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Perplexity’s free AI offer left it with millions more users in India
BusinessTuesday, August 18, 2026 at 02:00 PM

Perplexity’s free AI offer left it with millions more users in India

Source: TechCrunch AI
Curated Summary

Perplexity conducted a massive growth experiment by offering free 12-month Pro subscriptions to 360 million Airtel customers in India.

The partnership triggered a surge in adoption, resulting in 56 million downloads over seven months and peaking at 22 million monthly active users.

This strategy successfully leveraged India's low data costs and large smartphone market to rapidly scale the user base.

However, once the free redemption window closed in January, new downloads dropped by more than 90%.

Despite the decline in new acquisitions, retention remained strong, with monthly active users holding at nearly 14 million by July.

The results provide critical insights into whether subsidized AI access can convert into lasting revenue in emerging markets.

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via TechCrunch AI

#perplexity#india#user-acquisition#ai-subscriptions#airtel

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