25 Best Custom GPTs Worth Using in 2026 (Updated Weekly)

Last week, I stumbled onto a custom GPT that completely changed how I handle research projects. I’d been spending hours digging through academic papers the old-fashioned way, and this GPT cut that time in half. That moment made me realize something: there are probably dozens of custom GPTs that could save me serious time—I just hadn’t found them yet.

Here’s the problem. The GPT Store has over 3 million custom GPTs. Three million. And honestly? Most of them are garbage. Broken tools, abandoned projects, glorified prompts that don’t do anything special. Finding the ones that actually work feels like searching for a needle in a haystack.

So I did the legwork. Over the past several months, I’ve tested hundreds of custom GPTs across every category—productivity, coding, research, creative work, marketing, you name it. This article is the result: a curated list of 25 custom GPTs that are genuinely worth your time.

I update this list weekly as new GPTs emerge and old ones improve (or disappear). If you’re a ChatGPT Plus subscriber looking to get more value from your subscription, this is your starting point. Let’s dive in.

What Are Custom GPTs? (A Quick Refresher)

Before we get to the list, let’s make sure we’re on the same page about what custom GPTs actually are.

Custom GPTs are specialized versions of ChatGPT that have been configured for specific tasks. Think of them as pre-tuned experts. Instead of starting from scratch with a general-purpose AI, you’re working with a tool that’s been set up to excel at one particular thing—whether that’s writing code, generating images, or helping with legal research.

The key difference from regular ChatGPT is specialization. When you use a custom GPT, you’re getting:

• Pre-loaded instructions - The GPT knows what it’s supposed to do
• Focused capabilities - Often integrated with specific tools or knowledge
• Optimized workflows - Built-in prompting that you’d otherwise have to figure out yourself

To access custom GPTs, you need ChatGPT Plus ($20/month), Team, or Enterprise. Sorry, free users—this is one of the features locked behind the paywall. If you want to create your own custom GPT, you’ll need that subscription too.

Now that we’re aligned, let’s get into the actual recommendations.

How I Evaluate Custom GPTs

Not every popular GPT is actually good. I’ve seen plenty with thousands of users that don’t do much more than a well-crafted prompt would. Here’s my personal criteria for what makes a custom GPT “worth using”:

Actually works - You’d be surprised how many GPTs are broken or produce worse results than standard ChatGPT. I test every GPT multiple times before recommending it.

Saves real time - If I can achieve the same result with regular ChatGPT in roughly the same amount of time, the custom GPT hasn’t earned its place on this list.

Regularly maintained - The GPT Store is full of abandoned projects. I prioritize GPTs that show signs of active development and updates.

Has genuine users - Not just inflated numbers, but actual signs of a user community and feedback.

With that framework in mind, let’s get to the good stuff.

Best Productivity GPTs

These are the workhorses—custom GPTs that can streamline your daily tasks and actually move the needle on productivity.

1. Write For Me

What it does: Generates tailored content with a focus on structure, word count management, and SEO-friendly writing.

Best for: Blog posts, business content, professional writing, content outlines

I’ve made this my default starting point for first drafts. What sets Write For Me apart from just asking ChatGPT to write something is its systematic approach. It asks clarifying questions upfront, structures content logically, and actually pays attention to word count targets.

The output isn’t publish-ready—you still need to edit and add your voice—but it gets you 70% of the way there faster than starting from scratch. For someone who writes a lot of content, that’s a meaningful time savings.

My take: If you create content regularly, try this one first. It’s not magic, but it’s a solid productivity boost.

2. Canva GPT

What it does: Creates designs, presentations, social media graphics, and logos directly through chat.

Best for: Quick designs when you don’t want to open the full Canva app

Here’s when Canva GPT shines: you need something visual, and you need it fast. Instead of opening Canva, searching through templates, and dragging elements around, you describe what you want in plain English and get options back.

Is it as powerful as the full Canva experience? No. But for quick social media posts, presentation slides, or brainstorming visual concepts, it eliminates a lot of friction.

