ChatGPT ads are paid, labelled ad units that OpenAI shows below ChatGPT's answers to adult users on the Free and Go plans. OpenAI started testing them in the US on 9 February 2026, opened a self-serve Ads Manager on 5 May 2026 and sells them in 89 countries as of 21 October 2026 (OpenAI). OpenAI says ads do not change ChatGPT's answers. You can buy them yourself from $25 a day, or through OpenAI's sales team and partners.
Status, checked 13 November 2026
- Can you buy it?
- Yes. Self-serve in Ads Manager (ads.openai.com), or through OpenAI's sales team, agency and technology partners.
- Since when
- US test from 9 February 2026 (managed); self-serve Ads Manager beta from 5 May 2026.
- Markets
- 89 countries (OpenAI, 21 October 2026). Self-serve only if your legal entity is in a listed country.
- Who sees ads
- Adult users on the Free and Go plans. No ads on Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise or Edu.
- Price signal
- Minimum daily budget $25 (USD accounts). OpenAI suggests a $3–$5 starting max CPC. Reported CPMs: $60 at launch, $25–$45 by April 2026 (trade press).
- Stage
- Beta. Rules, formats and markets change monthly; see the changelog.
Key takeaways
- It is the only standalone ad platform inside an AI assistant (13 November 2026). Google AI Overviews and AI Mode ads come through Google Ads campaigns; Perplexity stopped selling ads in October 2025 (Perplexity ads).
- Ads sit next to the answer, not in it. One labelled unit below a response. Advertisers "have no ability to shape, rank, or alter ChatGPT's responses" (OpenAI).
- No keywords. You describe relevant conversations with "context hints"; OpenAI's system matches ads to the chat.
- Paying users never see ads. Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu are ad-free.
- Still a beta. OpenAI changes formats, bidding and markets almost monthly. Each change is dated on our changelog.
How ChatGPT ads work
Placement. Ads appear below a ChatGPT response, one ad unit at a time. The unit can hold one image or several from the same advertiser. OpenAI is also testing a multi-image ad shown while ChatGPT generates an image; it disappears when the image is ready (OpenAI help center, page as of 30 October 2026).
Labelling. Ads are "separate and clearly labeled". A user can hide or report an ad, see why it was shown, or use "Ask ChatGPT" to ask about it; by default ChatGPT cannot see the ads shown to the user (OpenAI).
What an ad contains. Advertiser name, favicon (logo), title, description, landing page and an image (the basics).
Who sees ads.
| Plan | Ads? |
|---|---|
| Free | Yes, unless the user switches to "Ads-Free", which lowers message limits and removes tools such as image generation |
| Go | Yes |
| Plus, Pro | No |
| Business, Enterprise, Edu | No |
| Users identified as under 18 | No, by account age and age prediction |
| Temporary Chats | No |
Source: OpenAI help center, page as of 30 October 2026.
How an ad is chosen. OpenAI's system weighs the current conversation, the ad's landing page, title and copy, the advertiser's context hints and targeting and, if the user has ad personalisation on, "select signals" from past chats, memory and ad interactions. Among eligible ads, relevance and bid decide, in a "relevance-weighted, second-price auction" (the basics). Personalised ads are not available in the EEA or Switzerland; there, ads use the current conversation only (OpenAI).
What advertisers get back. Aggregate data only: impressions, clicks, spend, CTR, average CPC and CPM, and conversions if you set up measurement. Advertisers never receive chats, memories, names or precise location (OpenAI).
How to buy ChatGPT ads
OpenAI lists four routes: "the OpenAI Ads Solutions team, agency partners including dentsu, Havas Media, Omnicom Media, Publicis Groupe and WPP, and technology partners", plus self-serve Ads Manager (OpenAI, 23 September 2026).
| Route | Who it is for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Self-serve Ads Manager (ads.openai.com) | Any business whose legal entity is in a listed country | From $25 a day; card billing; a first campaign can be drafted from your website URL (OpenAI) |
| OpenAI Ads Solutions | "Larger advertisers with more complex needs" | Contact form; invoice terms possible (OpenAI) |
| Holding-company agencies | Brands already buying through dentsu, Havas, Omnicom, Publicis or WPP | Part of a media contract; no public price |
| Technology partners | Advertisers using Adobe, Criteo, Kargo, Pacvue or StackAdapt | Partners handle budgeting, bidding and creative; OpenAI controls delivery (OpenAI) |
| Aleph (reseller) | Advertisers in 44 markets in Latin America, Europe and Central Asia, Middle East and Africa, part of Asia | Exclusive reseller per Aleph's release of 12 November 2026; no OpenAI page found (release) |
| Independent agencies | Advertisers who want someone to run their Ads Manager account | 27 agencies sell this; none is named by OpenAI (list) |
OpenAI has no public certification or partner directory for independent agencies (checked 13 November 2026). An agency that calls itself an "OpenAI partner" is making its own claim unless OpenAI names it. Details: ChatGPT ads partners. Prices by route: ChatGPT ads cost. Step by step: can you buy ads in ChatGPT?
