OpenAI switched Germany on together with 30 other European markets. This is the continuously updated guide in English: what launched and when, what it costs, how targeting works, and the steps to a first campaign. Updated September 1, 2026.
OpenAI switched Germany on as part of its expansion to 31 European markets, announced on August 18 and live from August 24. Since August 31, companies registered in Germany can also buy directly: self-service access through Ads Manager is open, alongside the OpenAI Ads Solutions team and agency partners. One thing to plan around: creating an account is not the same as being able to spend. OpenAI verifies every advertiser account before campaigns can deliver, and those reviews run as a rolling queue.
How we got here
ChatGPT ads follow a different logic than Google or Meta, and the mechanics are identical in every market that has opened. Four things to know before the first campaign:
ChatGPT ads are bought on a cost-per-click basis, with conversion-optimized bidding for campaigns that track outcomes and CPM buying alongside it. Visibility itself is not what you pay for.
Targeting runs on the context of the live conversation rather than keyword lists, refined by geography, platform, custom audiences and product feeds.
Ads appear as a clearly marked box below the answer, sit separately from it, and never influence what ChatGPT answers. Only Free and Go users see them.
Directly through OpenAI's Ads Solutions team, through agency and technology partners, or self-service through Ads Manager, which companies registered in Germany can now use.
The launch moved the bottleneck. It is no longer access, it is the account queue and the quality of the setup behind it. Four steps, in this order:
Curious how visible your brand is in AI answers today? Our free AI Visibility Check shows you in minutes.
The full rollout timeline, every confirmed fact, and what the pattern in other markets says about what comes next.
The pricing model explained, early signals from live markets, and how to size a test budget.
What ads look like in ChatGPT, where they appear, and how conversational targeting works without keywords.
The readiness checklist: account verification, intent mapping, landing pages and measurement.
What changes for performance marketing when context replaces the keyword, and what stays the same.
ChatGPT ads are running, the account queue has started, and the platform is new enough that the setup decides more than the budget does. We take companies through verification, build the intent map, and get measurement in place before spend starts. Tell us where you are and we'll set up a call.
Prefer to book straight away? Grab a 30 minute slot, or email peter [at] inseeq [dot] com.
Yes. Ads have been live in Germany since August 24, 2026, when OpenAI switched on 31 European markets at once. Since August 31, companies registered in Germany can also buy self-service through Ads Manager instead of going only through OpenAI's sales team or a partner.
Buying is on a cost-per-click basis, with conversion-optimized bidding for campaigns that track outcomes and CPM buying alongside it. There is no published rate card for Germany, and OpenAI states that the platform does not yet have performance benchmarks across advertisers, industries or campaign types, so early budgets should be sized for learning rather than modeled on Google or Meta costs.
Logged-in adult users on the free tier and the Go subscription. Plus, Pro and Enterprise remain ad-free. Ads are clearly labeled, sit separately from the answer, and never change the answer itself.
Create an advertiser account at ads.openai.com, complete business verification, and set up billing before campaigns can deliver. Larger budgets can run through the OpenAI Ads Solutions team or an agency partner instead. Verification runs as a rolling queue, so the application is worth submitting early.
The country, billing currency and time zone chosen when an advertiser account is created cannot be changed afterwards, and every advertiser needs its own account created from its own email address. Getting the legal entity right at signup avoids starting the verification queue over.