OpenAI expanded ChatGPT Ads to 26 more countries on October 21, 2026, bringing the total to 89. Ads appear only on the Free and Go plans, and OpenAI says over 100,000 advertisers have run campaigns on ChatGPT since ads launched. OpenAI began testing ads in the United States on February 9, 2026, according to its help center.

#What changed?

OpenAI said it is "expanding ChatGPT Ads to 26 additional countries, extending availability to 89 countries worldwide." Reuters and CNBC also reported the 26 and 89 figures.

#Which countries are new?

OpenAI has not published the full list of 26. It gave these examples:

Region, per OpenAI

Examples OpenAI names

Latin America (14 more countries)

Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru

Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia

Nigeria, South Africa, Serbia, Ukraine, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Pakistan

OpenAI says the Latin American launches follow earlier ones in Mexico and Brazil, and that the expansion "builds on our recent expansions across Europe and Southeast Asia and Taiwan."

#How many advertisers use it?

"Since we launched ads just over eight months ago, over 100,000 advertisers have run campaigns on ChatGPT," OpenAI says. OpenAI did not give a breakdown by country.

"Advertisers can access ChatGPT Ads in these countries through technology partners or self-service access through Ads Manager," OpenAI says. Its next phase, according to OpenAI, "will include the development of additional formats, objectives, buying options, and measurement capabilities."

L’Oréal is quoted in OpenAI's post. "Testing early with OpenAI enables us to pioneer helpful experiences and journeys, from discovery, to evaluation, to agentic commerce, ensuring L’Oréal remains the most trusted, expert answer wherever beauty conversations take place," said Asmita Dubey, L’Oréal Group CDMO.

#What do the ads look like?

"You may see ads below a ChatGPT response," OpenAI's help center says. "We are also testing a multi-image visual ad format during image generation in ChatGPT. Ads are clearly labeled and shown separately from ChatGPT’s response or the image being created." OpenAI says that when several ads are eligible, it considers "relevance and advertiser bids when deciding which ad to show first."

#Who will see ads?

"Ads will appear only on the Free and Go plans. Plus, Pro, and Enterprise subscriptions will remain ad-free," OpenAI's announcement says. The help center's fuller list says "Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Edu accounts will not have ads."

OpenAI says: "We’re gradually rolling out ads to eligible users on the Free and Go plans in select regions." Other limits, per the help center:

  • Under 18: "We do not show ads to accounts identified as belonging to users under 18, based on account-level age information and age prediction where available."
  • Ads-Free option: Free users can switch to an Ads-Free experience, which "comes with lower usage limits and reduced feature access." OpenAI says "Ads-Free is a Free-plan option."
  • Temporary Chats: "Temporary Chats will not show ads."
  • Sensitive topics: OpenAI says ads "are not eligible to appear near sensitive topics, including personal health, mental health, or politics," and "we currently do not allow political advertising in ChatGPT."

#What does OpenAI say about privacy?

All of the following are OpenAI's statements. OpenAI says that "we keep conversations private from advertisers and do not sell customer data," and that "advertising does not influence the answers ChatGPT provides."

According to the help center, "Advertisers do not have access to your chats, chat history, memories, or personal details" and "only receive aggregated, non-identifying information about how their ads perform, such as total views or clicks."

OpenAI does use your activity to pick ads. It says it considers "the context and intent of your current conversation" and, "when ads personalization is enabled, select signals from your broader ChatGPT experience." It adds: "If memory is on, ChatGPT may save and use memories and reference recent chats when selecting an ad."

"Ad controls are available in Settings > Ad Controls," OpenAI says. If you turn off ads personalization, "you will still see ads based on the context of your current chat thread." Deleted ads data "is retained for up to 30 days before being removed from our servers." OpenAI says "Personalized ads are not initially available in the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland."

#How does it compare?

For which ChatGPT plans include other features, see our guide on how to get OpenAI Dots by plan and market. For another ChatGPT change, see our coverage of real-time collaboration in ChatGPT Slides. More coverage is in the Assistants and Chatbots hub.

#What is still unclear?

  • The full country list. OpenAI has named 11 of the 26 new countries.
  • Rollout timing. OpenAI says the rollout to eligible Free and Go users is gradual and gives no schedule by country.
  • Personalization defaults. OpenAI does not say whether personalized ads are on by default in the new countries.
  • Advertiser pricing. No source gives ad prices.