You may not need an agency. If you already run search or social ads and your test budget is a few thousand dollars a month, self-serve is built for you; the lowest published flat agency fee is $1,500 a month.
Formats
| Format | Status (13 Nov 2026) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Single-image ad below the answer | Live | OpenAI |
| Multi-image ad (4–6 square images, one landing page) | Open beta since 26 Oct 2026 | OpenAI |
| Multi-image ad during image generation | Test | OpenAI |
| Product-feed campaigns (Shopify catalog integration) | Live; country-level targeting only for new campaigns | OpenAI; OpenAI |
| Sponsored Agents (a labelled chat with a business's agent after an ad click) | Test, US, select advertisers | OpenAI, 16 Sep 2026 |
| AI text customisation (headline and description adapted to the chat, auto-translated) | Opt-in | OpenAI, 16 Sep 2026 |
OpenAI's creative guidance: many distinct title and copy variations per offer, benefit-focused copy, a specific landing page rather than the home page, and landing pages that do not block the OAI-AdsBot and OAI-SearchBot crawlers (OpenAI). More: ChatGPT ads formats.
Targeting
- Context hints. At ad-group level you describe "the conversations, topics, or keywords" where your offer is relevant. They "are not exact-match keywords and do not guarantee delivery" (OpenAI).
- Location. Countries, and for non-feed campaigns states, cities, markets and postal codes where available. To target only the US you must include the US explicitly (OpenAI).
- Platform. Android app, Android web, desktop web, iOS app, iOS web.
- Custom audiences. Include or exclude your own lists; inclusion needs at least 25,000 matched users. Avoid them for the EEA and Switzerland while personalisation is off there.
- Brand safety. Qualifying advertisers can add "Negative Phrases" (OpenAI).
New self-serve accounts may at first only advertise in their home country, until identity verification is approved and enough spend has run there (OpenAI). More: ChatGPT ads targeting.
Bidding and budgets
You choose an objective: Views (CPM), Clicks (CPC) or Conversions (optimised, but billed per click or per 1,000 impressions). OpenAI recommends a $3–$5 starting maximum CPC. Minimum daily budget is $25 for USD accounts (OpenAI). Trade press reported on 12 November 2026 that Target CPA and Target CPC were added and manual Max Bid retires on 1 January 2027 (Search Engine Roundtable). Prices: ChatGPT ads cost; detail: bidding.
Measurement
- OpenAI Pixel and Conversions API for conversion tracking (OpenAI, 5 May 2026).
- UTM parameters on landing-page URLs carry through to your analytics (OpenAI).
- Third-party tools. On 5 October 2026 OpenAI named data integrations (Hightouch, Tealium, LiveRamp), attribution partners (AppsFlyer, Triple Whale, Adjust, Northbeam and others) and brand-suitability pilots with DoubleVerify and IAS (OpenAI).
- Reporting delay. Impressions and clicks refresh about every 15 minutes; spend can lag 7–8 hours.
OpenAI says there are no performance benchmarks yet "across advertisers, industries, or campaign types" (OpenAI FAQ). Guide: measuring AI ads.
Ad policy
OpenAI's ad policies (updated 10 September 2026, OpenAI):
| Category | Rule |
|---|---|
| Household and consumer goods, local services, travel and entertainment, digital products and education | Allowed (the launch verticals) |
| Financial services, health services, legal services | US only, case by case, manual approval; generally prohibited elsewhere |
| Adult and dating, alcohol and tobacco, gambling, political, recreational drugs, counterfeit goods, individual job or housing listings, wellness claims, credit repair and debt settlement, scams | Not allowed |
| Ads next to political content, regulated goods, self-harm, mental or personal health, emotionally reliant chats | Not shown |
More: ChatGPT ads policies.
Who ChatGPT ads fit
Consumer brands in the launch verticals, e-commerce with a product feed, and B2B and local businesses that can describe the conversations their buyers have. Retail and shopping fell from 37% of tracked US spend in April 2026 to 21% in August, and financial services rose from 2% to 13% (Sensor Tower, reported by PPC Land, trade).
It fits less well if you sell in a disallowed category, need finance, health or legal ads outside the US, or need proven benchmarks before spending: none exist yet. If what you want is to be named or cited in ChatGPT's answers, that is organic work, not ads: see AI ads vs organic AI visibility, agencies on geoagencyreviews.com and how to get cited on aicitationservices.com.
Scale
From 1 country to 89 in nine months
Countries with ChatGPT ads live or in announced pilots, 2026
- $1 billion annualised ad revenue run rate at the end of August 2026, "less than 200 days after launch" (OpenAI).
