Move comes as part of OpenAI’s aggressive strategy to expand its footprint in India, its second-largest and fastest-growing market
In a significant development aimed at strengthening its position in the Indian market, OpenAI has announced that it will offer ChatGPT Go free to all users across India starting November 4, reported timesofindia.indiatimes.com.
ChatGPT Go — OpenAI’s mid-tier subscription plan for its popular AI chatbot — will now be available complimentary for one year, marking a bold move to counter growing competition from Google and Perplexity, both of which recently rolled out free access to premium AI tools in India.
The offer is part of OpenAI’s broader strategy to capture a larger share of India’s rapidly expanding AI user base, as the company identifies the country as a key growth driver.
ChatGPT Go, launched in August in India at Rs 399 per month, was originally designed as a bridge between the free ChatGPT tier and the premium ChatGPT Plus plan
With this latest move, users across India will gain access to enhanced features such as higher message limits, more daily image generations and uploads, and extended memory for context-rich, personalized responses.
“Since launching ChatGPT Go in India a few months ago, the adoption and creativity we’ve seen from users has been inspiring,” said Nick Turley, Vice President and Head of ChatGPT. “Ahead of our first DevDay Exchange event in India, we’re making ChatGPT Go freely available for a year to help more people access and benefit from advanced AI.”
The announcement follows Google’s decision to offer its AI Pro membership (worth Rs 19,500) free for students and Perplexity’s partnership with Airtel to grant free access to its premium tier — escalating competition in India’s AI services market.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently reaffirmed India’s importance to the company, calling it OpenAI’s second-largest and fastest-growing market globally. Since introducing the ChatGPT Go plan, OpenAI reports that its paid subscriptions in India have more than doubled, reflecting the country’s strong appetite for AI tools.
The ChatGPT Go plan has now expanded to nearly 90 countries worldwide, but the India initiative — with a year of free access — underscores OpenAI’s intent to make advanced AI accessible to the widest possible audience.