My take: I use this more than I expected. It’s not replacing professional design work, but for everyday visual needs, it’s surprisingly capable.

3. Zapier GPT (Automation Consultant)

What it does: Helps you design and troubleshoot automation workflows across 5,000+ apps.

Best for: Setting up automations, connecting tools, workflow optimization

If you’ve ever stared at Zapier trying to figure out the best way to connect your tools, this GPT is a game-changer. You describe what you want to accomplish in plain language, and it suggests specific zaps, triggers, and actions.

I used it last month to set up a system that automatically saves email attachments to Google Drive, creates a Notion database entry, and sends me a Slack notification. Setting that up manually would have taken trial and error. With this GPT? About ten minutes.

My take: Essential for anyone using automation tools but struggling with the complexity.

4. AI Humanizer

What it does: Transforms AI-generated text into more natural, human-sounding content.

Best for: Making AI drafts sound less robotic, avoiding AI detection

I was skeptical of this one at first. The whole concept of using AI to make AI sound less like AI seemed… circular. But it actually works surprisingly well.

What it does is identify telltale patterns of AI writing—certain phrases, sentence structures, levels of formality—and reworks them to sound more natural. The result isn’t perfect human prose, but it’s noticeably better than straight ChatGPT output.

My take: Useful for polishing AI-assisted content, but don’t rely on it to do all the humanizing work. You still need to add your own voice.

5. Excel Formula Generator

What it does: Creates Excel and Google Sheets formulas based on plain English descriptions.

Best for: Complex formulas, nested functions, array formulas

I’m decent with spreadsheets, but some formulas are just annoying to write from scratch. This GPT has become my go-to for anything involving nested IFs, VLOOKUPs, or array formulas.

Last week, I needed a formula to calculate weighted averages across multiple conditions while accounting for blank cells. Instead of spending 20 minutes getting the syntax right, I described what I needed and had a working formula in under a minute.

My take: Even spreadsheet experts can save time here. The more complex your formula needs, the more valuable this becomes.

Best Research & Learning GPTs

These GPTs focus on helping you find, understand, and synthesize information more effectively.

6. Scholar GPT

What it does: Provides access to over 200 million academic resources including Google Scholar, PubMed, and arXiv.

Best for: Academic research, literature reviews, finding citations

This is the GPT that started my journey—and it’s still my favorite. Scholar GPT doesn’t just search for papers; it helps you understand them. You can ask it to explain complex concepts, summarize findings, or compare different studies on a topic.

The built-in critical reading assistance is particularly useful. When you’re wading through academic papers, having an AI that can help you evaluate methodology and extract key insights is invaluable.

My take: If you do any kind of research, this is non-negotiable. It’s like having a research assistant in your pocket.

7. Consensus

What it does: Searches scientific literature and provides evidence-based answers with citations.

Best for: Finding scientific evidence, fact-checking claims, evidence-based research

Consensus is specifically designed for finding what science actually says about a topic. Ask it a question, and it returns relevant research papers with summaries of what the evidence suggests.

What I appreciate is the transparency. It shows you its sources and lets you dig deeper into the original papers. Unlike just asking ChatGPT a science question (where you might get confident-sounding nonsense), Consensus grounds everything in actual research.

My take: My go-to for “what does the research say about X?” questions. The source citations alone make it worth using.

8. Universal Primer

What it does: Teaches any subject from foundational concepts, adapting to your level.

Best for: Learning new subjects, filling knowledge gaps

What makes Universal Primer different from just asking ChatGPT to explain something? The pedagogical approach. It starts from first principles and builds up systematically, checking your understanding along the way.

I used it recently to brush up on quantum computing basics. Instead of dumping everything at once, it took me through a structured learning path, asked questions to verify I understood each concept before moving on, and adjusted its explanations based on my responses.

My take: Great for self-directed learning. Not a replacement for formal education, but excellent for exploring new topics.

9. CK-12 Flexi (Math & Science Tutor)

What it does: AI tutor specifically designed for math and science education.

