OpenAI Bets on India With a Year of Free ChatGPT Go Access
When users won’t pay, you buy their loyalty, and OpenAI’s free ChatGPT Go plan is a billion-user bet on the future of AI adoption.
India has become OpenAI’s biggest paradox. It's the company’s second-largest market after the United States, yet one of its least profitable. More than 29 million ChatGPT downloads were recorded in the 90 days leading up to August, but those users generated only $3.6 million in in-app purchases, according to TechCrunch. The numbers reveal the problem: huge adoption, minimal monetization.
For Sam Altman, OpenAI CEO, that puzzle is probably keeping him up at night. Indians love ChatGPT, but they are not paying for it. So, starting November 4, OpenAI plans to change that dynamic. The company will offer ChatGPT Go, which normally costs ₹399, about $4.75 a month, completely free for one year to all users in India who sign up during a limited promotion.
The free access isn't a downgrade. ChatGPT Go includes higher message limits with the GPT-5 model, more daily image generations, more file uploads, and longer memory. OpenAI says the goal is to make the full experience accessible to a wider base of users before scaling monetization later.
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But the timing for this is no coincidence. In recent months, Google has offered its AI Pro plan free for a year to Indian students, and Perplexity partnered with Bharti Airtel to give Airtel customers a free 12-month Perplexity Pro subscription. With competitors deepening their roots in the market, OpenAI seems to be fighting back to keep its user lead.
It's a classic platform play. Acquire users at a loss, build reliance, and cash in later. Students will write essays with it, professionals will automate workflows, developers will build on it, and small businesses will depend on it. By the time the free year ends, many will see ChatGPT as essential infrastructure.
At the same time, India is also turning into OpenAI’s test lab. The company opened its New Delhi office in August, is building a local team, and will host its DevDay Exchange conference in Bengaluru on November 4. With more than a billion potential users, India is the proving ground for the next phase of global AI adoption.
How to get free ChatGPT Go in India
The offer goes live on November 4. Visit the ChatGPT website and sign in or create an account. New users can select Go when registering, while existing Go subscribers will have their plans automatically extended for 12 months at no cost.
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