Short answer
Thrad is a San Francisco-based advertising platform that sells native, labelled ads inside AI chatbots, AI search engines and vertical AI assistants that integrate its ad layer. Targeting is contextual, based on the current prompt and session. Advertisers buy self-serve with no minimum spend or through a managed service from $10,000 a month.
How it works
- A publisher (an AI app) integrates Thrad by API or SDK
- Thrad analyses the conversation context and intent
- Relevant ads are scored and enter a real-time auction
- The winning ad is shown natively and labelled as sponsored, separate from the AI response
Key facts
| Item | Thrad says |
|---|---|
| Founders | Andrea Tortella, Marco Visentin |
| Formats | Card, Prompt, Carousel, Poll |
| Pricing | CPM or CPC (CPE for polls) |
| Minimum | None for self-serve |
| Managed service | From $10k per month |
| Targeting | Contextual and intent-based, no cookies |
| Measurement | Pixel, UTMs, dashboards |
How it differs from ChatGPT ads
ChatGPT ads are sold by OpenAI and run only in ChatGPT. Thrad is a third party that runs ads across other AI apps that choose to integrate it. OpenAI told The Capitol Forum in March 2026 that it has no agreement with Thrad.
Questions
Does Thrad show ads in ChatGPT?
Thrad's marketing says it connects advertisers with AI publishers "including ChatGPT", but OpenAI said in March 2026 it had no agreement with Thrad. Ask Thrad exactly which apps your ads will run in.
Is it self-serve?
Yes, at platform.thrads.ai, with card payment or insertion orders.
Facts checked against the sources below on 12 October 2026. Platforms change quickly: if something here no longer matches what you see, tell us and we will update it.
