The short answer
Your GPT stops working on 11 December 2026. Its replacement is a ChatGPT plugin that starts private, still needs every client to sign in to ChatGPT, and still shows you none of their conversations. A clone on your own site fixes all three, and everything you put into your GPT carries across.
11 Dec
custom GPTs become inaccessible
20
knowledge files a GPT can hold
0
client conversations a GPT builder can read
10 min
to move it to a Personify clone
Your clients should not need someone else's login to talk to you.
The dates
From OpenAI's own retirement FAQ. Timing can vary by account, so check the notice where you built the GPT.
11 Sep 2026
Retirement announced in the ChatGPT release notes
22 Sep 2026
Target date for the migration option to appear
26 Oct 2026
New GPT creation ends for affected Enterprise workspaces
11 Dec 2026
Custom GPTs and their pages become inaccessible
11 Feb 2027
Later date for FedRAMP and approved-deferral workspaces only
What changes for coaches
Many coaches built their first AI clone as a GPT. Here is what the move to plugins does to it.
Your share link dies. Old chatgpt.com/g/ links stop working at retirement. The plugin starts private and past users do not get access automatically.
Sharing gets harder. OpenAI's plugin pages say personal accounts cannot currently share a site-hosted plugin by invitation or link. Business and Enterprise can share inside their own workspace.
Custom Actions must be rebuilt. If your GPT booked calls or sent leads through a Custom Action, that does not migrate and may need a custom MCP server.
Answers may change. The model you picked does not carry over, and OpenAI warns a migrated plugin may respond differently.
What your clients have to do
The real cost of a GPT clone is the friction before a client can ask anything.
Custom GPT or ChatGPT plugin
- 1Has a ChatGPT account
- 2Signs in to ChatGPT
- 3Opens your GPT link
- 4Uses up their own Free limit
Your Personify clone
- 1Clicks the link on your site
- 2Asks their question
- 3Gets your answer
No account needed. Visitor accounts are optional, for people who want to come back to a conversation.
GPT vs plugin vs Personify
What a coach actually needs from an AI version of themselves.
| Custom GPT | ChatGPT plugin | Personify clone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Works after 11 Dec 2026 | No | Yes | Yes |
| Client needs a ChatGPT login | Yes | Yes | No |
| Share with clients from a personal account | Yes, by link | Not currently | Yes, link or widget |
| Embed on your website or course | No | No | Yes, every plan |
| Read client conversations | No, chat count only | Not documented | Yes, every one |
| Charge for access | No | Not documented | Yes, on Pro, to your Stripe |
| Knowledge you can add | 20 files | Reference files | 500 sources on Pro |
| Branding and domain | ChatGPT's | ChatGPT's | Yours |
GPT and plugin facts read on help.openai.com, 2 November 2026. "Not documented" means OpenAI's plugin help pages do not mention it.
Move your GPT in 5 steps
Everything you put into your GPT carries straight across. Budget about 10 minutes.
- 01
Copy your GPT instructions
Open your GPT in the editor and copy the Instructions field and your conversation starters into a document. Do it before 11 December, when the GPT page goes.
- 02
Gather your knowledge files
Collect the files you uploaded. PDFs, Word, PowerPoint, ePub, text, Markdown, CSV, subtitles and audio or video all work, and you can add your website and YouTube videos too.
- 03
Build the clone
Start Free, run Quick Start and upload the files. Paste your old instructions into your clone's tone and rules, written as phrases you actually use. See how to train an AI clone.
- 04
Test it on real client questions
Ask the ten questions clients ask you most. When an answer is off, correct it and the clone uses your correction next time.
- 05
Charging for access
The thing a GPT could never do.
Custom GPT
OpenAI announced GPT Store payouts in January 2024. They never went beyond a small US pilot, so there was no way to charge clients.
Personify Pro
A one-off price or a monthly or yearly subscription per clone, paid into your own Stripe account. Or embed the clone inside your Kajabi or Thinkific paywall with no second login. Step by step in how to charge for your AI clone.
FAQ
When do custom GPTs stop working?+
OpenAI says custom GPTs are scheduled to retire on 11 December 2026, when GPTs and their GPT pages become inaccessible. FedRAMP workspaces and Enterprise workspaces with an approved deferral have until 11 February 2027. OpenAI announced the plan on 11 September 2026 and says timing can vary by account, so check the notice in your own account.
What replaces custom GPTs?+
Plugins. Your instructions become a skill, knowledge files become reference files and connected apps carry over. The chosen model, Custom Actions and sharing settings do not. A migrated plugin starts private, so the people who used your GPT do not get access automatically.
Do my clients need a ChatGPT account to use my GPT?+
Yes. OpenAI requires people to be signed in to ChatGPT to chat with a GPT, and Free users spend their own usage limit doing it. A Personify clone works from a link or a widget on your own site, and visitors do not need any account to start a conversation.
Can I embed my custom GPT on my website?+
No. OpenAI states that GPTs are designed to work in ChatGPT and are not a way to embed ChatGPT in an external website. A Personify clone embeds on your site, in Kajabi, Skool, Thinkific or Teachable with one snippet, on every plan including Free.
Can I see what clients ask my GPT?+
No. GPT builders cannot view individual conversations, only a rounded chat count. In Personify you read every conversation your clone has, so you can see what clients ask and fix weak answers.
Can I charge for my GPT?+
Not inside ChatGPT. The GPT Store revenue programme announced in January 2024 never went beyond a small US pilot. On Personify Pro you can charge a one-off price or a monthly or yearly subscription, paid into your own Stripe account.
How long does it take to move a GPT to Personify?+
About 10 minutes for the basics. Paste your GPT instructions into your clone's tone and rules, upload the same knowledge files, test a few real questions, then share the link. Personify Pro holds up to 500 sources and 10 million characters, against 20 files on a GPT.
Comparing other options? See ChatGPT vs an AI coaching platform and AI persona platforms compared.
Move your GPT before 11 December
Same files, same instructions, and your clients use it without a ChatGPT account. About 10 minutes on the free plan.
Free tier available. No credit card needed.