HOW TO · 7 MIN READ
ChatGPT ads in India: is it live, what it costs and how to start
By the Seamwire team · Updated
THE SHORT ANSWER
Yes, ChatGPT ads are live in India. OpenAI opened self-service buying to Indian advertisers on 31 August 2026. A business registered in India can open an account at ads.openai.com, be billed in rupees, and run a campaign from 725 rupees a day. Ads are shown below ChatGPT's response to people on the free and Go plans. The main limits are on what you sell: financial, health and legal services are generally closed to advertisers outside the United States, and ads for individual property or job listings are not allowed. Every figure here is from OpenAI's own pages, checked on 12 November 2026.
Is ChatGPT ads available in India?
Yes. OpenAI's Ads Manager availability list marks India as available for self-service. Ads began as a test in the United States in February 2026, a self-service Ads Manager followed in May, and on 31 August 2026 OpenAI announced that advertisers in India, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa could buy directly.
Self-service means you do not need an agency or a sales contact at OpenAI. You sign up, add billing, create a campaign and submit it for review yourself.
ChatGPT ads in India at a glance
| For advertisers in India | |
|---|---|
| Where to buy | Ads Manager at ads.openai.com |
| Who can open an account | A business whose billed legal entity is based in India |
| Billing currency | Indian rupees are supported; the currency is fixed when the account is created |
| Minimum daily budget | 725 rupees per campaign |
| How you pay | By auction: per valid click or per thousand views, never per conversion |
| Who sees the ads | People on ChatGPT's free and Go plans; not Plus, Pro or Business users, and not under-18s |
| Where the ad appears | Below ChatGPT's response, labelled as sponsored |
| First campaigns | Some new accounts can initially advertise only in their home country |
What do ChatGPT ads cost in India?
There is no price list. You bid in an auction: you set the most you will pay for a click or for a thousand views, and the auction decides the actual price. For click campaigns, OpenAI's help centre suggests starting with a maximum bid of 3 to 5 US dollars and adjusting from there.
The one fixed number is the minimum daily budget: 725 rupees per campaign for accounts billed in rupees. A daily budget is an average over seven days, so a campaign can spend up to twice that on a busy day, as long as the week stays within seven times the daily figure. A campaign running every day at the minimum therefore commits a little under 22,000 rupees a month.
What an enquiry ends up costing depends on your category and on how well your ad fits what people are asking. There are no reliable Indian benchmarks yet, and anyone quoting a typical cost per lead is guessing.
Which Indian businesses can advertise on ChatGPT?
OpenAI is opening categories gradually. This is how its ad policy applies to common Indian business types today.
| Business | Can it advertise? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| D2C and e-commerce brands | Yes | Consumer goods are a category OpenAI names as supported |
| Local services: salons, repairs, home services | Yes | Local services are named as supported |
| Travel, hotels and experiences | Yes | Travel and entertainment are named as supported |
| Education, courses and coaching | Yes | Education and digital products are named as supported |
| Software and apps | Yes | Digital products are named as supported |
| Banks, NBFCs, insurance, brokers, loan apps | Generally no | Financial services advertising is generally prohibited outside the US |
| Hospitals, clinics, diagnostics, pharmacies | Generally no | Health services advertising is generally prohibited outside the US |
| Law firms | No | Legal services ads are currently prohibited outside the US |
| Real estate | Partly | A portal or agency can advertise its platform; ads for an individual property for sale or rent are not allowed |
| Recruiters and job portals | Partly | A platform can advertise; ads for an individual job listing are not allowed |
| Alcohol, tobacco, gambling, dating | No | Not allowed in any country |
How to run ChatGPT ads in India, step by step
- Check your category against OpenAI's ad policies. If it is restricted outside the US, stop here.
- Create an ad account at ads.openai.com with your company's legal name, a brand name and a logo. Choose rupees as the billing currency if you want to be billed in rupees; it cannot be changed later.
- Add conversion tracking: OpenAI's Pixel on your website, or its Conversions API from your server.
- Create a campaign. Choose Views, Clicks or Conversions, set a daily budget of 725 rupees or more, and target India or specific states and cities.
- Create an ad group with a maximum bid and context hints: plain descriptions of the conversations where your product is relevant.
- Write the ad: a title of 3 to 50 characters, a description of up to 100 characters, an image of at least 640 by 640 pixels, and a landing page.
- Submit for review. OpenAI reviews the advertiser, the ad and the landing page before anything runs.
Can you target a city such as Bengaluru, Mumbai or Delhi?
Yes, for most campaigns. Beyond country targeting, OpenAI's help centre says you can target supported states or regions, cities, markets and postal codes where available, and exclude locations too. Search for the location while setting up the campaign to see what is offered. Campaigns built from a product feed are the exception: new ones can be targeted only by country.
What Indian advertisers should know before spending
- There are no keywords. You describe relevant conversations, and OpenAI's system decides when your ad fits.
- You will not see what people typed. Reports show views, clicks, spend and conversions only.
- Ads do not change ChatGPT's answers. OpenAI states that advertising does not influence what ChatGPT says.
- The landing page is reviewed too. A page behind a login, or one that blocks OpenAI's crawler, can get the ad rejected.
- The rules change often. OpenAI's ad policy has been revised six times since March 2026.
Questions people ask
Is ChatGPT ads live in India?
Yes. OpenAI opened self-service ChatGPT ads to advertisers in India on 31 August 2026, and its availability list still shows India as available as of 12 November 2026.
What is the minimum budget for ChatGPT ads in India?
725 rupees a day per campaign, for an account billed in Indian rupees. That is the figure in OpenAI's help centre on 12 November 2026.
How much do ChatGPT ads cost in India?
You bid in an auction and pay per click or per thousand views. OpenAI suggests a starting maximum bid of 3 to 5 US dollars per click. The minimum daily budget is 725 rupees. Real costs depend on your category, and there are no reliable Indian benchmarks yet.
Can a small business in India advertise on ChatGPT?
Yes, if its category is allowed. The Ads Manager is self-service, there is no minimum contract on OpenAI's pages, and the daily minimum is 725 rupees. Local services, consumer goods, education and travel are among the supported categories.
Do I need GST details to advertise on ChatGPT?
OpenAI's public help pages that we read do not spell out Indian tax handling. Check the billing section of Ads Manager when you set up the account, and ask your accountant how the invoice should be treated.
Is there a ChatGPT ads agency in India?
Yes, several, including us. The platform opened in India only in August 2026, so no agency has a long track record on it. Ask whether the ad account will be in your name, how conversions will be tracked, and whether your category is allowed, before you compare prices.