ChatGPT Now Has Ads: What "Sponsored Links" Mean for Free Users
If you use ChatGPT for free, your conversations are about to look different. On February 10, 2026, OpenAI officially began testing ads inside ChatGPT — labeled "sponsored" links that appear beneath the AI's answers. The ads target users on the Free tier and the $8/month Go plan, while anyone paying $20/month or more for ChatGPT Plus is exempt. Here's everything you need to know about the change, who it affects, and what your options are.
What Exactly Are ChatGPT Sponsored Links?
According to OpenAI's official announcement, sponsored links are "clearly labeled" advertisements that appear in a visually separated area at the bottom of ChatGPT's answers. They are not woven into the AI's response text itself — they sit below it, marked with a "Sponsored" tag.
OpenAI says the ads are matched to users based on the topic of the current conversation, past chats, and previous interactions with ads. For example, if you ask ChatGPT about recipes, you might see ads for meal kit services or grocery delivery. If multiple advertisers compete for a slot, OpenAI selects the one it deems most relevant to your chat.
Crucially, OpenAI states that ads do not influence the answers ChatGPT gives you. The AI's responses are still "optimized based on what's most helpful to you," not what's most profitable for advertisers. Whether users trust that firewall long-term remains to be seen.
Who Sees Ads — and Who Doesn't
Not every ChatGPT user will encounter sponsored links. Here's the breakdown:
| Plan | Price | Shows Ads? | Can Opt Out? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Yes | Yes (fewer daily messages) |
| Go | $8/month | Yes | No |
| Plus | $20/month | No | N/A |
| Pro | $200/month | No | N/A |
| Business / Enterprise / Education | Varies | No | N/A |
The key takeaway: $20/month for ChatGPT Plus is the minimum spend to guarantee an ad-free experience. Go plan subscribers at $8/month cannot opt out of ads — a notable detail for the budget-conscious tier that launched in the US just weeks before ads arrived.
Free tier users have an interesting trade-off available. OpenAI says you can "opt out of ads in the Free tier in exchange for fewer daily free messages." So you can dodge the ads, but you'll hit your usage ceiling faster.
The Privacy Question: What Do Advertisers See?
OpenAI's announcement goes out of its way to address privacy concerns. According to the company:
- Advertisers do not have access to your chats, chat history, memories, or personal details.
- Advertisers only receive aggregate information about ad performance — number of views and clicks, not individual user data.
- OpenAI says it will "never sell your data" to advertisers.
- Users can delete their ad data with one tap, turn off ad personalization, and turn off the option for ads to be based on past chats.
However, OpenAI does use your conversation topics and chat history to decide which ads to show you. There's a meaningful distinction between "we don't share your data with advertisers" and "we don't use your data for ad targeting." OpenAI is doing the latter — just keeping the targeting in-house.
What's Excluded from Ads
Not every conversation will trigger sponsored links. OpenAI confirmed several exclusions:
- Users under 18 (or users OpenAI predicts are under 18) will not see ads.
- Sensitive topics — including health, mental health, and politics — will not have ads placed near them.
- The feature is still in testing, so even eligible users may not see ads immediately.
These guardrails are important but also invite skepticism. How "sensitive" is defined, and how well OpenAI's classifiers detect those topics, will determine whether the policy holds up in practice.
The Timeline: How We Got Here
ChatGPT ads didn't appear overnight. OpenAI has been signaling this move for months:
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| August 2025 | ChatGPT head Nick Turley told The Verge's Decoder that an ad integration would "be very thoughtful and tasteful" |
| December 2025 | OpenAI experimented with app promotions inside ChatGPT, then rolled back the change after user backlash |
| January 16, 2026 | OpenAI officially announced it would begin testing ads "in the coming weeks," publishing its advertising principles |
| February 9, 2026 | CNBC reported ads would launch the following day; Anthropic's Super Bowl ad took a jab at ChatGPT ads |
| February 10, 2026 | OpenAI officially began testing sponsored links in ChatGPT for Free and Go users in the US |
Anthropic's Super Bowl Counter-Punch
The timing of OpenAI's ad rollout couldn't have been more dramatic. Just one day before the official launch, Anthropic — maker of Claude — ran a Super Bowl commercial with the original tagline: "Ads are coming to AI. But not to Claude."
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman called the campaign "clearly dishonest," and Anthropic adjusted the aired version to read: "There is a time and place for ads. Your conversations with AI should not be one of them." The exchange highlights a real competitive divide — Anthropic is betting that an ad-free experience can be a selling point.
For users exploring Claude as an alternative, we've covered the latest capabilities in our complete guide to Claude Opus 4.6. If you're specifically interested in coding workflows, check out our Claude Code tips and tricks for 2026.
Why OpenAI Is Adding Ads Now
OpenAI frames the decision as a way to fund access. From its announcement: ads help fund keeping the Free and Go tiers "fast and reliable," which "requires significant infrastructure and ongoing investment."
