You set the budget. The minimum is $25 a day, about $750 a month. You can pay per thousand views, per click, or bid for conversions, and OpenAI suggests starting click bids at $3 to $5. Reported view prices fell from about $60 per thousand at launch to about $25 by spring 2026. On top of ad spend, budget for landing pages, any state bar filing fees, and management.
How ChatGPT ads pricing works
ChatGPT ads are sold in an auction. OpenAI describes it as a second-price auction weighted by relevance: the ad that fits the conversation best can win even with a lower bid, and the winner pays just enough to beat the next ad.
You pick one of three goals when you set up a campaign:
- Views: you pay per thousand times your ad is shown (CPM).
- Clicks: you pay each time someone clicks (CPC).
- Conversions: OpenAI shows the ad to people more likely to call or fill in your form, but you still pay per click or per view, not per lead.
Targeting is mostly the conversation itself. You can add "context hints," which OpenAI says are not exact-match keywords, and narrow by state, city or zip code. That location targeting matters for law firms, because you can only run ads where your firm is licensed.
The minimum budget
The minimum daily budget is $25. It works as a seven-day average: on a busy day ChatGPT can spend up to twice your daily budget, but never more than seven times it over a week. So $25 a day means up to $50 on some days and no more than $175 a week.
About $750 a month. At a $4 click, that's roughly 185 clicks a month. Real click prices for law firms will vary by city and case type, and the channel is new, so treat this as arithmetic, not a forecast.
What clicks cost so far
OpenAI hasn't published average prices for legal ads, and the product is still in beta. What's known:
| Date | Price signal | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 2026 | About $60 per thousand views at launch, with large minimum commitments | Press reports |
| Apr 2026 | About $25 per thousand views; some partner buys at $25 to $35 | Digiday |
| May 2026 | Self-serve opens with click bidding and the $25 daily minimum | OpenAI |
| Oct 2026 | OpenAI recommends starting click bids at $3 to $5 | OpenAI Help Center |
Personal injury will likely cost more than average, because injury cases are valuable and more firms will bid as they learn the channel exists. Early advertisers usually pay less than late ones.
How billing works
- You're billed after ads run, not before.
- Card accounts are charged when spend reaches a payment threshold.
- Adding a card can place a temporary $100 authorization hold.
- Larger accounts can be moved to invoicing.
Before any ad runs, your firm goes through OpenAI's business verification, which can take up to seven business days, and every ad is reviewed.
Start with the free AI Visibility Check. On the call we'll tell you what we'd spend first, on which case types.
ChatGPT ads compared with Google Ads
| ChatGPT ads | Google Search ads | Google Local Services Ads | |
|---|---|---|---|
| You pay for | Views, clicks, or clicks optimized for conversions | Clicks | Leads (calls, messages) |
| Typical PI price | Not published yet; start bids around $3 to $5 per click | Commonly reported at $50 to $300+ per click in big metros | Per lead, varies by market |
| Minimum | $25 a day | None | Weekly budget you set |
| Targeting | The conversation, plus location | Keywords, plus location | Category and service area |
| Competition | Early; few firms yet | Every firm in your city | Firms with the Google Verified badge |
Google still has far more people searching right after a crash. ChatGPT is a second channel with richer context and less competition while it's early. Most firms should test it alongside Google, not instead of it.
The other costs
- Landing pages. An ad about truck accidents should land on a truck accident page, not your homepage.
- State bar filing fees. Some states require you to file ads with the bar: Texas charges $100 per filing, Florida $150, Nevada $100. ChatGPT ads include an image, which can take them outside Florida's filing exemptions.
- Tracking. OpenAI offers a pixel and a conversions API. Set them up before launch, or you won't know which ads became cases.
- Management. If an agency runs the campaigns, its fee is separate from what you pay OpenAI.
Questions
What is the minimum budget for ChatGPT ads?
$25 a day, averaged over seven days. A single day can spend up to $50, and a week never more than $175.
Do I pay per lead with ChatGPT ads?
No. You pay per view or per click. Even with a conversion goal, OpenAI optimizes for leads but bills per click or per view.
Are ChatGPT ads cheaper than Google Ads for lawyers?
Early signs say yes, per click, because the channel is new and few firms bid. Google personal injury clicks are commonly reported at $50 to $300 or more. Whether ChatGPT is cheaper per signed case is something only your own tracking will show.
Can any law firm run ChatGPT ads?
In the US, yes, if the firm is licensed where the ad runs and passes OpenAI's business verification and ad review. Your state bar's advertising rules still apply.
Sources (checked October 15, 2026)
- OpenAI Help Center: "Ads in ChatGPT: the basics", "Create campaigns for ChatGPT ads", Billing and payment.
- OpenAI, "New ways to buy ChatGPT ads," May 5, 2026.
- Digiday, reporting on ChatGPT ad prices, April 2026.
- WordStream 2026 benchmarks and agency reports on personal injury click prices.
- State Bar of Texas Advertising Review; The Florida Bar Handbook (Dec 2025); State Bar of Nevada.