ChatGPT now shows ads in Slovakia and Europe: what it means for you
ChatGPT has started showing ads in 31 European countries, Slovakia included. Who sees them, who can buy them yet, and what matters more for a local business.
Nikolay Tolmachev, Founder, Tolman Studios
6 min readNews
In short
31European countries where ChatGPT ads arrive in August 2026
- ChatGPT ads are rolling out in 31 European countries, Slovakia included. Only Free and Go users see them, below the answer, marked as sponsored.
- A small business cannot buy them on its own yet. In Europe they go through OpenAI and partner agencies, and self-serve is promised for "later this summer".
- Being named inside the answer is still free, and OpenAI says ads do not change the answers. That part deserves your time first.
On this page
Short answer: from this week, ChatGPT can show ads to people in 31 European countries, Slovakia, Czechia and Austria included. Only people on the free plan and the cheap Go plan see them, below the answer, marked as sponsored. A small business can't buy these ads on its own yet, so for most local firms nothing changes this month.
It's still worth knowing what changed, because it affects how your customers look for you. Below I separate what OpenAI itself confirmed from what the press reported. Then I tell you what I would do.
What exactly happened?
On 18 August OpenAI announced that ChatGPT Ads would expand to 31 European countries "next week". The 31 are the EU countries plus Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland. OpenAI's post names only nine of them, but Slovakia is on its advertiser availability list.
OpenAI itself only said "next week". The exact start, Monday 24 August, comes from Digiday, a marketing trade outlet that OpenAI briefed before the launch.
16 Jan 2026
OpenAI publishes its ad principles and says it will test ads in the US on the Free and Go plans.
9 Feb 2026
The ad test starts in the US.
Feb-Aug 2026
Ads reach eight more markets, among them the UK, Canada, Japan and Brazil.
18 Aug 2026
OpenAI announces ChatGPT Ads for 31 European markets.
24 Aug 2026
Ads start showing in Europe, Slovakia included (date reported by Digiday).
Later this summer
Self-serve Ads Manager for European advertisers. OpenAI gives no exact date.
Who sees the ads and how do they look?
This is all from OpenAI's own help page:
- Only the Free and Go plans show ads. Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu stay ad-free.
- No ads for accounts OpenAI identifies as under 18, and none in Temporary Chats.
- The ad sits below the end of an answer, labelled as sponsored and visually separated from it.
- No ads next to personal health, mental health or politics. Political ads are not allowed at all.
- In the EEA and Switzerland ads are not personalised at launch. They are chosen by the topic of the current chat and basic context, such as general location and language.
- Free users who dislike ads can switch to an ad-free Free version with lower message limits.
If you run a dental clinic or a physio practice, note the health rule. If someone describes their own back pain to ChatGPT, no ad appears next to that chat. That includes yours.
Can a small business buy ChatGPT ads yet?
Not on its own. OpenAI says European advertisers start "through the OpenAI Ads Solutions team, agency partners, and technology partners", and that self-serve Ads Manager "will follow later this summer". Digiday lists the agency partners at launch: six large holding groups such as Publicis, WPP and Omnicom. A bakery in Trnava doesn't usually call those.
You can already create an account at ads.openai.com. OpenAI says it will notify you when self-serve opens in your country.
On price, OpenAI only says that advertisers bid per thousand views (CPM) or per click (CPC), and that they can now optimise for conversions. It has published no European prices. Digiday reports that the US self-serve tool started with a $50,000 minimum, which was later dropped. Nobody can tell you today what a click costs in Slovakia.
