OpenAI is making its ChatGPT Go program available for free for one year to users in India who sign up during a limited offer period starting 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 remain available. Existing ChatGPT Go subscribers in India will also be eligible for the 12-month free plan, the company said.
Priced at less than $5 per month, ChatGPT Go launched in India in August as OpenAI’s most affordable 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, has been a key market for OpenAI. The company opened its office in New Delhi in August and is currently building a local team to expand its presence.
Earlier this year, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said India was the company’s second largest market after the US. However, monetizing ChatGPT’s paid 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 10x more usage than the free version for creating replies, creating images and uploading files. It also has improved memory for more personalized responses, according to OpenAI.
“Since we initially launched ChatGPT Go 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.”
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OpenAI’s rivals, including Perplexity and Google, are also trying to tap into India’s large and young user base. Perplexity recently partnered with Airtel to offer free Perplexity Pro subscriptions to the telco’s 360 million subscribers. Likewise, Google introduced one free one-year AI Pro program for students in India.
OpenAI is set to host its DevDay Exchange Bengaluru developer conference on November 4, where it is expected to make India-specific announcements aimed at local developers and businesses. India has emerged as one of the fastest growing markets for ChatGPT, with millions of users engaging with the chatbot daily, the company said.