Best for: Students, parents helping with homework, brushing up on fundamentals

This one’s from CK-12, a nonprofit focused on education, and it shows. Flexi is particularly good at walking through problems step-by-step rather than just giving answers.

Whether you’re a student working through calculus homework or an adult who needs to remember how chemistry works, it’s a patient and effective tutor.

My take: Highly recommend for anyone learning or re-learning math and science. The step-by-step explanations actually teach.

Best Coding & Developer GPTs

For programmers and developers looking to accelerate their workflow.

10. Code Copilot

What it does: Simulates an experienced programmer for code generation, review, and debugging.

Best for: Code review, debugging, documentation, architecture decisions

Code Copilot feels like pair programming with a senior developer. It doesn’t just write code—it explains its reasoning, suggests alternatives, and helps you understand tradeoffs.

Last week, this thing saved me two hours on a Python project. I was dealing with a tricky async issue, and instead of digging through Stack Overflow, I described the problem and got a clear explanation of what was happening plus a working solution.

My take: If you code regularly, this should be one of your most-used GPTs. The quality of explanations sets it apart.

11. Data Analyst GPT (Advanced Data Analysis)

What it does: Analyzes data, creates visualizations, performs statistical analysis, converts file formats.

Best for: Data analysis, creating charts, working with CSVs and Excel files

This is essentially Code Interpreter on steroids, specifically tuned for data work. Upload a dataset, describe what you want to know, and it handles the pandas, matplotlib, or whatever else is needed.

I’ve used it for everything from quick exploratory analysis to generating presentation-ready charts. It’s particularly good at handling messy real-world data that needs cleaning before analysis.

My take: Indispensable for anyone who works with data but doesn’t want to write code for every analysis.

12. Python Expert GPT

What it does: Specialized assistance for Python programming across all skill levels.

Best for: Python-specific tasks, learning Python, optimizing Python code

Why use a Python-specific GPT when Code Copilot handles Python too? Specialization. Python Expert GPT goes deeper on Python idioms, library recommendations, and best practices.

If you’re primarily a Python developer, this focused expertise translates to better suggestions. It knows the nuances between different approaches and can recommend the most Pythonic solution.

My take: Python developers should keep this in their toolkit alongside general coding assistants.

13. Wolfram GPT

What it does: Leverages Wolfram Alpha for complex calculations, scientific computations, and data analysis.

Best for: Advanced mathematics, physics calculations, precise computations

When you need computational accuracy, not just plausible-sounding answers, Wolfram GPT is your friend. It connects to Wolfram Alpha’s computational knowledge engine, meaning you get verified calculations rather than AI guesses.

For anything involving serious math, scientific data, or precise numerical answers, this is dramatically more reliable than regular ChatGPT.

My take: Essential for any STEM work where accuracy matters. Regular ChatGPT makes math mistakes; this doesn’t.

Best Creative & Design GPTs

For image generation, video creation, and creative projects.

14. DALL-E (Built-in)

What it does: Generates images from text descriptions.

Best for: Image creation, concept visualization, creative projects

DALL-E isn’t a standalone custom GPT—it’s built into ChatGPT Plus—but it deserves mention because it’s still the most reliable option for image generation. The integration is seamless: describe what you want, and images appear in the chat.

Recent updates have dramatically improved quality, especially for realistic images and text rendering (which used to be terrible). It’s not perfect for every use case, but for general image generation, it’s hard to beat.

My take: Your default for most image generation needs. Other image GPTs exist, but few match the convenience and consistent quality.

15. Image Generator Pro

What it does: Advanced image generation with more control over styles and details.

Best for: Specific artistic styles, detailed refinements, professional-quality outputs

Where Image Generator Pro shines is in the details. It offers more granular control over artistic styles, aspect ratios, and image refinement. If you’re moving beyond quick concept images to something more polished, this gives you more levers to pull.

I’ve found it particularly useful for consistent style across multiple images—something that can be hit-or-miss with standard DALL-E.

My take: Graduate to this when standard DALL-E isn’t giving you enough control.

16. Logo Creator

What it does: Generates logo concepts and designs based on brand descriptions.