- More than 100,000 advertisers have run campaigns since launch (cumulative), and 1.2 billion+ weekly ChatGPT users (OpenAI's figures, 21 October 2026).
- Third-party counts are lower: Adthena saw 12,075 unique advertisers in the week of 31 August; Sensor Tower about 1,200 US advertisers in August (PPC Land, trade).
Timeline
ChatGPT ads in 2026
Key changes; full table below
- 16 Jan 2026AnnouncedOpenAI says it will test ads on Free and Go (trade report)
- 9 FebUS test startsManaged sales only; adults on Free and Go
- 17 AprCPMs fall$25–$45 reported, from $60 at launch (trade)
- 5 MaySelf-serve Ads ManagerBeta for US advertisers; CPC bidding; partners named
- 18–31 AugEurope and targeting31 European markets; conversion optimisation, geo, audiences
- 16 SepNew formatsSponsored Agents test, HubSpot and Shopify integrations
- 21 Oct89 countries26 more countries; 100,000+ advertisers
- 12 NovBidding changesTarget CPA / CPC; Max Bid retires 1 Jan 2027 (trade)
| Date | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 16 Jan 2026 | OpenAI announces it will test ads on Free and Go in the US | PPC Land (trade) |
| 9 Feb 2026 | US test starts, managed sales only; dentsu, WPP Media and Adobe announce pilot roles | OpenAI; dentsu |
| 2 Mar 2026 | Criteo becomes the first ad-tech partner; $60 CPM, $200,000 minimum reported | PPC Land (trade) |
| 26 Mar 2026 | Pilots announced for Canada, Australia, New Zealand | OpenAI |
| 17 Apr 2026 | CPMs reported down to $25–$45 | Digiday (trade) |
| 5 May 2026 | Self-serve Ads Manager beta (US), CPC bidding, Conversions API and pixel; technology partners named | OpenAI |
| 7 May 2026 | UK, Mexico, Brazil, Japan, South Korea announced | OpenAI |
| 11 Aug 2026 | Those five markets launched (trade reported Japan and Korea live from 22 June) | OpenAI |
| 18 Aug 2026 | Conversion optimisation, geo-targeting, custom audiences; Europe announced | OpenAI |
| 24–31 Aug 2026 | 31 European markets live; self-serve opens there 31 August; contextual ads only in the EEA | OpenAI |
| 29 Aug 2026 | India live, reported without self-serve at launch | PPC Land (trade) |
| End Aug 2026 | $1B annualised revenue run rate | OpenAI |
| 10 Sep 2026 | Ad policies updated (finance, health, legal: US only, manual approval) | OpenAI |
| 16 Sep 2026 | Sponsored Agents test, AI text customisation, Ads Manager plugin in ChatGPT, HubSpot and Shopify integrations | OpenAI |
| 23 Sep 2026 | Southeast Asia and Taiwan; Havas Media named as agency partner | OpenAI |
| 5 Oct 2026 | Measurement partners named; image-generation ad test | OpenAI |
| 21 Oct 2026 | 26 more countries, 89 in total; 100,000+ advertisers | OpenAI |
| 26 Oct 2026 | Multi-image ad format, open beta in Ads Manager | OpenAI |
| 12 Nov 2026 | Target CPA / Target CPC; Max Bid to retire 1 Jan 2027 (trade). Aleph announces exclusive reseller deal in 44 markets | Search Engine Roundtable; Aleph |
Full dated history: ChatGPT ads timeline. Country list with launch dates: ChatGPT ads countries.
FAQ
Does ChatGPT have ads?
Yes. Since 9 February 2026 ChatGPT shows labelled ads below answers to adult users on the Free and Go plans, in 89 countries as of 21 October 2026. Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu plans have no ads (OpenAI).
Do ads change ChatGPT's answers?
OpenAI says no: "Ads run on separate systems from our chat model, and advertisers have no ability to shape, rank, or alter ChatGPT's responses" (OpenAI). Being named in an answer is organic visibility, which ads do not buy.
How do I advertise on ChatGPT?
Sign up at ads.openai.com if your business is based in a supported country, set up billing, and create a campaign. Or go through OpenAI's sales team, a holding-company agency, a technology partner or an independent agency. Steps: can you buy ads in ChatGPT?
How much do ChatGPT ads cost?
The self-serve minimum is $25 a day for USD accounts; OpenAI suggests a $3–$5 starting CPC. Trade press reported CPMs of $60 at launch and $25–$45 by April 2026. Breakdown: ChatGPT ads cost.
Which countries have ChatGPT ads?
Can I avoid seeing ads in ChatGPT?
Yes: upgrade to Plus or Pro, or on the Free plan switch to Ads-Free, which lowers message limits and removes some tools (OpenAI).