There are now at least nine ways to buy ChatGPT ads. They range from OpenAI’s self-serve Ads Manager to HubSpot, Shopify and Amazon’s ad platform. They all lead to the same ad placements in ChatGPT. They differ in who runs the campaigns, which features you get and where they’re open. This guide covers each route, who it suits and how to choose.
Figures are OpenAI’s unless labeled as reported. Where we give our own view, we say so.
The short version
- Eligible businesses can buy directly in Ads Manager, with no agency or partner needed.
- Large advertisers can also go through OpenAI’s sales team, agency partners or technology partners.
- HubSpot, Shopify and the plugin are tools that sit on top of an ad account you own.
- Whatever the route, the ad account should belong to your business.
Every route at a glance
The table lists each route and who it is open to.
| Route | What it is | Open to |
|---|---|---|
| Ads Manager | OpenAI’s self-serve platform, in an account your business owns. | Eligible businesses based in 63 countries. |
| OpenAI Ads Solutions | OpenAI’s own ads sales team. | Named in OpenAI’s launch announcements, including the most recent. |
| Agency partners | Holding-company agencies OpenAI works with. | The September announcement names dentsu, Havas Media, Omnicom Media, Publicis Groupe and WPP. |
| Technology partners | Ad platforms that can buy ChatGPT ads through their own tools. | OpenAI named Adobe, Criteo, Kargo, Pacvue and StackAdapt in May. |
| Amazon DSP | Amazon Ads campaigns extended into ChatGPT. | A pilot with select US advertisers. |
| HubSpot | Create campaigns and follow up leads inside HubSpot. | All HubSpot customers wherever ChatGPT Ads are available. |
| Shopify app | Product campaigns from your Shopify catalog. | US merchants now, with other markets to follow. |
| Ads Manager plugin | Create, update and analyze campaigns with prompts in ChatGPT. | Rolling out since 16 September 2026. |
| Advertiser API | Manage accounts, campaigns and conversions in code. | Anyone with an ad account and an API key. |
Ads Manager: the default route
Ads Manager is OpenAI’s self-serve platform, and it is the route most businesses should look at first. OpenAI began rolling it out in beta on 5 May 2026. Businesses can register, add payment information, set budgets, bids and pacing, upload ads, launch and manage campaigns, and view performance.
Your business creates and verifies the account and sets billing, then runs campaigns itself or invites people to help. It’s the only route where every setting in OpenAI’s documentation is yours to change. You pay OpenAI directly at auction prices, above a minimum daily budget set by your billing currency.
Independent agencies, us included, work inside the client’s own Ads Manager account through the access the client grants. We aren’t an OpenAI partner. Our guide to sharing access to your ad account explains how it works.
OpenAI’s sales team and partners
OpenAI’s announcements name three managed routes. They’re its Ads Solutions team, agency partners and technology partners. OpenAI says technology partners help with budgeting, bidding and creative through tools advertisers already use. OpenAI’s ads system still controls every delivery decision.
Which markets opened through sales first
Our view: these routes matter most for large advertisers, and in markets that opened through sales before self-serve. OpenAI’s European launch is the example. It announced 31 European markets on 18 August, with access first through its sales team and partners, and said self-service would follow. On 31 August it updated the post to say self-service was available across all 31.
OpenAI hasn’t published the terms of these routes. They’re agreed with the team or the partner, so ask what you’d pay and what you’d control before you commit.
Amazon DSP
On 10 September 2026, Amazon Ads announced a partnership with OpenAI that lets advertisers extend their Amazon Ads campaigns into ChatGPT. Amazon said select US advertisers were taking part in a pilot. It named Delta Vacations as one of the first brands testing it.
The announcement gives no pricing or eligibility details. If you already buy through Amazon DSP, ask your Amazon Ads contact whether you can join.
HubSpot
The HubSpot integration connects your ChatGPT Ads account to HubSpot. It suits teams that already run their marketing and CRM there.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What can you do? | Create ChatGPT Chat Card campaigns, add new leads straight to your CRM, trigger follow-up workflows and see impressions, clicks, contacts, customers and cost next to your other ad channels. |
| Who can use it? | Any HubSpot customer wherever ChatGPT Ads are available, on Marketing Hub Free, Starter, Professional or Enterprise. |
| Any catch? | For a ChatGPT Business or Enterprise organization, a global admin must first approve HubSpot’s ads access in OpenAI’s Admin Console. It’s off by default. |
| What if you disconnect? | Your Ads Manager account and its campaigns stay. Campaigns that depend on HubSpot may stop updating. |
Shopify app
The Shopify app syncs your catalog, store updates and commerce events through the OpenAI Pixel for Shopify. It launches campaigns for all products, one product or your website from inside Shopify.
It’s available to Shopify merchants in the US now. OpenAI’s Help Center says it will be available wherever ChatGPT Ads are available shortly. The app gives up some control. OpenAI says Ads Manager offers more, such as budgets between the $25 steps the app uses.
Our ecommerce guide and product feed guide cover the options for stores, including feeds outside Shopify.
The Ads Manager plugin and the API
Since 16 September, OpenAI has been rolling out an Ads Manager plugin. It lets advertisers create, update and analyze campaigns with plain-language prompts in ChatGPT. OpenAI says it can turn a website or brief into a campaign, explain performance and recommend next steps.
