# ChatGPT Ads (/glossary/chatgpt-ads) ChatGPT ads are paid placements that OpenAI shows below a ChatGPT answer. Each one is labeled as sponsored, set apart from the answer, and picked by an ads system that runs separately from the chat model. OpenAI sells them under the product name ChatGPT Ads. People on the Free and Go plans may see them. Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Edu accounts do not, according to [OpenAI's help article on ads in ChatGPT](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/20001047-ads-in-chatgpt). This entry follows OpenAI's own pages as they read on October 2, 2026. For your brand, an ad is the one way into ChatGPT that you pay for. Being named in the answer, linked as a source, or shown as a product result is not for sale, and OpenAI documents each of those as separate from ads. ## What a ChatGPT Ad Looks Like A ChatGPT ad sits below the end of a response, carries an ad label, and is visually separated from the answer. OpenAI's [guide for advertisers](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/20001207-ads-in-chatgpt-the-basics) lists what each ad contains: * The advertiser's name and logo * A headline and a short description * An image * A link to the advertiser's landing page In the example OpenAI shows, the card carries an "Ad" tag, and a line beneath it reads "Ads do not influence the answers you get from ChatGPT." You may see one or more ad units under a response, and a unit can hold items from one advertiser or several. OpenAI is also testing a second format. Since September 16, 2026, [Sponsored Agents](https://openai.com/index/reimagining-advertising-with-ai) let you click an ad and start a labeled conversation with an agent the business sponsors. OpenAI says that conversation is separate from ChatGPT's own answers, and the test covers select advertisers in the United States. ## Who Sees ChatGPT Ads, and Where Ads show to Free and Go users in the countries where OpenAI has rolled them out. Testing started in the United States on February 9, 2026. On September 23, 2026, OpenAI said [ChatGPT Ads are available in more than 60 countries](https://openai.com/index/chatgpt-ads-expands-southeast-asia-taiwan). OpenAI's help article also says where ads do not appear: * **Paid and work plans:** Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Edu accounts have no ads. * **Under-18 accounts:** OpenAI does not show ads to accounts it identifies as belonging to someone under 18. * **Sensitive conversations:** Ads are not eligible near sensitive or regulated topics, including personal health, mental health, and politics. * **Temporary Chats:** These show no ads. * **ChatGPT Atlas:** During the test, ads do not appear in the Atlas browser. Free users can also switch to an Ads-Free setting. It removes ads in exchange for lower message limits and reduced access to some tools. ## How OpenAI Picks Which Ad to Show An ad is matched to the conversation you are having. OpenAI says its ads system weighs the context and intent of the current chat, the ad's landing page, title, and copy, and the hints and targeting the advertiser supplied. When several ads qualify, relevance and the advertiser's bid decide which shows first. The advertiser guide calls this a relevance-weighted, second-price auction. Personalization adds to that. With ad personalization on, past chats, memory, and how you reacted to earlier ads can inform the choice. Turning it off limits the match to your current chat, and it does not remove ads. OpenAI says personalized ads are not initially available in the European Economic Area or Switzerland. Advertisers do not see your chats. OpenAI says they receive aggregated figures such as total views and clicks, and never your chat history, memories, or personal details. ## ChatGPT Ad vs. Organic Mention, Citation, and Shopping Result A brand can show up in ChatGPT in four ways, and only one of them is paid: * **Ad:** A paid placement below the answer, labeled as sponsored and chosen by the ads system through an auction. * **Organic mention:** ChatGPT names your brand in the answer it writes. OpenAI states that ads do not influence ChatGPT's answers and that advertisers have no ability to shape, rank, or alter its responses. * **Citation:** ChatGPT links your page as the source of something it said. An [AI citation](/glossary/ai-citation) is earned by the page, not bought. * **Shopping result:** A product ChatGPT shows when a question signals shopping intent. OpenAI's [shopping help article](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/11128490-shopping-with-chatgpt-search) says product results are selected independently by ChatGPT and are not ads. Ads can promote products as well. OpenAI's ChatGPT Ads app for Shopify builds on products already connected through Shopify Catalog, so the ad label is what separates a paid placement from a product result. How the unpaid product results are chosen is covered in the [ChatGPT Shopping guide](/guides/chatgpt-shopping). ## Who Can Buy ChatGPT Ads Businesses buy ChatGPT ads in three ways: through the self-service [Ads Manager](https://ads.openai.com/), through OpenAI's ads team, or through agency and technology partners. Self-service access depends on where the advertiser's legal entity is based. OpenAI's [Ads Manager availability list](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/20001245-ads-manager-availability) showed 63 countries on October 2, 2026. Billing is by impressions or by clicks, and the advertiser sets a maximum bid for either. Not every business qualifies. Under OpenAI's [ad policies](https://openai.com/policies/ad-policies/), advertisers and ads are reviewed before they run, and political advertising is currently not allowed. ## What ChatGPT Ads Mean for Your Brand Ads and answers are two separate routes into ChatGPT, and they do not reach the same people. Three points follow from what OpenAI documents: * **An ad cannot put you in the answer:** OpenAI runs ads on separate systems from the chat model, so a budget buys the slot below the answer and nothing inside it. * **People on paid plans see no ads:** For Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Edu users, your brand reaches them only through what ChatGPT writes, cites, or shows as a product result. * **An ad is not a recommendation:** OpenAI says seeing an ad does not mean it endorses the advertiser or its products. Getting named and cited in the answer itself is the work the [ChatGPT SEO guide](/guides/chatgpt-seo) covers. If you would rather have it handled for you, [get your AI Search Audit](/services). ## Frequently Asked Questions ChatGPT ads are paid placements that OpenAI shows below ChatGPT's answers. Each is labeled as sponsored and kept visually separate from the answer. They show to people on the Free and Go plans. OpenAI began testing them in the United States on February 9, 2026. Not on Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, or Edu. OpenAI's [help article on ads in ChatGPT](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/20001047-ads-in-chatgpt) says those accounts will not have ads. Go is the exception among paid plans. Ads may appear for Go users, as they do for Free users. No, according to OpenAI. Its help article says ads run on separate systems from the chat model and that advertisers have no ability to shape, rank, or alter ChatGPT's responses. By default, ChatGPT cannot see the ads shown to you. It only sees an ad if you share it through the Ask ChatGPT option in the ad's menu. Yes, in two ways. On the Free plan, you can switch to Ads-Free under Ads controls in Settings, which removes ads and lowers your message limits. Or you can upgrade to Plus or Pro, which have no ads. Turning off ad personalization is a different setting. It changes how ads are selected, and it does not remove them. There is no fixed price. ChatGPT ads are sold through an auction, and the advertiser sets a maximum bid per thousand impressions or per click. For click campaigns, OpenAI's [guide for advertisers](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/20001207-ads-in-chatgpt-the-basics) recommends starting with a maximum bid of $3 to $5 per click. No. OpenAI says product results in ChatGPT are selected independently and are not ads, and that ads are separate from product results. The [ChatGPT Shopping guide](/guides/chatgpt-shopping) explains where those product results come from and what a store can change.