OpenAI launches sub-$5 ChatGPT GO plan in India with UPI support
OpenAI has unveiled a new, more affordable subscription tier for ChatGPT in India, dubbed ChatGPT GO. Priced at ₹399 per month (approximately $4.60), this new plan stands in stark contrast to the existing Plus Plan, which costs ₹1,999 (about $23) monthly. The strategic move aims to broaden access to OpenAI’s popular AI chatbot within the country.
The ChatGPT GO plan significantly enhances user capabilities compared to the free tier, offering a tenfold increase in message limits, image generations, and file uploads. Additionally, it provides double the memory retention, allowing for more personalized and contextually aware responses. This initiative follows OpenAI’s recent introduction of local currency pricing across all its plans in India and includes support for the Unified Payment Interface (UPI), India’s widely adopted digital payment framework, making subscriptions more accessible to a vast user base.
Nick Turley, OpenAI’s Vice President and head of ChatGPT, emphasized that the new pricing addresses a key request from users for greater affordability. “Making ChatGPT more affordable has been a key ask from users!” Turley stated, confirming that India is the inaugural market for the GO plan, with insights gained from its rollout expected to inform potential expansion to other countries. The introduction of this plan had been previously hinted at by Tibor Blaho, a software engineer known for accurately predicting upcoming AI product releases.
The decision to launch such a competitively priced plan in India is underpinned by the country’s significant engagement with ChatGPT. Turley recently noted that ChatGPT now boasts over 700 million weekly users globally, a substantial increase from 500 million in March. India has emerged as a crucial market, leading worldwide in ChatGPT app downloads. Over the past 90 days alone, the country accounted for more than 29 million downloads across various platforms. However, despite this robust adoption, monetisation has lagged, with the app generating only $3.6 million from Indian users during the same period.
OpenAI’s move is a clear attempt to convert this vast pool of free users into paying subscribers. It also reflects a broader trend among major AI companies targeting India’s internet user base, which exceeds 850 million. Last month, Perplexity collaborated with network provider Airtel to offer free Perplexity Pro subscriptions, while Google extended a free AI Pro plan to India-based students for a year. While OpenAI’s strategy doesn’t involve free giveaways, the combination of local pricing and an attractive feature set is anticipated to significantly boost subscription conversion rates for ChatGPT in India, positioning the country as a critical battleground for AI adoption and monetization.