OpenAI is offering a free one-year subscription to its ChatGPT Go plan to all users in India starting November 4, 2025, as part of its strategy to expand in the country’s market, which ranks second to the United States. The plan, launched in August, costs less than $5 per month and represents OpenAI’s most affordable paid option.
ChatGPT Go provides users with access to advanced AI features at a lower price point tailored for emerging markets like India. The free subscription extends to every individual in the country, regardless of prior usage. This includes current subscribers to the plan, who will receive the 12-month complimentary access on top of their existing arrangements. OpenAI designed this initiative to boost adoption rates among a diverse user population, addressing the challenges of monetizing services in a price-sensitive environment.
To support its growth in India, OpenAI established an office in New Delhi earlier this year. The company is actively recruiting and assembling a dedicated local team focused on operations, partnerships, and customer engagement. These steps aim to deepen integration with the Indian ecosystem, facilitating smoother service delivery and localized support.
India holds strategic importance for OpenAI owing to its vast population of young, tech-savvy individuals. The country has seen substantial downloads of the ChatGPT app, reflecting high interest in AI tools. However, converting this engagement into revenue through paid subscriptions has proven difficult, prompting OpenAI to explore promotional tactics to build loyalty and eventual paid conversions.
Competitors have employed comparable approaches to capture market share. Perplexity collaborated with telecom provider Airtel to distribute free Perplexity Pro subscriptions to 360 million Airtel customers across India. Similarly, Google rolled out a free one-year AI Pro plan specifically targeting students, providing premium access without upfront costs to encourage educational use of its AI offerings.
On November 4, 2025, coinciding with the promotion launch, OpenAI will host its DevDay Exchange developer conference in Bengaluru. The event targets local developers and enterprises, with planned announcements tailored to Indian needs, including tools and integrations for regional applications.
Excited for our first DevDay Exchange event in India 🇮🇳 on November 4. Ahead of that, we have some exciting updates coming for India users over the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned!
— Nick Turley (@nickaturley) October 28, 2025
