Perplexity's Free AI Offer Garners Millions of Users in India
Perplexity's partnership with Indian telecom Airtel, offering a free 12-month Pro subscription to 360 million customers, transformed its user base in India. Downloads spiked to 5.9 million in July 2025, and 56 million in seven months. Monthly active users peaked at 22 million in October. After the offer closed, downloads fell, but revenue climbed: in-app purchases rose 60% between February and mid-August. Early expiry of free access pushed daily revenue up 9%. Sensor Tower and Appfigures data indicate sustained usage and spending, though conversion from free to paid is not confirmed. Similar moves by OpenAI and Google suggest a broader strategy in India's price-sensitive market.
Key facts
- Perplexity partnered with Airtel in July 2025 to offer free 12-month Pro subscriptions to 360 million customers.
- Perplexity saw 5.9 million app downloads in India in July 2025, up 625% from the previous month.
- Perplexity recorded 56 million downloads during the seven months the offer was available.
- Monthly active users peaked at 22 million in October and stood at nearly 14 million in July.
- Downloads fell to 3.3 million between February and July, down more than 90% from the preceding six months.
- Perplexity's in-app purchase and subscription revenue in India rose about 60% from February to mid-August.
- Average daily revenue was 9% higher from July 18 to August 12 compared to the preceding 30 days.
- OpenAI and Google introduced similar free AI subscription offers in India after Perplexity's deal.
Entities
Artists
- Jagmeet Singh
- Abe Yousef
- Ariel Michaeli
Institutions
- Perplexity
- Airtel
- Sensor Tower
- Appfigures
- Anthropic
- OpenAI
- Reliance Jio
Locations
- India
- China