OpenAI, the Microsoft-backed artificial intelligence startup and creator of ChatGPT, has introduced a new India-only subscription plan called ChatGPT Go, priced at ₹399 ($4.57) per month. The plan marks the company’s most affordable offering globally and underscores its ambition to expand its footprint in India, its second-largest user base after the United States.
The new plan, announced on Tuesday, is designed for India’s price-sensitive market, which is home to nearly one billion internet users. ChatGPT Go gives subscribers ten times more messages and image generations compared with the free tier, along with faster response times, increased file uploads, and longer memory. OpenAI said the tier is intended for users who want greater access to its advanced capabilities at a lower entry price, bridging the gap between the free plan and higher-priced subscriptions such as ChatGPT Plus and ChatGPT Pro.
ChatGPT Plus, which costs ₹1,999 per month, provides access to legacy models, advanced research tools, agent mode and Sora video capabilities. The top-tier Pro plan, priced at ₹19,900 per month, is targeted at power users and enterprise-level requirements. By contrast, ChatGPT Go is aimed at students, freelancers and small businesses who require more functionality than the free plan but may find premium subscriptions prohibitively expensive.
The launch also comes with localized payment features. For the first time, OpenAI has rolled out Indian Rupee pricing across its subscription tiers, removing the additional costs associated with foreign currency payments. The company has also integrated support for India’s ubiquitous Unified Payments Interface (UPI), making subscriptions accessible through apps such as PhonePe, Google Pay and Paytm.
The announcement follows OpenAI’s release of GPT-5 earlier this month, a model with enhanced performance and support for 12 Indian languages, underscoring the company’s intent to align its technology more closely with India’s diverse digital landscape. Earlier this year, chief executive officer Sam Altman met with India’s IT minister to discuss building a low-cost AI ecosystem, describing India as a critical market for the company’s future growth.
India is already OpenAI’s second-largest market by user base, and Altman has suggested it could soon surpass the United States. The company’s move comes amid intensifying competition from rivals such as Google’s Gemini and Perplexity, both of which are ramping up efforts to capture market share in the country. Google has been offering free AI access to college students, while Perplexity recently partnered with Airtel to give subscribers complimentary access to its premium plan, typically priced at ₹17,000 annually.
By pricing ChatGPT Go at a fraction of its global subscription tiers and enabling local payment options, OpenAI is betting on India’s massive internet user base to drive growth. The plan is expected to accelerate AI adoption among individuals and small enterprises, potentially reshaping how millions of Indians interact with generative AI tools in their daily lives.
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