts remote HTTPS endpoints — never stdio. That's why this guide is shorter than the equivalent guide for Claude Desktop or Cursor: most community-built MCPs aren't reachable from ChatGPT today.
Just want the full list?
Path 1: Apps directory — install in one click
These are the apps from chatgpt.com/apps that have the highest signal-to-noise on day one. Each one is OpenAI-reviewed, renders rich UI inside the chat (built with the Apps SDK), and OAuths into your existing account.
Spotify
< 1 min setupIt is the cleanest demonstration of an Apps SDK integration: the model handles the intent ("party Friday, indie + electronic, 90 minutes") and the app handles the catalog and account write. Worth listing because it sets the UX bar for every other ChatGPT-native app.
Canva
< 1 min setupSolves the cold-start problem in design tools — most non-designers stall on the empty canvas. Pairing ChatGPT's drafting with Canva's template library is the canonical example of "AI + creative software" the Apps SDK was built for.
Booking.com
< 1 min setupTravel search is the canonical case for an LLM front-end: the structured query is a hassle in the Booking.com UI but trivial as a sentence. Pairing the natural-language brief with Booking's inventory shortcut the longest drag in trip planning.
Expedia
< 1 min setupTrip planning is the single use case where the LLM's structured-prompt strength meets the most painful UI in consumer software. Expedia + ChatGPT collapses 20 minutes of clicking into a single back-and-forth.
DoorDash
< 1 min setupRecipe-to-cart was the canonical "agentic commerce" demo at launch and DoorDash is the cleanest live implementation. It shows the Apps SDK pattern: model handles the planning, app handles the inventory and write.
Replit
< 1 min setupCode generation is ChatGPT's home turf and execution has always been the missing link. Replit closes that loop: prompt → generate → run in a real container → see output → deploy. The most "agentic" of the launch apps for builders.
Adobe Acrobat
< 1 min setupPDF editing is the textbook "I just need one thing done" task. The ChatGPT app collapses Acrobat's feature surface into a one-line ask, which is the first time consumer PDF editing has felt frictionless without a paid Acrobat subscription open in another tab.
Path 2: Developer Mode — remote MCP servers for builders
These aren't in the consumer Apps directory, but each ships an official hosted HTTPS endpoint you can paste into ChatGPT's Developer Mode. They're the dev-tool backbone — version control, knowledge bases, payments, error tracking. All require a paid ChatGPT plan (Pro / Team / Enterprise / Edu).
GitHub
5 min setupGitHub is where most code lives. This MCP lets agents interact with that code directly, without copy-pasting between interfaces.
Notion
5 min setupNotion is where a lot of teams keep their operating knowledge. An agent that can read and append there closes the loop between AI work and the team's source of truth.
Stripe
5 min setupStripe runs billing for a huge share of modern SaaS. Giving agents programmatic access unlocks support automation, revenue analysis, and billing fixes without humans in the loop.
Linear
5 min setupDevelopers using Linear spend time switching between AI tools and project management. This MCP removes that friction.
Sentry
3 min setupError triage is a massive time sink for on-call. An agent armed with Sentry context can summarize the issue, link related commits, and propose a fix before you open the dashboard.
Custom connectors are a trust call
mcp.notion.com, Stripe's mcp.stripe.com) when possible.Quick comparison
| MCP | Path | Plan needed | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spotify | Directory | Free+ | Mood-based playlists, music discovery |
| Canva | Directory | Free+ | Slide decks, social posts, posters |
| Booking.com | Directory | Free+ | Hotel comparison and shortlisting |
| DoorDash | Directory | Free+ | Recipe-to-cart grocery and food orders |
| Replit | Directory | Free+ | Generate, run, and deploy small projects |
| Adobe Acrobat | Directory | Free+ | PDF edit, convert, compress |
| GitHub | Developer Mode | Pro+ | Issues, PRs, code search |
| Notion | Developer Mode | Pro+ | Read/write workspace, databases |
| Stripe | Developer Mode | Pro+ | Customers, payments, subscriptions |
| Linear | Developer Mode | Pro+ | Issues, projects, sprints |
| Sentry | Developer Mode | Pro+ | Errors, traces, releases |
Frequently asked questions
Does ChatGPT actually support MCP?
Yes — in two ways. (1) The official ChatGPT Apps directory at chatgpt.com/apps lists OpenAI-reviewed integrations (Spotify, Canva, Figma, GitHub, Stripe, etc.) that install in one click. (2) Pro / Team / Enterprise / Edu users can add custom remote MCP servers through Developer Mode in Settings → Connectors. Both paths use the same MCP protocol underneath.
Why aren't there more MCPs in this guide?
ChatGPT only accepts remote HTTPS MCP servers — no stdio. That excludes the bulk of community-built MCPs (Filesystem, Memory, Sequential Thinking, and most things on awesome-mcp-servers lists). The MCPs in this guide either ship as official ChatGPT-native apps or have a publicly documented hosted endpoint. The full filtered list is on /top-mcps-for-chatgpt.
Do I need a paid ChatGPT plan?
Apps from chatgpt.com/apps are available to logged-in users on Free, Go, Plus, and Pro plans (currently outside the EEA, Switzerland, and the UK). Adding custom remote MCP connectors via Developer Mode requires ChatGPT Pro, Team, Enterprise, or Edu.
What's the difference between a directory app and a custom connector?
Functionally the same — both are MCP servers ChatGPT calls over HTTPS. Directory apps have been submitted by their owner and approved by OpenAI; they install in one click and often render rich UI inside the chat (built with the Apps SDK). Custom connectors are any other remote MCP server you point ChatGPT at via Developer Mode — no review, no UI extensions, your responsibility to trust.
Can I use Claude Desktop MCPs in ChatGPT?
Only if the MCP has a hosted HTTPS endpoint. Stdio-only servers (Filesystem, Memory, Sequential Thinking, the Anthropic-shipped servers) work in Claude Desktop but cannot run in ChatGPT until you deploy them to a public HTTPS URL — for example with Cloudflare Workers or Vercel.
See every ChatGPT-ready MCP
Browse the full filtered list — Apps directory listings and remote-HTTPS MCPs ranked by popularity. Verified for 2026.
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