Best for: Logo brainstorming, quick concept generation

Let me be clear about limitations: this won’t replace a professional logo designer for serious branding work. But for quick concepts, early-stage brainstorming, or projects where you don’t have a design budget, it’s genuinely useful.

What Logo Creator does well is rapid iteration. Describe your brand, get some concepts, refine based on what you like, and quickly converge on a direction. Even if you ultimately hire a designer, starting with AI-generated concepts can accelerate the process.

My take: Great for exploration and small projects. For serious branding, use it for inspiration but hire a human.

17. Video GPT by VEED

What it does: Creates videos with voiceovers from text prompts and scripts.

Best for: Quick explainer videos, social media content, marketing videos

Text-to-video is still an emerging capability, and Video GPT shows both the potential and current limitations. For short-form content, explainer videos, and social media, it can produce usable results surprisingly quickly.

The main limitation is flexibility. You’re working within templates and preset styles, so highly customized video work still requires traditional tools. But for quick, “good enough” video content, it removes a lot of production friction.

My take: Worth exploring for video content, but set realistic expectations. It’s not replacing video editors yet.

Best Writing & Content GPTs

For articles, marketing copy, and creative writing.

18. Creative Writing Coach

What it does: Provides feedback, guidance, and techniques for fiction and creative writing.

Best for: Fiction writing, overcoming writer’s block, developing your craft

This GPT acts more as a mentor than a ghostwriter. Rather than writing for you, it helps you write better. It provides feedback on your work, suggests techniques for specific challenges, and helps when you’re stuck.

I’ve found it valuable for working through plot problems and developing characters. The feedback isn’t as nuanced as a human writing group, but it’s available at 2 AM when you’re stuck on chapter three.

My take: A useful tool for developing writers who want to improve their craft, not just produce content.

19. Copywriter GPT

What it does: Creates marketing copy, ad content, and brand messaging.

Best for: Marketing copy, social media posts, ad campaigns

Copywriter GPT understands the fundamentals of persuasive writing: hooks, benefits over features, calls to action. It’s particularly useful for brand-voice consistency—you can describe your brand’s tone and it adapts accordingly.

I use it for generating variations. Need ten different headlines for A/B testing? Five versions of ad copy? Brainstorming taglines? It produces options quickly so you can focus on selection rather than generation.

My take: Solid tool for marketing content. Works best when you know what you want but need help executing quickly.

20. SEO GPT by Writesonic

What it does: Creates SEO-optimized content with keyword integration and structure.

Best for: Blog posts, website content, SEO-focused articles

If you care about search rankings, SEO GPT streamlines the optimization process. It helps with keyword placement, heading structure, meta descriptions, and content formatting—all the technical stuff that can feel tedious.

For more ChatGPT tips and tricks, including how to write better prompts for content creation, check out our dedicated guide.

My take: Useful for SEO-focused content. Not a replacement for actual SEO strategy, but a good execution tool.

Best Marketing & Business GPTs

For strategy, sales, and business operations.

21. Marketer GPT Pro

What it does: Marketing strategy consultant for campaigns, positioning, and growth.

Best for: Marketing strategy, campaign planning, market research frameworks

This GPT approaches marketing from a strategic level rather than just execution. It can help with competitive analysis frameworks, positioning statements, campaign calendars, and audience segmentation.

What I find valuable is the questioning. Before producing outputs, it asks the right questions to understand your business context—the kind of questions a good marketing consultant would ask.

My take: More useful for strategy and planning than day-to-day execution. Good for thinking through marketing challenges.

22. Sales Coach GPT

What it does: Provides sales guidance, objection handling, and outreach strategies.

Best for: Sales scripts, handling objections, prospecting strategies

Sales Coach GPT is like having a sales trainer available on demand. It can help you prepare for calls, work through common objections, craft outreach messages, and refine your pitch.

For solo entrepreneurs and small sales teams without dedicated training resources, this fills a real gap. Even experienced sellers can use it to brainstorm approaches for tricky deals.

My take: Valuable for sales guidance and preparation. Use it for practice and strategy, not to automate your actual sales conversations.

