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ChatGPT pricing becomes expensive in India, cheaper version may come for students
ChatGPT: OpenAI has started local pricing for ChatGPT for the first time in India. Now users will be able to pay in rupees. With the start of local pricing, users will now have to pay a higher price. Along with this, a cheaper plan can also be available for students.
ChatGPT, which is an artificial intelligence platform, will now be accessible in India in rupees. OpenAI launched a pilot of local pricing in the nation, which will enable consumers to pay in rupees directly rather than in dollars. Previously, Indian consumers had to subscribe in dollars alone, which resulted in the price being too high for many individuals.
According to the pilot programme, the cost of the ChatGPT Plus plan has been set at ₹ 1,999 (including GST) per month. Meanwhile, the Pro plan is set at ₹ 19,900 per month and the Team plan at ₹ 2,099 per seat per month. Previously, these plans used to be bought in dollars at $20 (approximately ₹1,750), $200 (approximately ₹17,500), and $30 (approximately ₹2,600) respectively.
This change comes shortly after the launch of GPT-5, which now offers better performance in 12 Indian languages. Localization is expected to make ChatGPT more relevant and easier to use for Indian users.
According to reports, OpenAI may also soon bring a budget-friendly plan called ChatGPT Go, which may cost ₹399 per month. This plan will target students, casual users, and first-time AI users.
The need for local pricing emerged when OpenAI CEO Sam Altman visited India in February 2025. Founders and developers had termed it challenging to accept payments in dollars. OpenAI's VP of Engineering Srinivas Narayanan has already pointed out that the company is in the process of making its tools more affordable in India.
India is now OpenAI's second-largest market following the US, and Altman feels it may even surpass the US in using ChatGPT soon. But OpenAI has stiff competition here. Perplexity AI has given a free premium subscription for one year to Bharti Airtel's 360 million consumers, while Google is providing one year of free AI tools to Indian college-goers.
Through this local pricing pilot, OpenAI not only wants to make AI affordable for Indian users but also wants to strengthen its hold in the fast-growing AI market.
