ChatGPT Ads: How to Advertise on ChatGPT and What It Costs

More and more customers ask ChatGPT what to buy instead of searching Google. "Which e-bike works for a 15-mile commute?" or "What should a kitchen remodel cost?" Now you can show an ad at exactly that moment. But how does it work, what does it cost, and can you use it where you are?

Short answer: ChatGPT ads are sponsored listings that appear below ChatGPT's answers when the conversation is relevant to your business. You buy them in OpenAI's self-serve Ads Manager at ads.openai.com, which is open to businesses in 63 countries as of October 11, 2026, including the US, UK, Canada and every EU country. You pay per thousand impressions or per click, with a minimum daily budget of $25 (or €15 / £15). The platform is still in beta and OpenAI has published no performance benchmarks yet, so start small and measure for yourself.

What are ChatGPT ads and where do they appear?

OpenAI started testing ads in the US on February 9, 2026 and has expanded market by market since. Ads only show to adult users on the Free plan and the low-cost Go plan. Plus, Pro and business plans are ad-free, and OpenAI keeps ads away from sensitive topics such as health and politics.

According to OpenAI's advertiser guide, an ad sits below ChatGPT's response, clearly labeled and separate from the answer. It contains your business name and logo, a headline, a short description, an image and a link. Online stores can also upload a product feed to run product ads with photos, prices and star ratings. OpenAI says feed ads have been among the strongest performers on the platform so far.

The big difference from Google: there are no keywords. The system looks at the topic and intent of the conversation, your ad copy and your landing page. Per ad group you add "context hints" describing the conversations where your offer fits. They guide matching but are not exact-match keywords.

Take Trailhead Bikes (a fictional shop). A customer asks ChatGPT: "What's a good e-bike for a 15-mile commute, under $2,500?" They are comparing options and about to choose, and that is exactly when Trailhead can show up.

What changed in recent weeks:

• Late September: through LiveRamp, advertisers can now use their own customer data as audiences, starting in 11 markets (Search Engine Journal). Bulk creation for product feed campaigns and a review status per product were added too (Search Engine Roundtable).
• October 5: OpenAI announced a visual ad format that appears while ChatGPT generates an image. Testing starts later in October, in the US only.
• October 5: in India, payments company Razorpay started helping brands prepare catalogs and run ChatGPT campaigns.

Where can you advertise on ChatGPT?

On August 18, OpenAI announced its expansion to 31 European countries, and self-serve buying went live there on August 31. The official availability list now shows 63 countries, from the US and UK to Japan, India, Brazil and the Netherlands.

Three things to know:

• Your business must be based in a listed country. That applies to the legal entity that advertises and gets billed.
• You may start in your home country only. Some new accounts can initially advertise only where they are based. Other countries unlock after identity verification and enough spend.
• No personalized ads in Europe yet. In the EEA and Switzerland, personalized ads are not initially available, so ads are matched to the current conversation only. OpenAI advises against custom audiences there for now.

To start, create an account at ads.openai.com, add payment details, verify your business and build a campaign. Every ad is reviewed before it goes live.

What do ChatGPT ads cost? Google Ads vs. Meta Ads vs. ChatGPT Ads

Each campaign has an objective, and it sets how you pay (OpenAI):

• Views: you pay per thousand impressions (CPM).
• Clicks: you pay per valid click (CPC).
• Conversions: the system optimizes for purchases or leads, but you still pay per click or per thousand impressions, not per conversion.

The minimum daily budget is $25, averaged over the week. For click campaigns, OpenAI recommends a starting maximum bid of $3 to $5 per click. That is advice, not an average. According to Search Engine Journal, advertisers have reported anything from under $3 to around $13 per click, and more in some countries. OpenAI itself says it has no performance benchmarks yet across industries or campaign types.

You measure results with the OpenAI Pixel, the Conversions API or UTM parameters. Competitive data such as impression share and auction insights is still missing, so compare results mainly against your other channels.

Still choosing between the two big channels? Read Google Ads vs. Meta Ads first. For now, ChatGPT is an addition, not a replacement.

What you can do right now

You can also show up in ChatGPT without an ad budget: when ChatGPT mentions your business in the answer itself. That is called GEO (generative engine optimization), and it is part of the shift we describe in the future of marketing.

1. Let ChatGPT read your site. According to OpenAI, sites that block OAI-SearchBot will not appear in ChatGPT's search answers. If you plan to advertise, do not block OAI-AdsBot either: it checks your landing pages.
2. Answer real questions. Build pages that explain what you do, for whom, at what price and how you differ. OpenAI also uses your landing page to decide when an ad is relevant.
3. Get mentioned elsewhere. Reviews, comparison sites, local directories and trade media put more about you online than just your own website.
4. Don't forget Bing. Microsoft says its Web IQ search platform helps power ChatGPT. Submit your site to Bing Webmaster Tools, not just Google Search Console.
5. Get the basics ready. An up-to-date product feed, a pixel and strong landing pages will pay off whichever way you go.

Choosing an AI assistant for your own marketing? See ChatGPT vs. Claude vs. Gemini for marketing.

Frequently asked questions

The bottom line

Whichever channel you pick, Google, Meta or ChatGPT, the ad itself is still the real work. OpenAI recommends several headlines and descriptions per offer, each with a different angle. That is exactly where Genly helps: paste your website and get on-brand ad images and videos, with plans from €39 a month (see our plans). Want us to create your ads and run your campaigns? Book a call through Genly Agency.