Global artificial intelligence leaders OpenAI, Google and Perplexity have introduced free access to their premium AI offerings in India, stepping up competition in one of the world’s most rapidly expanding digital markets.
The strategy is aimed at quickly growing their user base in a country where affordable internet access and widespread smartphone usage are fuelling demand for AI-driven services.
India has emerged as a critical battleground for AI companies due to its vast digital ecosystem. The country has an estimated 730 million smartphone users and some of the lowest mobile data prices globally.
On average, Indian users consume around 21 gigabytes of data per month, paying approximately 9.2 cents per gigabyte. This affordability has made frequent use of AI-powered tools far more accessible than in many other regions.
OpenAI has taken a significant step by offering its ChatGPT Go plan free for one year in India.
The plan allows higher usage limits compared to the standard version of ChatGPT and is typically a paid service in more than 100 countries. In India, it was previously priced at around $54.
The free nationwide offer, launched in November, is available exclusively to Indian users and reflects OpenAI’s focus on accelerating adoption in the market. The move has resulted in a sharp rise in usage.
According to data from market intelligence firm Sensor Tower, daily active users of ChatGPT in India have surged by 607 per cent year-on-year, reaching 73 million as of last week.
This figure is more than double the number of daily ChatGPT users in the United States, making India the platform’s largest market by daily active users.
Perplexity has also intensified its India strategy by offering its Pro plan free for one year to Airtel customers.
The Pro plan, which normally costs $200 per year globally, provides unlimited access to the company’s most advanced research and search tools.
Following the launch of this offer, India now accounts for more than one-third of Perplexity’s global daily active users, a significant increase from just 7 per cent last year.
Google, through its AI offerings such as Gemini, is also competing aggressively in the Indian market, recognising the country’s potential as a long-term growth driver for AI adoption.
Despite growing competition, ChatGPT currently leads in terms of user engagement in India. Data from November shows that around 46 per cent of ChatGPT’s monthly users in the country opened the app daily.
In comparison, daily engagement stood at 20 per cent for Perplexity and 14 per cent for Google’s Gemini.
The rapid expansion of free premium AI services highlights India’s importance as a global hub for AI growth.
A young, digitally connected population and low barriers to internet usage position India to play a central role in shaping the future of artificial intelligence adoption worldwide.
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