ChatGPT Ads: what it is, how it works, and how much it costs
ChatGPT Ads: what it is, how it works, and how much it costs
ChatGPT Ads is OpenAI's advertising platform that displays sponsored ads within ChatGPT conversations, officially launched in Brazil on August 11, 2026. The ads appear below the responses for adult users on free plans, identified as sponsored, and do not influence the content generated by the AI.
Moisés Schwan Bach
Operations Manager · First Brazil
Operations Manager
Introduction
Anyone using ChatGPT to research products, compare services, or plan a purchase may notice, starting in August 2026, a new feature at the end of some responses: sponsored ads. This is ChatGPT Ads, the advertising platform that OpenAI had been testing since February in the United States and that officially arrived in Brazil on August 11, 2026.
The launch in Brazil is not an isolated test: OpenAI has released the Ads Manager Beta for Brazilian advertisers, with currency in Real, São Paulo time zone, and a structure of campaigns, ad groups, and measurement that resembles what the market already knows from other paid traffic channels. The central difference lies in the context: instead of starting from a short keyword, the ad competes for a moment when the person is already researching, comparing, or deciding within a conversation with artificial intelligence.
This article explains what ChatGPT Ads is, how and to whom the ads appear, how the buying and auction process works, and what results the market is already observing while the channel is still in its pilot phase in Brazil.
Introduction
Anyone using ChatGPT to research products, compare services, or plan a purchase may notice, starting in August 2026, a new feature at the end of some responses: sponsored ads. This is ChatGPT Ads, the advertising platform that OpenAI had been testing since February in the United States and that officially arrived in Brazil on August 11, 2026.
The launch in Brazil is not an isolated test: OpenAI has released the Ads Manager Beta for Brazilian advertisers, with currency in Real, São Paulo time zone, and a structure of campaigns, ad groups, and measurement that resembles what the market already knows from other paid traffic channels. The central difference lies in the context: instead of starting from a short keyword, the ad competes for a moment when the person is already researching, comparing, or deciding within a conversation with artificial intelligence.
This article explains what ChatGPT Ads is, how and to whom the ads appear, how the buying and auction process works, and what results the market is already observing while the channel is still in its pilot phase in Brazil.
Introduction
Anyone using ChatGPT to research products, compare services, or plan a purchase may notice, starting in August 2026, a new feature at the end of some responses: sponsored ads. This is ChatGPT Ads, the advertising platform that OpenAI had been testing since February in the United States and that officially arrived in Brazil on August 11, 2026.
The launch in Brazil is not an isolated test: OpenAI has released the Ads Manager Beta for Brazilian advertisers, with currency in Real, São Paulo time zone, and a structure of campaigns, ad groups, and measurement that resembles what the market already knows from other paid traffic channels. The central difference lies in the context: instead of starting from a short keyword, the ad competes for a moment when the person is already researching, comparing, or deciding within a conversation with artificial intelligence.
This article explains what ChatGPT Ads is, how and to whom the ads appear, how the buying and auction process works, and what results the market is already observing while the channel is still in its pilot phase in Brazil.
What is ChatGPT Ads?
ChatGPT Ads is the advertising system that OpenAI operates within ChatGPT, displaying sponsored ads below responses to eligible users. OpenAI opened the self-serve Ads Manager in beta for US companies, along with the CPC bidding model. On July 22, 2026, the "Advertise in ChatGPT" platform was expanded as a more complete self-serve ad manager.
OpenAI publicly documented each phase of the expansion, with confirmed dates on the official announcement page itself:
Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
February 9, 2026 | Start of testing in the US, for logged-in adult users of Free and Go plans |
March 26, 2026 | OpenAI reports positive initial results, with no impact on user trust, and announces expansion to Canada, Australia, and New Zealand |
May 5, 2026 | Opening of the self-serve Ads Manager and CPC bidding model in the US |
May 7, 2026 | Announcement of the pilot expansion to the United Kingdom, Mexico, Brazil, Japan, and South Korea |
August 6, 2026 | Email from OpenAI confirms the Ads Manager Beta is available for advertisers based in Brazil |
August 11, 2026 | Official launch of ChatGPT Ads in the United Kingdom, Mexico, Brazil, Japan, and South Korea |
In Brazil, the first ads were already appearing for eligible users on August 4, 2026, days before the official confirmation of access for Brazilian advertisers.
What is ChatGPT Ads?
ChatGPT Ads is the advertising system that OpenAI operates within ChatGPT, displaying sponsored ads below responses to eligible users. OpenAI opened the self-serve Ads Manager in beta for US companies, along with the CPC bidding model. On July 22, 2026, the "Advertise in ChatGPT" platform was expanded as a more complete self-serve ad manager.
