Payment in Indian Rupees and Options Like UPI Added
OpenAI has introduced a new subscription tier for its AI tool in India called ChatGPT Go, priced at ₹399 per month ($4.60). The plan is much cheaper than the existing ChatGPT Plus plan, which costs ₹1,999 per month (about $23). By launching this locally priced option, OpenAI is aiming to make ChatGPT more accessible to India’s growing AI user base.
A Plan Designed for India’s Scale
India is already one of the largest markets for ChatGPT. According to OpenAI, the country is its second biggest market, with over 29 million downloads of the ChatGPT app in just the last 90 days. However, subscription conversion has remained low, with only $3.6 million in app revenue from India during this period. With Go, OpenAI hopes to bridge the affordability gap.
Features of ChatGPT Go
Nick Turley, VP at OpenAI and head of ChatGPT, said the Go plan will offer 10 times more messages, image generation, and file uploads compared to the free version. It will also support better memory retention for more personalized responses. Turley added that India will be the first market for the Go plan, and OpenAI will expand to other countries after collecting feedback.
UPI Payments and Local Pricing
OpenAI recently enabled local currency payments across its subscription plans. With ChatGPT Go, the company will now also support UPI, India’s most widely used payment system. This move removes barriers for users who previously had to rely on international card payments for subscriptions.
ChatGPT Go vs Free vs Plus vs Pro
The new Go plan sits between the free tier and the advanced Plus and Pro tiers. Here’s how they compare:
| Plan | Price (per month) | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| Free | ₹0 | Access to GPT-5, limited file uploads, slower image generation, limited memory and deep research |
| Go | ₹399 | Access to GPT-5, expanded messaging and uploads, faster image creation, longer memory, limited deep research, projects and custom GPTs |
| Plus | ₹1,999 | GPT-5 with advanced reasoning, faster image creation, expanded memory and deep research, agent mode, projects, Sora video generation, Codex agent |
| Pro | ₹19,900 | GPT-5 with pro reasoning, unlimited messaging and uploads, maximum memory, maximum deep research, expanded projects, Sora video, Codex agent, early feature previews |
This breakdown highlights how Go balances affordability with improved access over the free plan, while still leaving advanced features for higher tiers.
Competing in India’s AI race
The launch comes shortly after Airtel partnered with Perplexity to provide one year of Perplexity Pro AI subscriptions free to its 38.5 crore users. That deal boosted Perplexity’s growth in India, with downloads surpassing ChatGPT on the App Store. Google, too, offered its own free AI Pro plan for students in India.
Unlike these offers, OpenAI’s move is not free, but it is affordable and local-first. By pricing ChatGPT Go at less than $5, OpenAI is betting that millions of users will see value in subscribing for enhanced features.
India as a Lucrative AI Market
India has more than 850 million internet users, making it a priority market for AI firms. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in a recent podcast that India is critical to the company’s global growth. The Go plan reflects this strategy, combining low pricing with popular payment options to drive adoption.
Growing User Base
OpenAI has also been seeing strong momentum worldwide. Turley revealed that ChatGPT now has 700 million weekly users, up from 500 million in March. Much of this growth is driven by emerging markets like India, where affordable access is essential.
With Go, OpenAI is positioning itself to convert more Indian users into subscribers and strengthen its lead in the AI space.
