OpenAI is offering the ChatGPT Go plan free for one year to users in India who sign up during a restricted promotional period starting November 4, as the company plans to expand into one of its most crucial markets.
On Tuesday, OpenAI announced the promotion, but did not specify how long the offer will be available. The company said that existing ChatGPT Go subscribers in India will also be eligible for a free 12-month plan.
Priced at less than $5 per month, ChatGPT Go launched in India in August as OpenAI’s cheapest paid subscription plan. The service later expanded to Indonesia, and earlier this month to 16 additional countries in Asia.
India, the world’s most populous country with over 700 million smartphone users and over a billion internet subscribers, is a key market for OpenAI. The company opened its office in Modern 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 United States. However, making money with ChatGPT’s paid plans in the country has proven to be challenging. According to Appfigures data reviewed by TechCrunch at the time, the app had more than 29 million downloads in the 90 days to August but generated just $3.6 million in in-app purchases during that period.
ChatGPT Go offers 10 times greater usage than the free version for generating replies, creating images and transferring files. According to OpenAI, it also has improved memory that allows for more personalized responses.
“Since launching ChatGPT Go in India a few months ago, the adoption and creativity we have seen from our users has been inspiring,” Nick Turley, vice president and head of ChatGPT, said in a statement. “We are excited to see the amazing things our users will create, learn and achieve with these tools.”
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OpenAI’s rivals, including Perplexity and Google, are also looking to capitalize on India’s enormous and newborn user base. Perplexity recently partnered with Airtel to offer free Perplexity Pro subscriptions to the telco’s 360 million subscribers. Similarly, Google introduced a free 1-year AI Pro plan for students in India.
OpenAI will host the DevDay Exchange developer conference in Bengaluru on November 4, where it is expected to make India-specific announcements targeting local developers and enterprises. India has become one of the fastest-growing markets for ChatGPT, with millions of users using the chatbot every day, the company claims.