ChatGPT Sites vs Sitelas: Which Should You Build Your Website With?

You want a website, and you already spend your day in ChatGPT. Since July 2026 there are two ways to build one there: OpenAI's own ChatGPT Sites, and website apps like Sitelas that you add to the chat.

Both build the site from a description. Both let you change it by asking. But they aim at different things, and the right pick depends on what you are making.

We make Sitelas, so we have a side. We've tried to be fair: every ChatGPT Sites detail below comes from OpenAI's own pages, checked on October 15, 2026, and we say where it beats us.

The short answer

• Pick ChatGPT Sites if you are building an app: a dashboard, a client portal, a tracker, a game, anything with log-ins or saved data. You need a paid ChatGPT plan.
• Pick Sitelas if you need a website for a business: pages, a contact form, opening hours, prices, your own domain. It works on ChatGPT's free plan, and in Claude too.

The rest of this post explains why.

What ChatGPT Sites is

ChatGPT Sites is OpenAI's builder for websites, web apps and games. You describe what you want, ChatGPT writes the code, and OpenAI hosts the result.

OpenAI's ChatGPT Sites page, as of October 2026.

The things it does that a normal website builder doesn't:

• Saved data and file uploads. A site can keep records between visits, like scores, requests or documents.
• Sign in with ChatGPT. Visitors can log in, so a site can show each person their own view.
• Private sharing. A new site starts visible only to you. You can share it with chosen people, your workspace, or everyone.
• Built-in visitor stats and your own domain, if you already own one.

OpenAI's page makes the aim clear. The examples are dashboards, client portals and budget trackers, not just brochure sites:

Example uses on OpenAI's ChatGPT Sites page, as of October 2026.

Who can use it: as of October 2026, Sites is in public beta on Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu plans. It is not on Free or Go, and the beta has usage limits.

What Sitelas is

Sitelas is a website builder you run from a chat. You add it to ChatGPT or Claude, describe your business, and it builds the site from a designer template. Then it keeps running it: changing prices, reading form messages, publishing updates. We explain the idea in what is a chat-native website builder.

It makes marketing websites, not apps. There are no visitor log-ins and no saved visitor data beyond the form messages you receive.

Side by side

	ChatGPT Sites	Sitelas
ChatGPT plan needed	Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise or Edu	Any, including Free
Also works in Claude	No	Yes
Best at	Apps: dashboards, portals, tools, games	Business websites
Starts from	Code ChatGPT writes	A designer template
Visitor log-ins and saved data	Yes	No
Contact form messages	Saved if ChatGPT builds that in	An inbox, plus an email to you
Before it goes public	Private until you share it	A private preview until you publish
Change it later	Ask in chat	Ask in chat, or click to edit
Your own domain	Yes, one you own	Yes, on Pro
Visitor stats	Built in	On Pro

ChatGPT Sites details from OpenAI's Sites pages, checked October 15, 2026. Sitelas details from our own product.

We tried both with the same request

We wrote one message for a made-up yoga studio in Bristol: small classes, a weekly timetable, a £25 intro offer and a contact form.

ChatGPT Sites didn't open on our account. We're on ChatGPT's free plan. Sites lives in ChatGPT's Work mode, and clicking Work asked us to upgrade:

What ChatGPT's free plan shows when you open Work, where Sites lives. October 2026.

That's the first real difference. If you're on Free, ChatGPT Sites is not an option until you pay.

Sitelas, on the same free plan, took the request as written:

It took 1 minute 44 seconds. Here is the home page it made:

The classes and times sit lower down, with the £25 offer below them:

Nothing was public yet. ChatGPT handed back a private preview and a separate publish button. It also flagged that the class times were its own suggestions, so we'd need to swap in the real ones:

Changing it next week

A website is never finished. Times move, offers end. This is where a chat-run site pays off, so we tested a change:

Sixteen seconds. Both class lists showed the new times.

It wasn't perfect, and you should know that. The Classes page also has a day-by-day timetable, and the Sunday class didn't appear there. One more message added it. But the new Sunday column came out in a bigger heading than the other days, even after we asked it to match. That's a quick fix by hand in the visual editor, and it's why every change lands on the preview first. (What to check before you publish.)

ChatGPT Sites edits by chat too, and any AI edit can miss a spot. Whichever you use, look before you publish.

Where ChatGPT Sites is the better choice

• You need an app. Log-ins, saved records, uploads, dashboards: Sitelas doesn't do any of that.
• Your team works in a ChatGPT workspace. Sites can be shared only with colleagues, and teammates can edit it with you.
• You want a site that reads your work tools. In some business workspaces, a Site can show each viewer data from their own connected apps.
• You already pay for Plus or above, and you're happy to build from a blank page rather than a template.

Where Sitelas is the better choice

• You're on ChatGPT's free plan, or you use Claude. Sitelas works in both.
• You need a business website, not an app. It starts from a designer template, so the first draft looks finished.
• You want enquiries to reach you. Form messages land in a Sitelas inbox and are emailed to you, with no setup. (Where form messages go.)
• You'd rather fix small things by clicking. Every site also opens in a visual editor.
• You sell a few things or take bookings. You can add a payment button for each item using your own Stripe link, or embed your Calendly page. OpenAI's rules say not to use Sites to enable payments.

What Sitelas can't do

Sitelas makes websites, not apps. No visitor accounts, no multi-item checkout, no live data. For a full online shop, use a store platform like Shopify. For a tool with log-ins and a database, ChatGPT Sites or an app builder fits better.

How to choose in one minute

Answer three questions:

1. Do visitors need to log in or save anything? Yes → ChatGPT Sites.
2. Are you on ChatGPT's free plan, or do you use Claude? Yes → Sitelas.
3. Is this a site for a business, to bring in calls and enquiries? Yes → Sitelas will likely get you there faster.

If you're still unsure, start with the free option and see what the first draft looks like. Our step-by-step guide to building a website with ChatGPT walks through it. Weighing other builders too? See the best website builders in 2026.

Questions people ask

Is ChatGPT Sites free? No. As of October 2026, ChatGPT Sites is in beta on paid plans only: Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu. It isn't on Free or Go, and beta usage limits apply.

How do I access ChatGPT Sites? On a paid plan, ask ChatGPT to build a website or mention @Sites in your message. It runs in ChatGPT's Work mode on the web and in the desktop app.

Is there a free alternative to ChatGPT Sites? Yes, for websites. A website app like Sitelas works on ChatGPT's free plan. One published site is free; Pro is $9 a month, or $90 a year, per site, and adds your own domain.

Can I use my own domain with ChatGPT Sites? Yes, if you already own it. You add the DNS records Sites gives you at your domain provider. Custom domains weren't available in Enterprise workspaces at launch.

Can ChatGPT Sites build an online store? Not really. OpenAI's rules say not to use Sites to enable financial transactions. For a store, use a platform like Shopify.

If a website is what you need

If what you need is a business website you can update by talking to ChatGPT or Claude, that's what we built Sitelas for. A template for wellness studios is a good place to see the kind of site it makes, or start at sitelas.com.