OpenAI is making its ChatGPT Go plan available for free for one year to users in India who sign up during a limited promotional period starting on November 4, as the company looks to expand into one of its top markets.
On Tuesday, OpenAI announced the promotion but did not specify how long the offer would be available. Existing ChatGPT Go subscribers in India will also be eligible for a 12-month free plan, the company said.
Priced at less than $5 per month, ChatGPT Go launched in India in August as OpenAI’s least expensive paid subscription plan. The service later expanded to Indonesia and, earlier this month, to 16 additional countries across Asia.
India, the world’s most populous country with more than 700 million smartphone users and more than a billion internet subscribers, was a key market for OpenAI. The company opened its New Delhi office in August and is currently building a local team to expand its presence.
Earlier this year, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, said that India is the company’s second-largest market after the United States. However, monetizing paid ChatGPT plans in the country has proven to be a challenge. The app saw more than 29 million downloads in the 90 days leading up to August, but generated just $3.6 million in in-app purchases during that period, according to Appfigures data reviewed by TechCrunch at the time.
ChatGPT Go offers 10 times more usage than the free version for creating replies, creating images, and uploading files. It also features improved memory for more personalized responses, according to OpenAI.
“Since ChatGPT Go initially launched in India a few months ago, the adoption and creativity we’ve seen from our users has been inspiring,” Nick Turley, vice president and head of ChatGPT, said in a statement. “We’re excited to see the amazing things our users will build, learn and achieve with these tools.”
TechCrunch event
San Francisco
|
October 27-29, 2025
OpenAI’s competitors, including Perplexity and Google, are also looking to tap into India’s large and young user base. Perplexity recently partnered with Airtel to offer free Perplexity Pro subscriptions to the telecom operator’s 360 million subscribers. Likewise, Google introduced a AI Pro plan is free for one year for students In India.
OpenAI is set to host its DevDay Exchange developer conference in Bengaluru on November 4, where it is expected to make India-specific announcements targeting local developers and companies. India has emerged as one of the fastest growing markets for ChatGPT, with millions of users interacting with the chatbot daily, the company said.