OpenAI publicly documented each phase of the expansion, with confirmed dates on the official announcement page itself:
Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
February 9, 2026 | Start of testing in the US, for logged-in adult users of Free and Go plans |
March 26, 2026 | OpenAI reports positive initial results, with no impact on user trust, and announces expansion to Canada, Australia, and New Zealand |
May 5, 2026 | Opening of the self-serve Ads Manager and CPC bidding model in the US |
May 7, 2026 | Announcement of the pilot expansion to the United Kingdom, Mexico, Brazil, Japan, and South Korea |
August 6, 2026 | Email from OpenAI confirms the Ads Manager Beta is available for advertisers based in Brazil |
August 11, 2026 | Official launch of ChatGPT Ads in the United Kingdom, Mexico, Brazil, Japan, and South Korea |
In Brazil, the first ads were already appearing for eligible users on August 4, 2026, days before the official confirmation of access for Brazilian advertisers.
What is ChatGPT Ads?
ChatGPT Ads is the advertising system that OpenAI operates within ChatGPT, displaying sponsored ads below responses to eligible users. OpenAI opened the self-serve Ads Manager in beta for US companies, along with the CPC bidding model. On July 22, 2026, the "Advertise in ChatGPT" platform was expanded as a more complete self-serve ad manager.
OpenAI publicly documented each phase of the expansion, with confirmed dates on the official announcement page itself:
Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
February 9, 2026 | Start of testing in the US, for logged-in adult users of Free and Go plans |
March 26, 2026 | OpenAI reports positive initial results, with no impact on user trust, and announces expansion to Canada, Australia, and New Zealand |
May 5, 2026 | Opening of the self-serve Ads Manager and CPC bidding model in the US |
May 7, 2026 | Announcement of the pilot expansion to the United Kingdom, Mexico, Brazil, Japan, and South Korea |
August 6, 2026 | Email from OpenAI confirms the Ads Manager Beta is available for advertisers based in Brazil |
August 11, 2026 | Official launch of ChatGPT Ads in the United Kingdom, Mexico, Brazil, Japan, and South Korea |
In Brazil, the first ads were already appearing for eligible users on August 4, 2026, days before the official confirmation of access for Brazilian advertisers.
How do ads appear within a conversation in ChatGPT?
The ad appears below the response generated by ChatGPT, always identified as sponsored content and visually separated from the organic text. According to OpenAI, the format does not replace or alter the response: the ad is an additional block, displayed after the response has already been delivered.
The standard ad unit, called a chat_card in the technical documentation, brings together the advertiser's name, favicon or logo, title, descriptive text, creative image, and destination link. For catalog campaigns, there is also a product ad model, which pulls the image, price, and destination directly from the feed registered by the advertiser.
OpenAI emphasizes that advertisers do not have access to users' conversations, history, memories, or personal data. They only receive aggregated performance information, such as the number of views and clicks.
How do ads appear within a conversation in ChatGPT?
The ad appears below the response generated by ChatGPT, always identified as sponsored content and visually separated from the organic text. According to OpenAI, the format does not replace or alter the response: the ad is an additional block, displayed after the response has already been delivered.
The standard ad unit, called a chat_card in the technical documentation, brings together the advertiser's name, favicon or logo, title, descriptive text, creative image, and destination link. For catalog campaigns, there is also a product ad model, which pulls the image, price, and destination directly from the feed registered by the advertiser.
OpenAI emphasizes that advertisers do not have access to users' conversations, history, memories, or personal data. They only receive aggregated performance information, such as the number of views and clicks.
How do ads appear within a conversation in ChatGPT?
The ad appears below the response generated by ChatGPT, always identified as sponsored content and visually separated from the organic text. According to OpenAI, the format does not replace or alter the response: the ad is an additional block, displayed after the response has already been delivered.
The standard ad unit, called a chat_card in the technical documentation, brings together the advertiser's name, favicon or logo, title, descriptive text, creative image, and destination link. For catalog campaigns, there is also a product ad model, which pulls the image, price, and destination directly from the feed registered by the advertiser.
OpenAI emphasizes that advertisers do not have access to users' conversations, history, memories, or personal data. They only receive aggregated performance information, such as the number of views and clicks.
Who can see ads on ChatGPT and how does targeting work?
During the pilot, ads are only displayed to adult users with active logins on the Free and Go plans. Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Education subscriptions remain ad-free. OpenAI also does not display ads on accounts that the user identifies, or that the system estimates, as belonging to minors under 18.
There are also contextual restrictions: ads are not eligible to appear near sensitive or regulated topics, such as health, mental health, and politics.
