Digiday reports that an earlier version of ChatGPT’s ad manager, available to a small set of trial advertisers, now displays cost-per-click bids. from $3 to $5, based on updated screenshots and verified by publication.
Until now, advertisers in testing paid on a CPM basis, which means a low price per 1,000 impressions offered. CPC pricing allows buyers to pay only when a user clicks. Digiday reported that the option is available to advertisers who are already testing advertising in a test, not as a broad rollout. OpenAI did not respond to Digiday’s request for comment.
The price has been falling since its inception
The CPC addition follows a decrease in the price of ChatGPT ads since the pilot was launched on February 9, 2026.
CPMs dropped from $60 at launch to as low as $25 in some cases, according to a previous Digiday report. Digiday also reported that the minimum spend has dropped from $250,000 at launch to $50,000, and the quiet rollout of an automated ad manager that gives a small group of advertisers the ability to monitor impressions and clicks in real time.
What CPC Price Means for Buyers
CPM and CPC pricing offer different bases for advertisers. Product marketers often plan with CPM. Performance advertisers, who represent the majority of online advertising spend, prefer to pay for clicks rather than impressions.
Adding CPC bidding opens up a channel for a segment of the buyer that has been left out of the survey. Nicole Greene, VP analyst at Gartner, told Digiday that the price change allows marketers to directly compare their results on OpenAI with those on other major platforms.
How important a ChatGPT click is depends on where it sits relative to existing channels. According to ad agency Adthena (cited by Digiday), Meta CPCs work three to five times cheaper than Google search, not because Meta listings are worse, but because the purpose of those clicks is different. Social media users often browse without a specific goal, while search users usually have one in mind.
Pricing brings ChatGPT down to the same objective and value debate that advertisers already face when comparing social clicks to search clicks.
Why This Matters
CPC bidding takes ChatGPT advertising to a place where performance advertisers can plan campaigns and compare costs directly with Google and Meta. Combined with the low operating costs, the channel is accessible to more consumers than the business segment that defined its launch.
SEJ’s Brooke Osmundson included the implications of paid media groups in her analysis of whether ChatGPT Ads are still worth a real budget.
The CPM only business pilot, in about 10 weeks, has become an automated channel with a $50,000 minimum, low CPMs, and now CPC values are visible to a small set of advertisers. Each drop opens the channel to a different segment of the consumer.
Looking Forward
Paid media teams running search and social campaigns should compare ChatGPT clicks for quality intent and conversions. Measurement tools are limited and inconsistent, so teams should plan proxy measurements until the OpenAI report is developed.
OpenAI is hiring its first marketing science leader, per Digiday. Until that role is filled, advertisers will be evaluating ChatGPT clicks mostly on faith.
