There is no Perplexity ads agency to hire in 2026, because Perplexity ads are not on sale. Perplexity stopped accepting new advertisers in October 2025 (MediaPost, trade), and on 18 February 2026 its executives said it had been phasing ads out since late 2025 (Semafor, trade). We found no relaunch as of 13 November 2026.
If you want paid placements in AI answers, the budget goes to ChatGPT ads (own platform, 89 countries) or to Google and Microsoft search campaigns that serve in AI Overviews, AI Mode and Copilot. If you want Perplexity to mention your brand, that is organic work: see geoagencyreviews.com.
Key takeaways
- Not buyable since October 2025. Perplexity's test ran in the US from November 2024 and never opened as a self-serve product.
- Most AI-ads agencies say nothing about Perplexity. Of 27 agencies that sell ChatGPT ads, 2 state correctly that Perplexity ads are not available (Admiral Media, M+C Saatchi Performance); 22 do not mention it.
- AI assistants answer this question with SEO lists. For "best agencies for Perplexity ads", the answers we tracked often cite lists of Perplexity SEO agencies, which sell organic visibility, not ads.
- Where the money goes now: ChatGPT ads, Google Search / Shopping / PMax (AI Overviews and AI Mode), Microsoft Advertising (Copilot).
What happened to Perplexity ads
Perplexity ads, start to stop
Dated events, trade press reports
- 12 Nov 2024Test startsSponsored follow-up questions and side ads, US; CPM above $50 reported
- 2024$20,000 ad revenueOut of $34M total revenue, as reported (second-hand)
- 10 Oct 2025No new advertisersPerplexity stops accepting advertisers
- 18 Feb 2026Ads phased outExecutives cite user trust; no plan to return (FT, via trade press)
- 13 Nov 2026Still offNo ad product on sale, no relaunch reported
| Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 12 Nov 2024 | Perplexity starts a US test: sponsored follow-up questions and side media ads. Launch partners include Indeed and Whole Foods Market; agencies Universal McCann and PMG. CPM reported above $50. | TechCrunch (trade) |
| Nov 2024 | Perplexity explains why it is experimenting with ads | Perplexity blog |
| 2025 | The ad lead hired in late 2024 leaves after about nine months, reported by Adweek | PPC Land (trade) |
| 2025 | The Information reports $20,000 in ad revenue for 2024, out of $34M total revenue | eMarketer (trade, second-hand) |
| Oct 2025 | Perplexity stops accepting new advertisers; no ads in its Comet browser "for now" | MediaPost (trade) |
| 18 Feb 2026 | Executives tell the Financial Times and Business Insider that ads were phased out from late 2025 and are not being pursued; reason given: user trust | Semafor, SBC News (trade) |
| Feb 2026 | Reports differ on whether the exit is permanent; one outlet says a return was "not ruled out" | TechCentral (trade) |
| 13 Nov 2026 | No relaunch, ads manager or new ad product found | our search |
Full platform page: Perplexity ads.
What agencies that sell AI ads say about Perplexity
We read the ChatGPT ads pages of all 27 agencies in our main list on 13 November 2026.
| Agency | What its page says about Perplexity | Accurate? |
|---|---|---|
 Admiral Media |
"Perplexity and Gemini placements are not on sale, so we cover both with answer engine optimization." (page) | Yes |
 M+C Saatchi Performance |
Its LLM ads tracker lists Perplexity as "Stopped advertising", "Not available" (LLM ads) | Yes |
 Focus Digital |
Mentions Perplexity only for organic optimisation work (page) | No ad claim |
 Top Growth Marketing |
"Perplexity citation optimization" (organic); ads line promises "AI-platform sponsorships as they open" (page) | No ad claim |
 AIclicks |
Its ChatGPT ads monitoring feature lists Perplexity among "ad placements tracked" (feature page) | Misleading: there are no Perplexity ad placements to track |
| The other 22 | Nothing | — |
What to ask any agency that offers "Perplexity ads": which ad product, bought where, and can they show an invoice or campaign report dated after October 2025.
Where to put a Perplexity ads budget instead
| Option | What you buy | Can you buy it (13 Nov 2026) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT ads | Sponsored units shown separately from the answer, CPM or CPC | Yes, 89 countries; self-serve with a reported $25/day floor | OpenAI; floor: PPC Land (trade) |
| Google AI Overviews / AI Mode | Your existing Search, Shopping or PMax ads, eligible to serve in AI answers | Yes, not as a separate campaign | Google Ads Help |
| Microsoft Copilot | Microsoft Advertising Search, Shopping or PMax ads | Yes, not as a separate campaign | Microsoft Advertising |
| Organic visibility in Perplexity | Content, PR and source work so Perplexity cites or names you | No ads involved | geoagencyreviews.com, aicitationservices.com |
Perplexity answers rely on the web pages it cites. Paying for ads elsewhere does not change those citations; see AI ads vs organic AI visibility.
