OpenAI Announces Free ChatGPT Go Service in India

OpenAI has announced its plan to offer the ChatGPT Go service for free for one year to its users in India, starting from November 4. This offer is part of the company’s strategy to penetrate the rapidly growing digital technology market in India.

Strategic Context of OpenAI’s Decision

The announcement coincided with the DevDay Exchange developers’ conference in Bangalore, indicating a well-thought-out marketing plan targeting local developers and businesses. This move is not a coincidence but a strategic step to capitalize on the opportunity in the Indian market, which includes 1.4 billion potential users.

The Indian market represents OpenAI’s second-largest and fastest-growing market. The company established an office in New Delhi last August to strengthen its presence there. This move comes amid intense competition from companies like Perplexity and Google, which have made similar offers to attract users in India.

The Indian Market: A Multi-Billion Dollar Opportunity

Reports predict that the value of the AI market in India will reach $17 billion by 2027. This rapid growth has prompted OpenAI to make its free offer in an attempt to expand its user base and take advantage of this significant market expansion.

Statistics indicate the success of companies’ strategies in India, with Perplexity downloads increasing by 600% in the second quarter of 2025, while the ChatGPT app saw a 587% increase, reaching 46.7 million downloads.

Benefits of the ChatGPT Go Plan

The ChatGPT Go plan offers users multiple benefits, including increased message limits, image generation capabilities, longer memory, and the ability to upload more files and images. With a standard price of less than $5 per month, the free offer represents a significant investment in customer acquisition.

Nick Turley, Vice President and Head of ChatGPT, stated that the enthusiasm and creativity seen since the launch of ChatGPT Go in India have been very inspiring. By offering this service for free for a year, OpenAI aims to make advanced AI technologies more accessible to more people in India.

Distribution Strategy and Its Importance

India has more than 700 million smartphone users and over a billion internet subscribers, providing a massive opportunity for digital products. OpenAI’s strategy relies on a direct-to-consumer approach rather than partnerships with telecom companies, allowing it to build direct relationships with users, which are valuable assets for long-term profitability.

Professor Payal Arora from Utrecht University notes that India represents a “high-pressure testing ground” and a source of strong training data sets, enhancing the models’ ability to handle linguistic diversity and resource-limited conditions.

Conclusion

OpenAI’s announcement to offer ChatGPT Go for free in India is a strategic step in the AI platform wars, where the priority now is to acquire users on a large scale rather than immediate profits. Companies are learning that winning in these transformative technology markets depends on building a strong user base and securing powerful network effects first.