How to publish a ChatGPT canvas website
A canvas share link opens in ChatGPT. For a hosted website, choose ChatGPT Sites or prepare the files for another destination.
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TL;DR
To publish a website made in ChatGPT canvas, prepare its complete files and send them to a host, or use ChatGPT Sites on an eligible paid plan. Sharing the canvas itself only gives you a ChatGPT link, not a website on its own address. Choose the destination before asking the assistant for the final deliverable.
What is the difference between canvas and a website?
Canvas can render React and HTML in a sandbox, a contained environment used to preview the code. Code and Preview let you inspect the work from different sides. That is useful while you decide whether the page is right, but a working preview does not tell you where the finished website will live.
A canvas can be shared by link on all plans, like a conversation. That shared canvas remains a ChatGPT link. If your goal is feedback on a draft, sharing may finish the job. If you want visitors to arrive at a website address, choose a hosting route and check the published result there.
Do not judge readiness by the screenshot alone. A button can look complete while doing nothing, and a page can show sample content you never approved. Ask what each interaction does before deciding the site is ready to send.
When does ChatGPT Sites fit?
As checked on 2 October 2026, ChatGPT Sites is in public beta on Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu. It provides a hosted URL. You can connect an apex domain, the main name without a prefix, or a subdomain you already own, except in Enterprise workspaces at launch.
Sites can use a D1 relational database, which stores structured records, up to 10 GB, and R2 object storage for files. Plan-specific usage limits apply during the beta. Those capabilities make it worth considering when your project needs stored data rather than only pages and browser interactions.
Treat Sites as a separate hosting choice, rather than assume the canvas Share action publishes there. The docs we read do not describe an export. That does not establish whether export is possible or impossible; if taking the files elsewhere matters to you, resolve that question before committing the project.
What are the other publishing routes?
| Route | What you need | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Canvas sharing | The canvas you want to show | A shared ChatGPT link |
| ChatGPT Sites | An eligible paid plan and a Sites project | Hosting, with domain connection subject to the beta conditions |
| Netlify Drop | An exported folder ready for static hosting | A site on a netlify.app address; a free account keeps it |
| Just Publish | Files, a folder, a ZIP or its MCP connection | Hosting on justpublish.site, with a custom domain on Builder |
| SayLive | Static files and the publishing connector | Publishing from the conversation, versions and rollback |
Prices checked on 2 October 2026: Netlify Free is $0 and includes custom domains with SSL, within its 300-credit monthly allocation. Just Publish has a free tier without custom domains; Builder is $9/month with one custom domain. The free tier is archived after 30 days without traffic. SayLive is €99 once after 30 days free with a small banner.
The ChatGPT destination guide brings these routes together. Choose based on the files you have, whether you need a server, and who will maintain the site after its first publication.
How do you prepare a canvas for another host?
- Ask ChatGPT to identify the project: plain HTML files, a React project that needs building, or an application with server dependencies.
- Request all the files the site needs, including styles, scripts and images. Have the assistant list anything still missing or invented.
- If it needs a build, ask for the finished static output and have that output checked. A source component alone is not the complete website.
- Upload the prepared folder to your chosen host, or use a publishing connector to send the static files from the conversation.
- Open the live address independently of canvas. Check every page, refresh any inner page, and test the main contact or navigation action.
Prepare this canvas website for publication outside the preview. Give me the complete static files, or build them first if necessary. List any server dependencies and unresolved placeholders. Preserve the design I approved, then explain what I should test at the published address.
Can you publish through SayLive from this conversation?
Yes, with ChatGPT in developer mode on a paid plan. SayLive publishes through MCP, the connection that lets an assistant use an external tool. Follow the existing ChatGPT walkthrough for setup, then ask the assistant to publish the prepared static files. This article covers the canvas decision; that guide covers adding the connector.
If you use ChatGPT Free, you can take the prepared code to Claude, where SayLive works on every plan including Free. The destination still needs the complete site, not a canvas share URL. Choose that route if it suits your workflow; uploading files yourself is also a valid choice.
SayLive supports HTML, CSS, browser JavaScript and images, with a contact form, a review link with screenshots, versions and rollback. It does not run accounts, databases or server code. Connecting your own domain is included once the site is paid, and any version can be downloaded as a ZIP. See the documentation when preparing the handover.
Frequently asked
Is sharing a canvas the same as publishing a website?
No. A shared canvas is a ChatGPT link. A host serves your website at a website address; ChatGPT Sites is one hosting option on eligible paid plans.
Can ChatGPT Sites use my own domain?
The documentation checked on 2 October 2026 allows an apex domain or subdomain you already own, except in Enterprise workspaces at launch.
Can I export a ChatGPT Sites project?
The docs we read do not describe an export. Check that specific requirement before choosing Sites if you need to move the project elsewhere.
Does SayLive host a React canvas unchanged?
A React project must first become static files through a build. SayLive can serve that output if the site fits static hosting; it cannot execute server code.
Do I need a domain before I publish?
You can test a site at the address supplied by your chosen host before connecting your own domain. Check the host’s domain conditions separately from its publishing workflow.