OpenAI switched ChatGPT ads from impressions to clicks in April 2026. You now pay per click instead of per thousand impressions, which puts ChatGPT in the same buying model as Google Ads. The bigger story is what it replaced: a $60 CPM with a $200,000 minimum spend, which priced out almost everyone who runs performance campaigns for a living.
How the ChatGPT CPC model works
You set a maximum bid, and you pay when somebody clicks. OpenAI recommends starting somewhere between $3 and $5 per click.
Advertisers have reported that bids under $3 return no impressions at all, which suggests a delivery floor rather than a true auction at the low end. If you test this, start at OpenAI's recommended range rather than trying to find the cheapest bid that still serves.
Why the shift away from CPM matters
A $60 CPM with a $200,000 minimum is a brand-budget product. You commit six figures, you buy impressions, and you argue about attribution afterwards.
Cost per click is a different proposition. You are buying an action, the cost scales with volume rather than with a contract, and a smaller advertiser can run a real test. That is the change worth paying attention to, more than the specific rate.
ChatGPT CPC against Google Search
The buying model now looks familiar, but the inventory does not. Google Search shows you a query, and the query tells you intent. A ChatGPT conversation gives a different signal, and nobody has years of data on how it converts.
So treat the published rates as a starting point rather than a benchmark. If you want a reference for what you already pay to reach intent, your own account is the better comparison, and what Google Ads actually costs is the number to hold it against.
What to do if you want to test it
- Fund it from test budget, not core budget. Nothing about this channel is proven yet.
- Track it properly before you spend. A new channel with no conversion tracking teaches you nothing.
- Compare on cost per lead, not cost per click. A $4 click is only expensive or cheap relative to what it produces.
- Give it enough volume to read. The same rule that applies to any bidding strategy applies here.
In Summary
ChatGPT ads now run on cost per click, with OpenAI suggesting $3 to $5 as a starting bid. That replaces a $60 CPM with a $200,000 floor, so the channel is open to advertisers who could never have tested it before.
It is worth a controlled test if you have budget you can afford to learn with. It is not worth moving spend out of a channel that is already producing.
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