23. HR Mastermind GPT

What it does: HR guidance covering recruiting, compliance, performance management, and employee relations.

Best for: HR tasks, policy questions, recruiting workflow

Small businesses and startups often don’t have HR expertise on staff. HR Mastermind provides practical guidance on common HR challenges—writing job descriptions, handling performance issues, understanding compliance basics.

A caveat: this doesn’t replace actual HR or legal expertise for serious issues. But for day-to-day HR questions and best practices, it’s a helpful resource.

My take: Useful for small teams handling their own HR. For complex or legal-sensitive issues, consult actual professionals.

Honorable Mentions

These didn’t make the main list but are worth checking out depending on your needs:

• Travel Planner GPT - Trip planning with itineraries and recommendations
• Fitness Coach GPT - Workout plans and fitness guidance
• Presentation Generator by ShowMe - Quick diagrams and presentations
• Stable Diffusion Prompter - Crafting prompts for image generation tools
• Language Tutor GPTs - Various options for language learning

How to Find More Quality Custom GPTs

This list is just a starting point. Here’s how to continue discovering quality GPTs on your own:

Use the GPT Store search effectively. Don’t just search once—try different keyword combinations. A GPT you need might be named something unexpected.

Check user counts as a quality signal. While not perfect, GPTs with larger user bases have generally proven useful enough to attract and retain users. But don’t ignore newer GPTs just because they’re new.

Browse categories systematically. The GPT Store organizes GPTs by category. Spend time in categories relevant to your work—you’ll discover tools you didn’t know to search for.

Test before committing. Don’t just add a GPT to your list—actually use it for real tasks. Many GPTs look promising but don’t hold up in practice.

Consider creating your own. If you can’t find what you need, building a custom GPT isn’t that hard. Check out our guide on how to use ChatGPT for the basics, then explore the GPT Builder.

For more AI tools beyond custom GPTs, take a look at our list of free AI tools that are worth trying.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are custom GPTs free?

Custom GPTs themselves don’t have an additional cost beyond what you’re already paying—but you do need a ChatGPT Plus subscription ($20/month) to access the GPT Store. Once subscribed, all public GPTs are available to use, though some GPT creators may offer premium features outside of ChatGPT.

What’s the difference between custom GPTs and regular ChatGPT?

Regular ChatGPT is a general-purpose AI assistant. Custom GPTs are specialized versions that have been configured with specific instructions, knowledge, and sometimes API integrations for particular tasks. Think of it as the difference between a general practitioner and a specialist doctor.

Can I create my own custom GPT?

Yes! With ChatGPT Plus, you have access to the GPT Builder. You can create custom GPTs tailored to your specific needs—no coding required. Check out our complete guide to creating your own custom GPT for step-by-step instructions.

Do custom GPTs have access to my data?

Custom GPT conversations are handled similarly to regular ChatGPT conversations. The GPT creator doesn’t have access to your specific conversation data. However, if a GPT integrates with external services (like web browsing or APIs), that interaction follows whatever privacy policies those services have.

Which custom GPT is best for coding?

It depends on your needs. For general coding assistance, Code Copilot is excellent. If you’re primarily working with Python, Python Expert GPT offers more specialized help. For data analysis, Data Analyst GPT is the better choice. Wolfram GPT is ideal when you need precise mathematical or scientific calculations.

Keep Exploring

The GPT Store keeps growing, and I’ll keep curating. I test new GPTs regularly and update this list weekly to reflect what’s actually worth using right now.

My recommendation? Don’t try to adopt all 25 of these at once. Pick three to five that align with your most common tasks, really learn to use them well, and then gradually expand your toolkit.

The goal isn’t to use the most GPTs—it’s to save time and produce better work. Start with the categories that matter most to you, and go from there.

What GPTs have you found useful that didn’t make this list? I’m always looking for new discoveries to test. The best recommendations often come from fellow users who’ve found hidden gems in the ever-expanding GPT Store.

Now get out there and start exploring. Your perfect productivity GPT is waiting.