How we chose and ordered
Below are agencies that run paid ads in AI assistants today and either publish a ChatGPT ads result for a client campaign or state Perplexity's status correctly. Order follows our methodology: published campaign proof first, then a published fee or spend figure; within a group, by AI mentions (801 answers by ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews to 9 questions about ads in AI assistants, 15 Oct–13 Nov 2026), then by the earliest date seen selling ChatGPT ads.
| # | Agency | Group | Platforms | Fee | Says Perplexity ads are off sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  InterTeam Marketing |
A | ChatGPT | not published | no mention |
| 2 |  LeadGulls |
A | ChatGPT | $1,500/mo flat | no mention |
| 3 |  GPT Ads AI |
A | ChatGPT | from $5,000/mo | no mention |
| 4 | Admiral Media |
B | ChatGPT, Google AIO / AI Mode | not published | yes |
| 5 | M+C Saatchi Performance |
B | ChatGPT | not published | yes |
1. InterTeam Marketingbest for B2B SaaS lead generation
- Agency fee
- not published
- Media spend
- not published
- Platforms
- ChatGPT
- Partner status
- OpenAI partner (claimed)
- Selling since
- Aug 2026
- AI mentions
- 29 of 801 answers
ChatGPT ads for B2B with tracking to CRM (service page). Publishes three anonymised SaaS campaigns: "over 150 qualified leads", cost per lead about 60% below Google (case study). Fee and minimum not published. Named in 29 of the 801 AI answers.
2. LeadGullsbest for North American brands that want a flat fee
- Agency fee
- $1,500 USD/mo (+1 more)
- Media spend
- OpenAI requires at least $25/day per campaign inside…
- Platforms
- ChatGPT
- Partner status
- none claimed
- Selling since
- Jan 2026
- AI mentions
- 0 of 801 answers
$1,500 a month flat, no share of spend; markets US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand. Anonymised B2B software case: 64 demo requests at 31% lower cost per demo than Google Ads (service page). Not named in the AI answers.
3. GPT Ads AIbest for DTC, B2B SaaS and high-ticket services spending $10,000+ a month
- Agency fee
- $5,000/mo (+2 more)
- Media spend
- 'We recommend at least $10,000 a month in media.'
- Platforms
- ChatGPT
- Partner status
- none claimed
- Selling since
- May 2026
- AI mentions
- 0 of 801 answers
From $5,000 a month fixed retainer; recommends at least $10,000 a month in media; anonymised DTC case with 3.4x ROAS on ChatGPT ads (service page, cases). Says to run it yourself below about $3,000 a month.
4. Admiral Mediabest for app and growth teams that already buy paid media
- Agency fee
- not published
- Media spend
- Retainers are transparent and monthly, with no budget…
- Platforms
- ChatGPT, Google AI Mode
- Partner status
- Google Partner (claimed)
- Selling since
- Jul 2026
- AI mentions
- 0 of 801 answers
Runs ChatGPT ads and the Google campaigns that serve in AI Overviews and AI Mode; "no budget minimums"; no ChatGPT results published yet (service page). Covers Perplexity with organic work and says so.
5. M+C Saatchi Performancebest for e-commerce, app and fintech brands with a test budget
- Agency fee
- not published
- Media spend
- No minimum; recommended test budget: "Our guidance is…
- Platforms
- ChatGPT
- Partner status
- OpenAI partner (claimed)
- Selling since
- Oct 2026
- AI mentions
- 0 of 801 answers
Recommends "around $20K over one month" for a ChatGPT ads test; announces a direct OpenAI partnership (15 October 2026), not found on an OpenAI page (service page). Its LLM ads tracker marks Perplexity as not available.
More agencies, including multi-platform ones: AI search advertising agencies.
When you don't need an agency
- For Perplexity: there is nothing to buy, so an ads agency adds nothing. Be wary of anyone selling "Perplexity ad management".
- For ChatGPT: a small test can run in OpenAI's self-serve Ads Manager, with a reported $25-a-day floor.
- For Google and Microsoft: if your search campaigns are already running, they can serve in AI answers without a new campaign.
FAQ
Can you buy ads on Perplexity in 2026?
No. Perplexity stopped accepting new advertisers in October 2025 and its executives said in February 2026 that ads were being phased out. We found no relaunch as of 13 November 2026.
Which agencies ran Perplexity ads?
At launch in November 2024, TechCrunch reported Universal McCann and PMG as agency partners for brands including Indeed and Whole Foods Market. That programme has ended.
How much did Perplexity ads cost?
CPMs were reported above $50 in 2024 (TechCrunch, trade). The Information reported $20,000 in total ad revenue for 2024, per eMarketer.
Will Perplexity bring ads back?
Unknown. Reports in February 2026 differed: some called the exit permanent, one said a return was "not ruled out". We log any change on the changelog.
How do I get my brand into Perplexity answers without ads?
Through organic visibility work: being on the pages Perplexity cites and being named in them. Agencies that do this: geoagencyreviews.com; how citations work: aicitationservices.com.
What should a B2B team test instead of Perplexity ads?
A small ChatGPT ads test in a self-serve market, and a check that your Google Search and Microsoft Advertising campaigns are eligible for AI Overviews, AI Mode and Copilot. See ChatGPT ads cost.