BENGALURU: Global AI players are sharpening their India strategies as they compete for one of the world’s fastest-growing markets. OpenAI on Tuesday introduced ChatGPT Go, a Rs 399 per-month subscription plan built for India, directly pitting itself against rivals Perplexity, Google, and Anthropic’s Claude, which have all been pushing their premium offerings in the country. The new plan, powered by GPT-5, gives users higher message limits, image generation, file uploads, and expanded memory. It also marks the first time OpenAI subscriptions can be paid via UPI, widening accessibility in a mobile-first market. OpenAI continues to price ChatGPT Plus at Rs 1,999 a month and ChatGPT Pro at Rs 19,900. Perplexity, which partnered with Bharti Airtel last month to provide its services for free to 360 million subscribers, charges Rs 1,660 per month for its Pro plan and Rs 16,600 for its Max tier. Google’s Gemini is available in India at Rs 1,950 a month for Gemini Pro and Rs 24,500 for Gemini Ultra. Anthropic’s Claude is priced at Rs 1,415 a month for Claude Pro and Rs 8,300 for Claude Max.

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India’s growing relevance is not lost on OpenAI. CEO Sam Altman described the country as the company’s second-largest market and said it may soon overtake the US. He also committed to increasing OpenAI’s focus on India, including plans to visit. The company recently partnered with the govt’s IndiaAI Mission to launch OpenAI Academy, aimed at providing AI education in regional languages and supporting startups, educators, and nonprofits. The contrasting approaches highlight the high-stakes battle for India’s AI mindshare. OpenAI is leaning on affordability and local payment rails to broaden adoption, Perplexity is opting for scale through telecom distribution, while Google and Anthropic are maintaining global price positioning. With millions of students, professionals, and creators experimenting with generative AI daily, India has become a critical proving ground for how consumer AI services will scale.