Ad selection does not work like an exact keyword search. According to official documentation, the system considers the context and intent of the current conversation, the content of the landing page, the title and text of the ad, contextual suggestions provided by the advertiser, and, when personalization is enabled, signals from the user's broader ChatGPT experience. OpenAI itself clarifies that contextual suggestions guide the system but do not guarantee display in a specific conversation.
Who can see ads on ChatGPT and how does targeting work?
During the pilot, ads are only displayed to adult users with active logins on the Free and Go plans. Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Education subscriptions remain ad-free. OpenAI also does not display ads on accounts that the user identifies, or that the system estimates, as belonging to minors under 18.
There are also contextual restrictions: ads are not eligible to appear near sensitive or regulated topics, such as health, mental health, and politics.
Ad selection does not work like an exact keyword search. According to official documentation, the system considers the context and intent of the current conversation, the content of the landing page, the title and text of the ad, contextual suggestions provided by the advertiser, and, when personalization is enabled, signals from the user's broader ChatGPT experience. OpenAI itself clarifies that contextual suggestions guide the system but do not guarantee display in a specific conversation.
Who can see ads on ChatGPT and how does targeting work?
During the pilot, ads are only displayed to adult users with active logins on the Free and Go plans. Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Education subscriptions remain ad-free. OpenAI also does not display ads on accounts that the user identifies, or that the system estimates, as belonging to minors under 18.
There are also contextual restrictions: ads are not eligible to appear near sensitive or regulated topics, such as health, mental health, and politics.
Ad selection does not work like an exact keyword search. According to official documentation, the system considers the context and intent of the current conversation, the content of the landing page, the title and text of the ad, contextual suggestions provided by the advertiser, and, when personalization is enabled, signals from the user's broader ChatGPT experience. OpenAI itself clarifies that contextual suggestions guide the system but do not guarantee display in a specific conversation.
How purchasing works: CPM, CPC, oCPC, and the auction?
ChatGPT Ads offers two main billing models: CPM, where the advertiser pays per thousand impressions, recommended for reach; and CPC, where the advertiser pays per valid click, recommended for traffic and post-ad actions. A third model, oCPC, optimizes delivery for a specific conversion event, but billing still occurs per valid click.
The selection of the winning ad uses a second-price auction weighted by relevance: the highest bid is not the only factor, and the system also considers the probability of the ad generating the expected result for that user. In the current documentation, OpenAI recommends starting CPC campaigns with a maximum bid between $3 and $5 per click, a general range, not a fixed price table for Brazil.
Just as in the integration between paid media and CRM, the ChatGPT Ads Conversions API allows connecting clicks to real commercial funnel events, such as a lead, registration, or order, instead of measuring isolated clicks only. The platform also offers a Pixel to install on the advertiser's website and an Advertiser API for programmatic campaign creation and management.
How purchasing works: CPM, CPC, oCPC, and the auction?
ChatGPT Ads offers two main billing models: CPM, where the advertiser pays per thousand impressions, recommended for reach; and CPC, where the advertiser pays per valid click, recommended for traffic and post-ad actions. A third model, oCPC, optimizes delivery for a specific conversion event, but billing still occurs per valid click.
The selection of the winning ad uses a second-price auction weighted by relevance: the highest bid is not the only factor, and the system also considers the probability of the ad generating the expected result for that user. In the current documentation, OpenAI recommends starting CPC campaigns with a maximum bid between $3 and $5 per click, a general range, not a fixed price table for Brazil.
Just as in the integration between paid media and CRM, the ChatGPT Ads Conversions API allows connecting clicks to real commercial funnel events, such as a lead, registration, or order, instead of measuring isolated clicks only. The platform also offers a Pixel to install on the advertiser's website and an Advertiser API for programmatic campaign creation and management.
How purchasing works: CPM, CPC, oCPC, and the auction?
ChatGPT Ads offers two main billing models: CPM, where the advertiser pays per thousand impressions, recommended for reach; and CPC, where the advertiser pays per valid click, recommended for traffic and post-ad actions. A third model, oCPC, optimizes delivery for a specific conversion event, but billing still occurs per valid click.
The selection of the winning ad uses a second-price auction weighted by relevance: the highest bid is not the only factor, and the system also considers the probability of the ad generating the expected result for that user. In the current documentation, OpenAI recommends starting CPC campaigns with a maximum bid between $3 and $5 per click, a general range, not a fixed price table for Brazil.
Just as in the integration between paid media and CRM, the ChatGPT Ads Conversions API allows connecting clicks to real commercial funnel events, such as a lead, registration, or order, instead of measuring isolated clicks only. The platform also offers a Pixel to install on the advertiser's website and an Advertiser API for programmatic campaign creation and management.
What results is the market already seeing with ChatGPT Ads?
