OpenAI announced Wednesday it's bringing ads to ChatGPT in India. The ads will show to users on both the free tier and the Go plan, which costs ₹399 ($5) per month. India has over 100 million weekly ChatGPT users as of February 2026.
The ads appear at the bottom of ChatGPT responses, clearly labeled as sponsored. Over 50 brands are launching this week. OpenAI partnered with WPP and Omnicom as agency partners. Starting September 4, businesses can use a self-serve Ads Manager with daily budgets starting at ₹725 ($7.60).
Who sees ads, who doesn't
Free users see ads. Go users ($5/month) see ads. Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Education users don't. Ads won't appear next to health, mental health, or politics topics. Accounts marked as under 18 won't see ads.
Why it matters
OpenAI first said ads would be a last resort. CEO Sam Altman called them a risk to user trust in 2024. But the company is burning billions and an IPO is coming. India is the second-largest ChatGPT market. The move came after OpenAI offered the Go plan free for a year in India to build adoption. Now that adoption is built, the ads arrive.
The pattern: offer a cheap plan to hook users, then change the terms once they're dependent. The Go tier was already low-margin. Now it's ad-supported. If you want ad-free, you pay $20/month for Plus — four times the Go price.