What ChatGPT ads cost in 2026, with sources
There is no rate card. There is an auction, a daily floor and a recommended starting bid, all published by OpenAI. Every figure here was read from the source on 4 September 2026 and links to it.
The four numbers OpenAI publishes
| Figure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Recommended starting maximum bid, Clicks campaigns | USD 3 to 5 per click | The Basics |
| Standard minimum daily campaign budget, United States | USD 25 a day | Daily Budgets |
| Maximum spend in one day | 2 times the daily budget | Daily Budgets |
| Maximum spend in seven days | 7 times the daily budget | Daily Budgets |
Pricing is by the click on the Clicks objective or by the thousand impressions on the Reach objective, and OpenAI selects among eligible ads with a relevance weighted second price auction1. Relevance is weighed against bid, so a tight, specific ad can win a placement over a generic ad bidding more, and pay less for it.
What a monthly budget buys, at OpenAI's starting bid
The table divides each budget by USD 5 and by USD 3. It is an estimate of the click range at the recommended starting bid, nothing more. Real clicks clear in the auction and can cost less or more, and OpenAI states it has no benchmarks yet2.
| Monthly ad spend, USD | Clicks a month, estimate | Our fee, USD a month |
|---|---|---|
| $750 | 150 to 250 | $490 |
| $1,500 | 300 to 500 | $490 |
| $3,000 | 600 to 1,000 | $490 |
| $6,000 | 1,200 to 2,000 | $990 |
| $12,000 | 2,400 to 4,000 | $1,900 |
| $25,000 | 5,000 to 8,333 | $1,900 |
At the USD 25 floor, a month buys roughly 150 to 250 clicks. That is enough to learn whether the ads get clicked, and not enough to learn whether the clicks convert. Our lowest tier starts there so a business can find out, but we say on the call that USD 3,000 a month is where conversion data starts to mean something within the three month term.
What is not in OpenAI's documentation
A CPM figure. The USD 60 that agencies quote is the default maximum bid some see in Ads Manager, and the USD 25 to 60 range in trade press is from the pilot months of 2026. Neither is on the Help Center. When a page tells you what ChatGPT ads cost without a date and a link, it is telling you what one account saw once.
The minimum daily budget in other currencies. OpenAI says the minimum varies by market and currency and shows it inside Ads Manager when you set a budget. Third party pages list GBP 15, CAD 25, AUD 25 and INR 725 among others; we have not verified those inside an account and do not print them as OpenAI's.
Run your own numbers in the estimator, or see what the management fee covers.
Questions about cost
Is there a minimum spend for ChatGPT ads?
- There is no minimum commitment, but there is a minimum daily campaign budget that varies by market and currency. OpenAI's Help Center gives the US standard as USD 25 a day. The USD 50,000 and USD 250,000 figures that circulated in early 2026 described the invitation only pilot, not self service.
What does a click cost?
- Whatever the auction clears at. OpenAI recommends a starting maximum bid of USD 3 to 5 per click and runs a relevance weighted second price auction, so you often pay less than your maximum. OpenAI does not publish average costs and says it has no performance benchmarks yet.
What does a thousand impressions cost?
- OpenAI publishes no CPM figure on its Help Center. Trade press reported pilot era CPMs of around USD 60 falling toward USD 25 by April 2026, and some agencies quote USD 60 as the default maximum bid shown in Ads Manager. Treat all of those as third party figures with a date on them, not as a price list.
Can I spend more than my daily budget in a day?
- Yes, up to twice it. OpenAI defines the daily budget as an average over seven days and caps the week at seven times the daily figure. A USD 100 daily budget can bill USD 200 on one day and will not bill more than USD 700 in the week.
How and when does OpenAI charge me?
- After delivery, on the card saved in Ads Manager, each time unpaid spend reaches your account's payment threshold, and at month end for any balance. New accounts start on a low threshold that rises with payment history. Your card and billing address must match the account's country.
- 1. Ads in ChatGPT: The Basics, OpenAI Help Center, read 4 September 2026.
- 2. Frequently asked questions, OpenAI Help Center, read 4 September 2026.
- 3. Billing and Payment, OpenAI Help Center, read 4 September 2026.