The first performance data comes from sources external to OpenAI, as the company has not yet published official benchmarks by country. According to a Similarweb analysis from May 2026, the average click-through rate for ads in ChatGPT is 0.68%, with the top quartile of advertisers reaching 1% and the best-performing brands hitting 1.57%, with an observed peak of 5.4%. For comparison, the same analysis places the average for display ads at 0.35% and podcast ads between 0.5% and 1%.
Similarweb's Generative AI Landscape report also estimated that about 26% of ChatGPT's responses already contained an ad, with a higher concentration in the first response of each session.
On the conversion side, Criteo, one of OpenAI's first ad tech partners, reported in February 2026, based on a sample of 500 US retailers, a conversion rate 1.5 times higher for traffic coming from ChatGPT compared to other referral channels. In a May 2026 update, this number reached close to 2 times in categories such as consumer electronics, wellness, and home and garden.
These numbers are still early snapshots of the US market: Brazil does not have its own published benchmark, as the local pilot started in August 2026. For reference, the average CTR for the Google Ads Search Network is 6.66%, according to WordStream (2025), which shows that ChatGPT Ads still operates on another scale of volume and maturity.
What results is the market already seeing with ChatGPT Ads?
The first performance data comes from sources external to OpenAI, as the company has not yet published official benchmarks by country. According to a Similarweb analysis from May 2026, the average click-through rate for ads in ChatGPT is 0.68%, with the top quartile of advertisers reaching 1% and the best-performing brands hitting 1.57%, with an observed peak of 5.4%. For comparison, the same analysis places the average for display ads at 0.35% and podcast ads between 0.5% and 1%.
Similarweb's Generative AI Landscape report also estimated that about 26% of ChatGPT's responses already contained an ad, with a higher concentration in the first response of each session.
On the conversion side, Criteo, one of OpenAI's first ad tech partners, reported in February 2026, based on a sample of 500 US retailers, a conversion rate 1.5 times higher for traffic coming from ChatGPT compared to other referral channels. In a May 2026 update, this number reached close to 2 times in categories such as consumer electronics, wellness, and home and garden.
These numbers are still early snapshots of the US market: Brazil does not have its own published benchmark, as the local pilot started in August 2026. For reference, the average CTR for the Google Ads Search Network is 6.66%, according to WordStream (2025), which shows that ChatGPT Ads still operates on another scale of volume and maturity.
What results is the market already seeing with ChatGPT Ads?
The first performance data comes from sources external to OpenAI, as the company has not yet published official benchmarks by country. According to a Similarweb analysis from May 2026, the average click-through rate for ads in ChatGPT is 0.68%, with the top quartile of advertisers reaching 1% and the best-performing brands hitting 1.57%, with an observed peak of 5.4%. For comparison, the same analysis places the average for display ads at 0.35% and podcast ads between 0.5% and 1%.
Similarweb's Generative AI Landscape report also estimated that about 26% of ChatGPT's responses already contained an ad, with a higher concentration in the first response of each session.
On the conversion side, Criteo, one of OpenAI's first ad tech partners, reported in February 2026, based on a sample of 500 US retailers, a conversion rate 1.5 times higher for traffic coming from ChatGPT compared to other referral channels. In a May 2026 update, this number reached close to 2 times in categories such as consumer electronics, wellness, and home and garden.
These numbers are still early snapshots of the US market: Brazil does not have its own published benchmark, as the local pilot started in August 2026. For reference, the average CTR for the Google Ads Search Network is 6.66%, according to WordStream (2025), which shows that ChatGPT Ads still operates on another scale of volume and maturity.
Frequently asked questions
Is ChatGPT Ads already available for advertisers in Brazil?
Yes. OpenAI released the Ads Manager Beta to Brazilian advertisers via email on August 6, 2026, and confirmed the official launch in Brazil on August 11, 2026, along with the United Kingdom, Mexico, Japan, and South Korea.
Who sees the ads on ChatGPT?
Only adult users with an active login on the Free and Go plans. Subscribers of Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, or Education do not see ads. OpenAI also blocks ads on accounts identified or estimated to belong to users under 18 years old.
How much does it cost to advertise on ChatGPT?
There is no fixed price list. The purchase takes place in an auction, by CPM or CPC, and OpenAI's documentation recommends starting CPC campaigns with a maximum bid between $3 and $5, which varies according to competition and ad relevance.
Do advertisements influence ChatGPT's responses?
No, according to OpenAI. Responses continue to be generated independently of advertising, and the ad appears separately, below the response, always labeled as sponsored content.
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First Brazil is a growth agency with operations in Brazil and the United States, specializing in civil construction and real estate, integrating digital marketing, sales structuring, and AI automation. It builds acquisition systems that connect paid traffic, CRM, web development, and sales processes for builders, developers, and modular construction companies.
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