ChatGPT ads have grown from a test into a real ad channel. On 29 September Similarweb and Graphite published "The State of ChatGPT Ads": 43% of ad-eligible US users have seen an ad, CTR roughly doubled since launch and top brands write 98% new copy for ChatGPT. OpenAI Ads is now live in 60+ countries and reached a $1B annualized run rate in under 200 days.
Key numbers
- 43% of ad-eligible US ChatGPT users have seen an ad.
- CTR has roughly doubled since launch; ads early in the conversation perform best.
- 98% of top advertisers' copy is written specifically for ChatGPT; half of the top 10 run more ad variants than on Meta.
- Most advertisers use five or fewer landing pages.
- About 26% of Free and Go responses carry ads (Similarweb).
ChatGPT ads CTR by country
ChatGPT Ads CTR by market, Similarweb (chart labels in Russian)
Brazil 1.91%, Mexico 1.55%, Japan 1.53%, South Korea 1.21%, Canada 0.75%, UK 0.74%, US 0.73%, Australia 0.67%, New Zealand 0.60%.
Who sees ads and what is banned
Ads show only on Free and Go plans, not to users under 18 and not next to health, politics or mental health topics. Gambling, betting, dating and adult content, alcohol, tobacco, recreational drugs and political ads are prohibited; finance and health are restricted to approved US advertisers.
How to advertise on ChatGPT
- Sign up for OpenAI Ads Manager at ads.openai.com.
- Use context hints (plain-language themes, up to 2,000 per ad group) instead of keywords.
- Write specific titles (up to 50 characters) and descriptions (up to 100) with distinct angles.
- Bid per click: floors of $3–5, real B2B CPCs of $15–20.
- Add the pixel or Conversions API and allowlist OAI-AdsBot.
FAQ
Does ChatGPT have ads?
Yes, on Free and Go plans since February 2026.
How much do ChatGPT ads cost?
CPC bidding with $3–5 floors; competitive niches reach $15–20 per click.
Can you advertise gambling on ChatGPT?
No, gambling and betting ads are prohibited by OpenAI's ad policies.
Sources: Search Engine Land, Search Engine Journal, PPC Land, Graphite, OpenAI, TechCrunch.