Perplexity’s free AI offer left it with millions more users in India
TechCrunch 1 week ago 16
Perplexity gave away 12 months of premium access through Indian telecom Airtel to 360 million potential customers starting in July 2025, generating 56 million downloads over seven months. Revenue in India grew from $34,000 monthly in January 2025 to $156,000 in July 2026, and monthly active users stabilized at 14 million even after the free offer ended in January. The results suggest some users are willing to convert to paid subscriptions after experiencing the premium service, though auto-renewal makes it unclear how many are actively choosing to pay versus passively retaining the service.