Checked 19 October 2026

What you can and cannot advertise on ChatGPT

Alcohol, gambling, dating and political ads are out. Finance and health are US only, case by case. Every ad passes 3 reviews before it runs. Here is the full list, and which parts come from OpenAI and which from third parties.

18+

Who can see an ad

No ads for accounts OpenAI identifies as under 18, using the age on the account and age prediction.

OpenAI help centre

Reviews before an ad runs

Your brand, the ad itself and the landing page. Each one is checked on its own.

OpenAI developer docs; TechWyse

Only market for finance and health

Listed categories only, reviewed case by case. Generally not allowed elsewhere.

TechWyse, citing OpenAI's 15 Jul 2026 update

Before the category list

Some chats never get an ad

These limits apply to every advertiser, whatever you sell.

No under-18s. OpenAI does not show ads to accounts it identifies as under 18. It uses the age on the account plus age prediction (OpenAI help centre).

No ads near sensitive chats. Ads do not appear next to conversations about personal health or mental health (Engadget). That is about the chat, not your product. Even an allowed advertiser will not show up there.

No political ads. OpenAI does not allow them at all.

The ad also never goes inside the answer. It sits below it, labelled Sponsored, and you cannot pay to change what ChatGPT says.

Category by category

What is banned, limited or allowed

OpenAI’s own policy page could not be read in full when we checked. So the last column says who each rule comes from.

Category	Status	Who says so
Adult content, including dating apps, sexual health products and adult companion apps	Banned	OpenAI ad policy
Alcohol and tobacco	Banned	OpenAI ad policy
Gambling	Banned	OpenAI ad policy
Political ads	Not allowed	OpenAI
Crypto	Banned, per third parties	Agency and trade press. Not confirmed on OpenAI's own page
Credit repair, debt settlement, debt assistance, bullion	Excluded	TechWyse, citing OpenAI's 15 Jul policy update
Financial services (loans, cards, insurance, investing and more)	US only, case by case	TechWyse, citing OpenAI's 15 Jul policy update
Financial tools that do not promote a financial product, such as budgeting apps	Generally allowed	OpenAI ad policy
Health (devices, dental, clinics, health insurance and more)	US only, case by case	TechWyse, Marketing Brew
Prescription drugs	Not allowed in the pilot	Marketing Brew
Legal services	Sources conflict	TechWyse says banned. Marketing Brew says case by case
Standalone AI image and audio tools	Refused since about Sep 2026	The Information, via exchange4media and PYMNTS. Not in the published policy
AI video tools	Still allowed	Same reports

Sources: OpenAI ad policy, TechWyse, Marketing Brew, Abmatic, exchange4media, PYMNTS.

Finance: US only, case by case

According to TechWyse, OpenAI’s 15 July 2026 policy update opened these categories to US advertisers, each reviewed on its own:

Auto loans
Credit cards
Credit monitoring
Deposit accounts
Financial planning
Insurance
Investments and brokerage
Mortgages
Personal loans
Payments

Credit repair, debt settlement, debt assistance and bullion stay out. Outside the US, financial services are generally not allowed. A budgeting app or other tool that does not sell a financial product is a different case, and is generally fine.

Health: US only, case by case

The same update lists these health categories:

Consumer medical devices
Dental
Hospitals and urgent care
Health insurance
Medical testing
Vision
Some cosmetic procedures

Prescription drugs were not allowed in the pilot (Marketing Brew). And even an approved health ad will not show next to a chat about someone’s own health.

Legal services: the sources disagree

TechWyse says legal services are banned, naming immigration, personal injury, legal claims and document preparation, with legal education possibly allowed. Marketing Brew says legal is case by case. We have not seen OpenAI settle it in public. If you are a law firm, expect review to be strict and ask before you spend.

AI tools that compete with OpenAI

The Information reported around 9 to 12 September 2026 that OpenAI told partners it would stop approving ads for standalone AI image and audio tools. Adobe confirmed Firefly and Acrobat Studio were affected. Video tools were still allowed (exchange4media, PYMNTS).

This was not in the published policy at the time, and the exact wording has not been confirmed.

Crypto: banned, but not by OpenAI's page

Crypto, credit repair and debt settlement are listed as banned by agencies and trade press (Abmatic). We could not find crypto on OpenAI’s own page. Plan as if it is banned.

How approval works

3 reviews, and they can run again

Passing one review does not mean the others are done. OpenAI tracks each one on its own.

1. Your brand

The ad account has a brand review. You need a favicon, the small icon shown next to your ads. Changing your brand details later can start a new review (OpenAI account docs).

2. The ad

Creating an ad submits it for review. Each ad is in review, approved or rejected. Editing the creative makes a new version and sends it back to review (OpenAI campaign docs). Pausing and restarting an ad does not approve it.

3. The landing page

The page your ad links to is checked too. Per TechWyse, OpenAI’s crawler for this is called OAI-AdsBot. If your site blocks bots, make sure it does not block that one, and that the page loads for a visitor with no login.

Approval is not forever

Ads can be reviewed again after they are approved (TechWyse). So keep the ad and the landing page inside the policy for as long as the campaign runs, not just on day 1.

New accounts: home country first

New self-serve accounts may only advertise in their own country until they pass ID verification and reach a spend level OpenAI has not disclosed (Soku, third party).

A rejection is fixable

OpenAI says a rejected ad breaks one of its ad policies, and returns a reason when it has one (troubleshooting). Fix that field and edit the ad. It goes back to review. A rejected ad is not a banned account.

Questions

Can I advertise alcohol on ChatGPT?

No. OpenAI's ad policy bans alcohol and tobacco ads. Gambling and adult content, including dating apps, are banned too.

Are crypto ads allowed on ChatGPT?

Third parties who have read the policy say no. We could not confirm crypto on OpenAI's own policy page, so treat it as banned until OpenAI says otherwise.

Can I run finance or health ads outside the US?

Generally not. Reported policy allows a set list of financial and health categories for US advertisers only, reviewed case by case. Budgeting apps and similar tools that do not promote a financial product are generally allowed.

Can AI companies advertise on ChatGPT?

Some can. The Information reported in September 2026 that OpenAI stopped approving ads for standalone image and audio generation tools, and Adobe confirmed it was affected. Video tools were still allowed. OpenAI has not published this rule in its policy.

How long does ChatGPT ad review take?

OpenAI has not published a time for ad review. Account review can take up to 7 business days. Ad review is usually quick when the ad and landing page follow policy.

Why was my ChatGPT ad rejected?

OpenAI says a rejected ad breaks one of its ad policies. The rejection comes with a reason when one is available. Fix the field it points to and edit the ad, which sends it back for review.

If your category is allowed, the next step is the account, then an ad that passes review first time.

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The policy has changed several times this year. We send a short monthly note on what changed and whether it matters to you.

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