ChatGPT ads we observed
Ads shown in ChatGPT conversations, from our own capture: 123,613 recorded conversations in logged-out ChatGPT across 20 industries, each started fresh with one question. After a follow-up message asking for a sponsored ad, ChatGPT showed 118,765 ads from 5,708 advertisers. Below: every industry, 807 topic pages, and what the data can and cannot say.
Our captureLogged-out ChatGPT, USOct 3–4, 2026
How this data was captured
We used logged-out ChatGPT from US internet connections and started a new conversation for every question. Message 1 was the question. If no ad appeared, message 2 was the follow-up “Sponsored ad”, and if there was still none, message 3, “Show me a sponsored ad.”, was a last try. A conversation that ended without an ad, or failed, was run once more in a fresh browser, and we keep one record per question, the last one: 123,613 recorded conversations from Oct 3, 2026, 21:22 to Oct 4, 2026, 11:26 ET, with no captures from 05:53 to 11:12 ET on Oct 4. Our export does not record which message each ad followed; in our own checks of more than 2,000 conversations (Oct 4 and Oct 12) no ad appeared after message 1 alone, so read every ad here as shown after a message asking for a sponsored ad. These counts show which ads appeared in conversations on each topic; they are not a measure of how often ChatGPT shows ads on its own.
Only ads drawn on screen count as shown. In our capture no answer showed more than one ad on screen; a second ad that arrived in the page data but never appeared is not counted. Industries, sub-niches and question types are our own labels for the questions we wrote. Independent; not affiliated with OpenAI.
- 118,765 conversations ended with an ad shown on screen. In 120 more, an ad arrived in the page data but was not seen on screen; those are not counted as shown. 4,728 recorded conversations ended with no ad shown.
- 423 shown ads that our export labels as text ads showed only a price (421 in pounds, 2 in euros) where a headline would be; we count them as shopping ads.
- In 37,730 conversations with an ad shown, ChatGPT’s page data also carried a second ad that never appeared; in 720, a first ad was replaced by another before it appeared.
- The question text is matched to the record for 46,416 conversations; only those questions are quoted as examples. Industry, sub-niche and question type are known for all.
- 704 shown product ads linked through an ad-tech click address or a shared shop host and did not name the merchant; they count as shown ads but are left out of advertiser rankings.
- Advertisers are grouped by the website the ad linked to; where the link went through an ad-tech click service, by the advertiser name in the ad.
Industries
20 industriesEach industry page ranks its advertisers and links to its sub-niche pages.
| Industry | Ads shown | Advertisers |
|---|---|---|
| Home Furniture & Decor | 6,229 | 612 |
| Business Software | 6,164 | 629 |
| IT, Security & Dev Tools | 6,131 | 491 |
| Insurance | 6,075 | 517 |
| Small Business Tools | 6,050 | 727 |
| Consumer Electronics | 6,001 | 665 |
| Telecom & Internet | 5,999 | 348 |
| Travel & Hospitality | 5,994 | 552 |
| Personal Finance | 5,979 | 363 |
| Education & Careers | 5,903 | 650 |
| Media & Entertainment | 5,889 | 731 |
| Automotive | 5,884 | 555 |
| Food & Grocery Delivery | 5,879 | 380 |
| Productivity & Creative AI | 5,866 | 623 |
| Fashion, Apparel & Footwear | 5,863 | 489 |
| Local Home Services | 5,824 | 767 |
| Pets | 5,809 | 449 |
| Beauty & Personal Care | 5,808 | 347 |
| Home Improvement & Appliances | 5,731 | 689 |
| Sports, Outdoor & Fitness | 5,687 | 570 |
Question types
The questions were written by us in 7 styles, from short searches to personal scenarios.
| Type | Example question | Ads shown |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | “best mini split for an open 1,000 square foot area” | 24,819 |
| Long scenario | “I travel to tokyo for work and want to add two nights at a luxury ryokan with a private onsen, which ones are worth it?” | 17,633 |
| Price | “do steam games ever go free or only on epic games store” | 18,119 |
| Comparison | “it cosmetics cc cream vs laura mercier tinted moisturizer” | 18,170 |
| Fix or choose | “how do i keep my lips smooth under matte lipstick all day” | 16,421 |
| Worth it | “is it worth getting custom insoles for hiking boots” | 11,858 |
| Short search | “puppy transport” | 11,745 |
Most shown advertisers
top 25 of 5,708Share of all 118,765 shown ads. All 5,708 are counted on which brands advertise on ChatGPT.
| # | Advertiser | Ads shown | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jotform | 3,005 | 2.5% |
| 2 | temu.com | 2,744 | 2.3% |
| 3 | Expedia | 1,840 | 1.5% |
| 4 | VistaPrint US | 1,702 | 1.4% |
| 5 | Hungryroot | 1,514 | 1.3% |
| 6 | Nerdwallet | 1,442 | 1.2% |
| 7 | Coursera | 1,187 | 1.0% |
| 8 | Lyca Mobile USA | 1,033 | 0.9% |
| 9 | Angi | 1,004 | 0.8% |
| 10 | EverQuote | 1,002 | 0.8% |
| 11 | llbean.com | 949 | 0.8% |
| 12 | Thumbtack | 888 | 0.7% |
| 13 | GetApp | 871 | 0.7% |
| 14 | SoFi | 845 | 0.7% |
| 15 | Tumble | 838 | 0.7% |
| 16 | Wayfair | 770 | 0.6% |
| 17 | DoorDash | 728 | 0.6% |
| 18 | Quince | 701 | 0.6% |
| 19 | Intuit Quickbooks | 644 | 0.5% |
| 20 | Whoop | 644 | 0.5% |
| 21 | Chewy | 632 | 0.5% |
| 22 | Rocket Money | 594 | 0.5% |
| 23 | Ironclad | 586 | 0.5% |
| 24 | Groupon | 576 | 0.5% |
| 25 | GEICO | 552 | 0.5% |
5,683 more advertisers shared the other 90,770 shown ads.
704 shown product ads (0.6%) did not name the merchant and are not ranked.
Explainers
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