OpenAI · India · China · TechCrunch AI
Perplexity’s free AI offer departed it with millions more users in India
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Perplexity spent the past year running one of the biggest AI growth experiments, giving its premium service away to customers of Indian telecom giant Airtel.
Key facts
- In July 2025, Perplexity partnered with Airtel, India’s second-biggest telecom operator, to offer a free 12-month Perplexity Pro subscription, normally worth about $200, to the Indian carrier’s 360
- Perplexity’s monthly net mobile revenue in the country, per Appfigures, grew from about $34,000 in January 2025 to $70,000 in December and reached $156,000 in July 2026
- Perplexity’s AI giveaway had an immediate impact, as it saw 5.9 million app downloads in India in July 2025, according to data Sensor Tower shared with TechCrunch
- Monthly active users more than doubled to 8.9 million in July and eventually peaked at 22 million in October
Summary
In July 2025, Perplexity partnered with Airtel, India’s second-biggest telecom operator, to offer a free 12-month Perplexity Pro subscription, normally worth about $200, to the Indian carrier’s 360 million customers. Perplexity’s AI giveaway had an immediate impact, as it saw 5.9 million app downloads in India in July 2025, according to data Sensor Tower shared with TechCrunch. This momentum was not limited to the launch month of the Perplexity offer but persisted well beyond it. India has long been a massive market for downloads for global technology companies, thanks to its vast population, more than a billion internet subscribers, and relatively low mobile data costs.