OpenAI clearly has its eyes set on India — and it’s making a pretty bold move. The company just rolled out a new subscription plan called ChatGPT GO, priced at only ₹399 a month ($4.60). Compare that to the old Plus Plan at ₹1,999 ($23) and you can see why people are calling this the “budget-friendly AI upgrade.”
So, what’s the catch? Honestly, not much. With GO, users receive 10 times more messages, image generation, and file uploads than with the free tier. It also comes with improved memory retention, which essentially means ChatGPT will remember your style, quirks, and preferences — much like that one friend who never forgets your coffee order.
And here’s the kicker: payments can now be made through UPI. Yep, no need to juggle international cards or weird conversion fees. Just one tap and boom — ChatGPT GO is yours.
Nick Turley, VP at OpenAI, summed it up nicely: “Making ChatGPT more affordable has been a key ask from users! We’re rolling out Go in India first and will learn from feedback before expanding to other countries.” Translation? India is the testing ground — and if it works here, expect ChatGPT GO to pop up in other markets soon.
The timing couldn’t be more perfect. India is already OpenAI’s second-biggest market, with 29 million app downloads in just the last 90 days. But here’s the funny bit: despite that massive number, revenue has been pretty low at just $3.6 million. Clearly, users love free AI, but aren’t exactly throwing money at it. The GO plan feels like OpenAI’s clever way to flip that script.
It also lines up with what rivals are doing. Perplexity just partnered with Airtel to hand out free Pro plans, while Google is dangling its AI Pro plan free for Indian students. OpenAI isn’t giving freebies, but ₹399 is a sweet spot that could convince a huge slice of India’s 850M+ internet users to start paying.
About the Author