The Advertiser API is for developers, agencies and tools that manage campaigns at scale. You need an ad account and an API key, which you create on the Settings page in Ads Manager. The API mirrors Ads Manager’s structure of account, campaign, ad group and ad. It also has audit logs, for reviewing recorded changes to an account’s resources.
Keys created in Ads Manager are also how OpenAI’s measurement partners connect to your account. Its setup guide lists Fospha, Hightouch, INCRMNTAL, LiveRamp, Northbeam, Rockerbox, Triple Whale and WorkMagic. On 5 October 2026 it named more, including Tealium for conversion data and mobile partners such as AppsFlyer and Adjust.
How the routes to buy ChatGPT ads compare
As we see it, the routes differ on four things that count for more than the logo on the tool.
| Route | Who runs it | Control | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ads Manager | You, or an agency you invite | Every setting | Most businesses |
| Sales team or partner | OpenAI or the partner | Set by the agreement | Large advertisers |
| HubSpot | You, inside HubSpot | Core settings, fewer than Ads Manager | CRM-led B2B |
| Shopify app | You, inside Shopify | Core settings, fewer than Ads Manager | Stores starting out |
| API | Your developers or a tool | Everything the API exposes | Many accounts at scale |
How to choose
Match the route to who will run the campaigns and how much control they need.
| If you are | Start with |
|---|---|
| A small or mid-sized business that wants control | Ads Manager, run yourself or with an agency you invite. |
| A B2B team that lives in HubSpot | The HubSpot integration for lead capture and follow-up, with Ads Manager open for settings HubSpot doesn’t show. |
| A US Shopify store | The Shopify app for a quick start, then Ads Manager as you need finer control. |
| A large brand with an agency of record | Your agency, or OpenAI’s Ads Solutions team. |
| An Amazon DSP advertiser in the US | Ask Amazon about the pilot. |
| A platform or agency running many accounts | The Advertiser API, with each client’s own account and key. |
If you already buy from Google or Meta
ChatGPT Ads has its own account, budget and billing, so adding it doesn’t change your other accounts. Whichever route you pick, judge the channel on its own conversions. Our ChatGPT Ads vs Google Ads guide compares how the two work, so you can decide where a test budget belongs.
Questions to ask a partner or agency
Ask these before you sign. The answers separate a route that suits you from one that merely sells.
| Ask | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Whose legal name and card are on the ad account? | The account holds your history and billing. |
| Do we have a written agreement? | OpenAI’s terms expect one between an intermediary and the advertiser. |
| Which role do you need on our account? | Member usually covers campaign work. |
| What do you charge, and how? | OpenAI doesn’t publish partner terms, so you must ask. |
| Can we see Ads Manager and our analytics too? | You should be able to check the same numbers. |
What to check whichever route you take
Four checks protect you, whichever tool or partner you choose.
The ad account should belong to your business, with your legal name and billing details. Conversion tracking should report into it, so the numbers survive a change of provider. You should be able to see the same numbers your agency or tool sees. And you should know who holds the account’s admin role.
Questions
Do I need an agency or partner to buy ChatGPT ads?
No. Eligible businesses based in the 63 countries on OpenAI’s list can buy through Ads Manager themselves. See the availability tracker. A partner or agency adds help with the work, and doesn’t change what you buy.
Do the routes show different ads to people?
They all buy ad placements in ChatGPT, under the same ad policies. What differs is who runs the campaign and which features the tool exposes. The ad itself, and where it appears, doesn’t depend on the route.
Can I use HubSpot and Ads Manager together?
Yes. HubSpot connects to your existing ChatGPT Ads account, and disconnecting it doesn’t delete the account or its campaigns. You can keep using Ads Manager for settings HubSpot doesn’t show.
Can an agency buy ads for me in its own account?
OpenAI’s setup page says anyone who manages several advertisers should create a separate account for each one. So the usual setup is one account per client. Whose name and card are on it is the question to settle. Our advice is to create it yourself and invite the agency. See giving an agency access.
Is the Shopify app enough on its own?
For a quick start, yes. OpenAI says Ads Manager offers more control, such as finer budget steps. A store can start in the app and move to Ads Manager later, because both work on the same ad account.
Which route has the lowest cost?
OpenAI doesn’t publish a price difference between routes. Ads Manager buys at auction prices above a daily minimum that depends on your currency. For sales or partner routes, the terms are agreed with them. Compare the total you’d pay, including any fee, before you choose.
Can I switch routes later?
Usually, because the ad account is the constant. HubSpot and the Shopify app connect to it, and Ads Manager manages it. Keep the account in your name, and changing tools doesn’t mean losing history. Disconnecting an integration leaves the account and its campaigns in place. Campaigns that depend on the integration may stop updating, though. So plan the move, and don’t rush it. Look at each live campaign afterwards, and check that it is still running as intended and still receiving updates.
Are partner routes better for large budgets?
OpenAI’s availability page invites larger advertisers with more complex needs to contact its Ads team for sales support. OpenAI also says Ads Manager serves companies of all sizes, up to global brands. Budget size alone doesn’t decide it. Control, support and your existing agency relationship do.
Not sure which route fits? Tell us how you buy media today and we’ll suggest one.