How does it compare with Google Ads?
| ChatGPT Ads (Europe, 25 Aug 2026) | Google Ads | |
|---|---|---|
| Who can buy | Big advertisers via OpenAI or partner agencies. Self-serve "later this summer" | Anyone, in their own account |
| Budget | Not published for Europe | You set the daily budget yourself |
| Where the ad shows | Below a ChatGPT answer | Google Search, Maps and partner sites |
| What triggers it | Topic of the current chat, general location, language | Words people search for, location and more |
| Personalisation in the EU | Not at launch | Possible, with the user's consent |
| Who sees it | Logged-in adults on Free and Go | Anyone using Google |
| Billing | Bids per 1,000 views or per click | Mostly per click |
| Track record | Days in Europe, months in the US | Since 2000 |
The biggest difference is the moment. Google Ads catches someone typing "dentist Ru啪inov" with the phone already in hand. ChatGPT catches people earlier, while they compare options and explain what they need. That suits products people research for days, like furniture, software or courses. For a local service with a small budget, Google usually comes first. I wrote about what Google Ads cost a small business earlier this month.
Why does being named in the answer matter more?
OpenAI says ads run on separate systems and do not influence the answers. I can't check that from the outside. But if it is true, the names that ChatGPT recommends in the answer itself are not for sale.
Say someone asks for a "good physiotherapist in Bratislava who speaks English". The answer names a few practices, and an ad may sit below it. Whether you get into that answer depends on what the AI can find and read about you: a clear website, a complete Google Business Profile, reviews, and the same name, address and phone number everywhere. I explained how that works in Google, AI search and AEO.
This costs time but no ad money. And it doesn't switch off when you stop paying.
Should you try ChatGPT ads?
Worth a test later if
- You sell something people research for days before buying
- Your ad budget can absorb a test that teaches you and sells nothing
- Your landing page answers the obvious questions on its own
- You can measure what happens after the click
Skip it for now if
- You are a local service and most customers find you on Google Maps
- Your business is in health, where ads skip the most relevant chats
- Your Google Business Profile is still half empty
- You have no tracking, so you could not tell if it worked
What would I do this autumn?
My advice is to not hurry, but not to ignore it either. Right now you can't buy the ads yourself anyway. Use the time to make sure ChatGPT can describe your business correctly. Ask it about your type of business in your town, in the languages your customers speak, and see who it names.
When self-serve opens and the first European numbers appear, a small test can make sense for businesses from the left column above. For most salons, clinics and tradespeople, Google Search and a complete Google profile remain the better place for a small ad budget.
If you want someone to check where your ad money should go, see how I work on ads and search or write to me. I'll tell you plainly what I'd try first.
Questions people ask
Can I advertise my business in ChatGPT today?
Not on your own. As of 25 August 2026, European advertisers start through the OpenAI Ads Solutions team, agency partners or technology partners. You can sign up at ads.openai.com, and OpenAI says it will notify you when self-serve opens in your country.
Will I see ads if I pay for ChatGPT?
Not on Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise or Edu. Ads appear only on the Free and Go plans, and not for accounts OpenAI identifies as under 18.
Are ChatGPT ads personalised in Slovakia?
Not at launch. OpenAI says personalised ads are not initially available in the EEA or Switzerland. Ads are picked by the topic of the current chat and basic context such as general location and language.
Do ads change which businesses ChatGPT recommends?
OpenAI says no: ads run on separate systems, sit below the answer and are labelled. The names inside the answer come from what ChatGPT can find and read about businesses.
Is it cheaper than Google Ads?
Nobody can say yet. OpenAI has not published European prices. Advertisers bid per thousand views or per click, so the cost will depend on competition, the same way it does on Google.
Sources
- ChatGPT Ads expands across Europe, OpenAI, published 18 August 2026, checked 25 August 2026
- Ads in ChatGPT (help center FAQ), OpenAI Help Center, checked 25 August 2026
- Ads Manager availability by country, OpenAI Help Center, checked 25 August 2026
- Our approach to advertising and expanding access to ChatGPT, OpenAI, published 16 January 2026, checked 25 August 2026
- OpenAI's ads business hits Europe at the six month mark, Digiday, published 19 August 2026, checked 25 August 2026
- Choose your bid and budget, Google Ads Help, checked 25 August 2026
Facts and prices are as of the dates in the sources.
Nikolay Tolmachev
Founder, Tolman Studios
I build websites, AI chatbots and ads for small businesses, working from Slovakia. Before that I spent over 4 years managing IT projects. I hold PMP and Certified ScrumMaster certificates.