What are OpenAI Ads?
OpenAI Ads are paid placements delivered inside ChatGPT. OpenAI describes them as clearly labeled ads that remain separate from ChatGPT's generated responses.
OpenAI advertising guide
OpenAI ads
OpenAI Ads are the paid placements OpenAI serves inside ChatGPT. They appear as clearly labeled units below relevant responses and remain separate from the answer. ChatGPT ads and OpenAI Ads describe the same advertising surface from two different search perspectives.
Product details checked against OpenAI's ads documentation on 26 Oct 2026.
Observed in our independent library since Apr 2026
19,050
Advertisers tracked
906,195
Placements captured
970
Niches covered
OpenAI Ads versus ChatGPT ads
OpenAI is the company and advertising platform. ChatGPT is the product where people see the ads. OpenAI's advertiser site uses the OpenAI Ads identity, while its help documentation describes the consumer experience as ads in ChatGPT. This site uses ChatGPT ads when discussing the placement and OpenAI Ads when discussing the advertising product.
Explore the independent OpenAI Ads library
We probe ChatGPT with realistic commercial prompts and record the sponsored placements returned. Each library record connects a real creative to its advertiser, niche, and triggering prompt. The counts describe our captured sample, not OpenAI's total campaign inventory or private reporting.
A separate, clearly labeled placement
OpenAI says an eligible conversation may show an ad unit below a response when there is a relevant match. Ads remain separate from the generated answer. Advertisers receive aggregated performance reporting, not a user's ChatGPT conversations, memories, or personal details.
See real sponsored placementsOpenAI Ads at a glance
What OpenAI's help center and announcements say, checked on 26 Oct 2026.
| Topic | According to OpenAI |
|---|---|
| Where ads appear | Below a ChatGPT response, clearly labeled and separate from the answer. OpenAI is also testing a multi-image ad format during image generation. |
| Who sees them | People on the Free and Go plans, including logged-out users. Not Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise or Edu accounts, and not accounts identified as belonging to people under 18. |
| What an ad shows | Advertiser name, logo (favicon), title, description, image and landing page. |
| How ads are picked | The conversation's context, the ad's landing page, title and copy, the advertiser's context hints (not exact-match keywords) and, when ad personalization is on, some signals from the user's wider ChatGPT use. A relevance-weighted, second-price auction chooses among eligible ads. |
| How to buy | Self-serve in Ads Manager at ads.openai.com, open to businesses based in 89 countries, or through agency and technology partners. |
| Pricing | Billing per impression or per valid click, with Views, Clicks or Conversions objectives. OpenAI suggests starting CPC campaigns with a maximum bid of $3 to $5 per click. |
| Measurement | The OpenAI Pixel and Conversions API. Reports show impressions, clicks, spend, CTR, average CPC, average CPM and conversions. More: ChatGPT ads measurement. |
| Scale | More than 100,000 advertisers have run campaigns since ads launched, OpenAI said on 21 Oct 2026. |
Sources: OpenAI's Ads in ChatGPT, Ads in ChatGPT: The Basics, Ads Manager Availability and 21 Oct 2026 announcement.
Advertisers we saw most often in October 2026
| Click domain | Ad placements, 1 to 25 Oct 2026 | First recorded by us |
|---|---|---|
| temu.com | 5,754 | Aug 2026 |
| expedia.com | 5,301 | May 2026 |
| jotform.com | 4,024 | Apr 2026 |
| match.angi.com | 3,750 | May 2026 |
| coursera.org | 2,775 | Jun 2026 |
| nerdwallet.com | 2,750 | Sep 2026 |
| consumerrating.org | 2,662 | Jul 2026 |
| vistaprint.com | 2,528 | May 2026 |
Source: chatgptadlibrary.com observations, copies removed, almost all captured in the US. Ads served through Criteo's and StackAdapt's ad servers are left out, because one such link can carry many advertisers. We collected no ads on 5 to 11 Oct and on 14 Oct. The counts describe the questions we asked, not all of ChatGPT. See methodology.
