OpenAI brings ads to ChatGPT's Free and Go tiers in Europe
The US got ChatGPT ads in February; now the EEA and Switzerland do too. Meanwhile DeepSeek's V4 API prices go live today, up to 4x at peak.
Copy markdown
Free and Go get ads; every paid tier stays clean
Ads start later this month for ChatGPT Free and Go users across the EEA and Switzerland — the first time European free-tier users see them (the US has had them since February 9). Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Edu accounts stay ad-free.
Contextual now, personalized only if you opt in
To start, ads read only your current conversation, rough location, and device — not past chats or memory. Personalized ads will need an explicit opt-in prompt, and advertisers get only aggregate views and clicks, never your chats or identity.
The escape hatch: an ads-free Free plan, paid in limits
You can flip the Free plan to an 'Ads-Free' mode at no cost — but it trims message volume and some features. The clean exit is still Plus or Pro. Worth knowing before you demo ChatGPT to EU clients.
Why builders should care: sponsored answers
OpenAI's own plan places sponsored products at the bottom of answers, with interactive ad formats to come. In a tool many lean on for research and code, blended-in promotions are a reliability signal worth watching.
Update: DeepSeek's V4 price hike goes live at 16:00 UTC
The numbers are now confirmed. V4-Pro output jumps from $0.87 to $3.96 per million at peak ($1.98 off-peak); V4-Flash and cache-hit rates climb too — up to 1,100% on cache. New peak/off-peak billing starts today, so rerun your cost math before the next batch.