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OpenAI starts showing ads to ChatGPT Free and Go users in India

Ads open on ChatGPT's free and Go tiers in India with 50 brand partners. The rollout reaches users aged 18 and over while paid subscribers on Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Education tiers will not see advertisements.

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A hand slides a plain brown card under a face-down white phone on a worn wooden shop counter, with jars on shelves and a bright street beyond the doorway.

Free tier and partners

OpenAI has started rolling out advertisements on the free and Go tiers of ChatGPT in India. The rollout is aimed at users aged 18 and over and launches with 50 brand partners. The minimum daily budget for advertisers is set at 725 rupees, which is about 7.60 dollars. Dave Dugan, who leads global ads solutions at the company, says the product lets businesses of any size introduce themselves to users at high-context moments. The advertising business is being run in collaboration with the agencies WPP and Omnicom. The move follows similar advertising launches in the United States in February 2026 and in Europe in August 2026.[1], [2]

Exemptions and boundaries

The advertising push leaves out paid subscriptions entirely. Users on the Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Education plans will continue to experience an ad-free platform. The company has also established content boundaries, stating that ads will not be placed alongside sensitive or regulated topics, including mental health and politics, to maintain user privacy and safety.[2]

Market scale and revenue

The expansion targets one of the artificial intelligence platform's fastest-growing user markets. The service has accumulated more than 100 million weekly active users in India, with a large share of that audience concentrated in the free or the cheaper Go tiers. This shift in monetization comes as the company continues to grow its financial base; its second-quarter revenue for 2026 rose to 6.7 billion dollars from 5.7 billion dollars in the previous quarter.[1], [2]

For more information on this topic, you can read the related columns.

References

  1. News sourceTechCrunchOpenAI starts selling ChatGPT advertising in India on the free and Go tiers↩1↩2
  2. News sourceThe Indian ExpressOpenAI rolls ChatGPT ads out to Free and Go users in India, keeping paid plans clear↩1↩2↩3
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