OpenAI's advertising business: key milestones
OpenAI began testing ads in ChatGPT in the US on 9 Feb 2026. On 31 Aug 2026 it said ChatGPT Ads had reached a $1 billion annualized revenue run rate in less than 200 days, and on 21 Oct 2026 that more than 100,000 advertisers had run campaigns.
| Date | What OpenAI announced |
|---|---|
| 9 Feb 2026 | US test begins for logged-in adults on the Free and Go plans |
| 5 May 2026 | Self-serve Ads Manager beta begins rolling out, with cost-per-click bidding |
| 31 Aug 2026 | $1 billion annualized revenue run rate in less than 200 days; tens of thousands of advertisers; ads in more than 40 countries; self-serve opens in India, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa |
| 23 Sep 2026 | Ads begin rolling out in Southeast Asia and Taiwan; more than 60 countries in total |
| 21 Oct 2026 | Ads expand to 26 more countries, 89 in total; more than 100,000 advertisers have run campaigns |
Full product timeline: ChatGPT Ads Manager.
What an annualized run rate means
A run rate projects recent revenue over a full year. It measures pace; it is not the revenue OpenAI earned over the past year.
How OpenAI's ad business has changed since launch
- Small businesses: Ads Manager opened the platform to small and medium-sized businesses in May, and OpenAI said on 31 Aug 2026 that they "now represent a material share of the business".
- Outside the US: OpenAI said advertisers outside the United States "represent a growing share of revenue".
- Bidding: CPC and outcome-optimized bidding "now account for the majority of campaigns".
- Measurement: OpenAI said the Pixel and Conversions API "have become important foundations for measurement and optimization". More: ChatGPT ads measurement and what ChatGPT ads cost.
Sources: OpenAI's 31 Aug 2026 announcement and 21 Oct 2026 announcement; earlier dates as in the Ads Manager timeline.
OpenAI Ads Manager
Understand the buying interface, access, and campaign workflow.
OpenAI Ads API
Check current developer access, capabilities, and documentation.
Independent, not affiliated with OpenAI
ChatGPT Ad Library is an independent advertising-intelligence resource. For campaign access, account requirements, billing, and official product support, use the official OpenAI Ads site.
FAQ
OpenAI Ads, answered
The questions people actually ask.
Are OpenAI Ads and ChatGPT ads the same thing?
Yes in this context. OpenAI Ads is the advertising product and ChatGPT is the experience where the sponsored placements appear. People commonly search for both names.
Do OpenAI Ads influence ChatGPT's answers?
No. OpenAI states that ads are separate from answers and advertisers cannot shape, rank, or alter ChatGPT's response. A paid placement is not an endorsement.
How are OpenAI Ads selected?
OpenAI says selection begins with the topic of the current conversation and matches it to relevant advertiser submissions. Additional permitted personalization signals may be used when a user enables ad personalization.
Is there an OpenAI Ads library?
ChatGPT Ad Library is an independent public database with 121,921 captured creatives from 19,050 advertisers. It is not OpenAI's internal reporting system or an official OpenAI product.
How can I advertise with OpenAI?
Sign up for Ads Manager at ads.openai.com, which is open to businesses based in 89 countries, or buy through one of OpenAI's agency or technology partners. Your ads run only after they pass OpenAI's review. Availability can change, so check OpenAI's Ads Manager Availability page before planning a campaign.
How much money does OpenAI make from advertising?
OpenAI said on 31 Aug 2026 that ChatGPT Ads had reached a $1 billion annualized revenue run rate in less than 200 days after launch. A run rate projects recent revenue over a year; it is not the revenue OpenAI earned over the past year.
When did OpenAI start advertising in ChatGPT?
OpenAI began testing ads in ChatGPT in the US on 9 Feb 2026 and began rolling out its self-serve Ads Manager beta on 5 May 2026. On 21 Oct 2026 it said ads run in 89 countries.
How many advertisers use OpenAI Ads?
OpenAI said on 21 Oct 2026 that more than 100,000 advertisers have run campaigns on ChatGPT. This independent library had recorded 19,050 advertisers by 24 Oct 2026, from the questions we ask.
See the OpenAI Ads already appearing in ChatGPT
Search real advertisers, creatives, niches, and trigger prompts.