The numbers back up the pressure. According to CNBC's reporting, an internal memo from Sam Altman noted that ChatGPT is "back to exceeding 10% monthly growth." OpenAI last reported 800 million weekly active users in October 2025. Serving that many users on a free tier — running some of the most expensive AI models in the world — is extraordinarily costly.
A source told CNBC that OpenAI "expects ads to make up less than half of its revenue long term." That's a significant statement — it means OpenAI sees advertising as a major, permanent revenue stream, not just a stopgap.
What This Means for the AI Industry
ChatGPT adding ads sets a precedent for the entire AI chatbot market. Here's how the competitive landscape looks now:
| AI Chatbot | Has Ads? | Ad-Free Tier |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT (OpenAI) | Yes (Free & Go tiers) | $20/mo (Plus) and up |
| Claude (Anthropic) | No | All tiers ad-free |
| Gemini (Google) | Not yet (Google has ad infrastructure ready) | TBD |
| Copilot (Microsoft) | Bing-integrated ads exist | Copilot Pro |
Anthropic's bet is clear: stay ad-free and compete on trust. Google, which built its empire on advertising, could follow OpenAI's lead at any point. The question for users is whether "free with ads" or "paid without ads" will become the default model for AI tools — much like streaming services before them.
Your Options If You Don't Want ChatGPT Ads
If sponsored links in your AI conversations bother you, here are your realistic options:
- Upgrade to ChatGPT Plus ($20/month) — the cheapest guaranteed ad-free ChatGPT experience.
- Opt out on the Free tier — accept fewer daily messages in exchange for no ads (Go plan users cannot do this).
- Switch to Claude — Anthropic has committed to keeping Claude ad-free. The free tier has usage limits, but no ads.
- Use Google Gemini — no ads in the chatbot yet, though Google's ad business makes this a question of "when" not "if."
- Manage your ad settings — dismiss ads, turn off personalization, turn off chat-history-based targeting, and delete your ad data in ChatGPT's settings.
For developers and power users who rely on AI coding tools, the ad question extends beyond chatbots. If you're evaluating AI-powered development environments, our comparison of OpenClaw vs Goose vs Cursor covers the options — none of which currently show ads in coding workflows.
Senator Markey's Warning
The political dimension is worth noting. On January 22, 2026, Senator Ed Markey sent letters to OpenAI, Microsoft, Google, and other AI companies questioning how they handle ads embedded in chatbots. Markey raised concerns about "deceptive" advertising practices — specifically, whether users can reliably distinguish AI-generated answers from paid placements.
Regulatory scrutiny on AI advertising is likely to increase. The FTC has been vocal about transparency in AI-generated content, and chatbot ads sit in an uncomfortable gray zone between search advertising and editorial content.
The Bigger Picture: AI's "Free Tier" Problem
OpenAI's move reflects a fundamental tension in the AI industry. Running frontier AI models is staggeringly expensive. Companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google are spending hundreds of billions on AI infrastructure in 2026 alone — The Wall Street Journal recently reported that Meta, Microsoft, Amazon, and Alphabet plan to spend $670 billion on AI infrastructure this year.
Somebody has to pay for it. OpenAI has chosen a hybrid model: subscriptions for power users, ads for everyone else. Anthropic is betting that subscriptions and API revenue alone can sustain the business. Google can cross-subsidize from its search advertising empire.
For users, the era of unlimited free AI with no strings attached was always going to end. The question was never whether monetization would come — it was how. Sponsored links in your ChatGPT conversations is OpenAI's answer.
At Serenities AI, we track these shifts closely because they directly affect which AI tools deliver the best value. Whether you're a free user weighing the ad trade-off or a paid subscriber evaluating alternatives, understanding the business model behind your AI tools matters.
FAQ
Does ChatGPT have ads now?
Yes. As of February 10, 2026, OpenAI began testing sponsored links in ChatGPT. Ads appear as labeled "Sponsored" links at the bottom of ChatGPT's answers for users on the Free and Go ($8/month) plans in the US. Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Education subscribers do not see ads.
How do I get rid of ChatGPT ads?
You have several options: upgrade to ChatGPT Plus ($20/month) or higher for a guaranteed ad-free experience; opt out of ads on the Free tier (which reduces your daily message limit); or manage your ad settings to turn off personalization, dismiss individual ads, and delete your ad data. Go plan users cannot fully opt out.
Do ChatGPT ads affect the AI's answers?
OpenAI says no. According to the company, "Ads do not influence the answers ChatGPT gives you." Ads are visually separated from the AI's response and appear in a distinct area below the answer. However, OpenAI does use your conversation topics and chat history to decide which ads to show.
Does Anthropic's Claude have ads?
No. Anthropic has publicly committed to keeping Claude ad-free. The company ran a Super Bowl commercial on February 9, 2026, highlighting this distinction. Anthropic's position is that "your conversations with AI should not" be a place for ads.
Can advertisers see my ChatGPT conversations?
No. OpenAI states that advertisers do not have access to your chats, chat history, memories, or personal details. Advertisers only receive aggregate data on ad views and clicks. However, OpenAI itself uses your conversation data internally to target ads — the company just doesn't share that data externally.