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How Perplexity Built a Lasting User Base in India Through Its Airtel Partnership

A large-scale growth initiative by artificial intelligence search company Perplexity has provided an early view into whether subsidised premium subscriptions can lead to durable users and revenue in India. In July 2025, the company partnered with telecom operator Bharti Airtel to provide a complimentary 12-month Perplexity Pro subscription, normally valued at around $200, to Airtel’s customer base of 360 million users.

What Happened

The redemption window for the Airtel promotion concluded on January 16, while users maintained free access for a full year from their activation date. Data from app intelligence platform Sensor Tower indicates that the partnership created immediate traction, driving 5.9 million app downloads in India during July 2025 alone—a 625% surge from the preceding month. Across the seven months the promotion remained open to new claims, Perplexity recorded approximately 56 million downloads in India, representing more than nine times the volume seen in the previous seven months.

Appfigures data shows that daily downloads jumped from an average of roughly 11,200 immediately before the offer launched to nearly 223,000 in its opening week, eventually climbing to an average of about 305,000 daily downloads between mid-September and mid-October. This expansion was unique to Perplexity, as downloads for competing services such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude remained steady over the same period.

Following the closure of the redemption period in January, new downloads decreased by over 90%, totaling 3.3 million between February and July. However, active usage retained much of its gains. Monthly active users reached a peak of 22 million in October before leveling off at nearly 14 million in July—substantially higher than the roughly 2.6 million monthly active users Perplexity averaged in the first half of 2025.

Key Highlights

  • Massive Distribution Reach: The agreement with Airtel gave Perplexity exposure to 360 million subscribers, driving 56 million downloads during the seven-month promotional window.
  • Sustained User Activity: Monthly active users remained at nearly 14 million in July, more than five times the pre-promotional average observed in early 2025.
  • Revenue Expansion: Sensor Tower reported a 60% rise in India in-app purchase and subscription revenue between February and mid-August compared to the promotion period.
  • Mobile Revenue Growth: Appfigures estimates Perplexity’s net mobile revenue in India climbed from $34,000 in January 2025 to $156,000 in July 2026, generating approximately $878,000 in the first seven months of 2026.
  • Auto-Renewal Factor: Subscriptions were configured to renew automatically, requiring users to cancel manually to avoid billing once the complimentary 12 months concluded.

Why This Matters

India represents the world’s second-largest smartphone market with more than 700 million users and over a billion internet subscribers. While it is the largest global market for generative AI application downloads, tech firms have historically found the price-sensitive ecosystem challenging to monetize.

Perplexity’s approach has served as a template for other major AI providers. In August 2025, OpenAI introduced its lower-priced ChatGPT Go plan for free for one year in India, while Google collaborated with Reliance Jio to provide an 18-month complimentary AI Pro subscription to eligible subscribers. Because Perplexity initiated its distribution partnership earlier than competitors, it is the first to test whether users will transition into paying customers once free access concludes.

Analytics firms note that the revenue rise cannot be fully credited to deliberate conversions by former Airtel beneficiaries. Because subscriptions were set to auto-renew unless canceled, part of the revenue increase could stem from users who missed the cancellation deadline. Furthermore, Appfigures pointed out that the widespread awareness generated by the Airtel campaign likely attracted independent paying subscribers who were never enrolled in the promotion.

What to Watch Next

The durability of Perplexity’s monetization model will become clearer in the coming months as subsequent groups of Airtel subscribers reach the end of their free 12-month access. Industry observers will monitor whether in-app revenue holds steady or declines once the full initial cohort navigates their auto-renewal deadlines.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did the Perplexity and Airtel offer include?

Eligible Airtel subscribers received a complimentary 12-month subscription to Perplexity Pro, a service typically priced at around $200 per year.

When did the offer end for new subscribers?

New claims for the complimentary subscription ended on January 16, though active subscriptions continued for 12 months from each user’s initial activation date.

Did users automatically get charged when the free period ended?

The free subscriptions included an auto-renewal feature, meaning users were required to cancel before their renewal date if they did not wish to be billed for ongoing service.

Source: TechCrunch, citing analytics data from Sensor Tower and Appfigures.