OpenAI has launched its budget-friendly ChatGPT Go subscription plan globally and announced it will begin testing advertisements within the chatbot for users on the free and Go tiers. The $8-per-month Go plan, first introduced in India in August 2025, is now available in all markets where ChatGPT operates, including the United States.
The move establishes a three-tier consumer subscription structure. ChatGPT Go offers more access to the GPT-5.2 Instant model than the free version, with higher message limits, increased file uploads, greater image generation capacity, and longer memory retention. The ChatGPT Plus tier remains at $20 per month for users needing deeper reasoning capabilities, while ChatGPT Pro is priced at $200 monthly for power users with complex workflows.
In a significant shift for its business model, OpenAI will start testing ads in the United States "in the coming weeks" for users on the free and Go plans. CEO Sam Altman stated the ads will be clearly labeled as sponsored content and appear at the bottom of chatbot responses. The company emphasized that ads will not influence ChatGPT's answers and that user conversations will remain private from advertisers.
Several guardrails are in place: ads will be blocked around sensitive topics like health and politics, and users under 18 will not see any advertisements. Subscribers to the Plus, Pro, Business, and Enterprise plans will remain ad-free.
The advertising push comes as OpenAI faces substantial infrastructure costs. The company signed over $1.4 trillion in infrastructure deals in 2025 and is reportedly on track to generate $20 billion in annualized revenue, though it is still operating at a loss. With 800 million weekly active users, advertising represents a potential new revenue stream as the company prepares for a widely anticipated initial public offering (IPO).
