Perplexity's in-app purchase and subscription revenue in India increased by around 60% between February and mid-August, compared to the period when its free Airtel offer was available to new users. This rise occurred despite a more than 90% drop in downloads during the same period.
The AI company partnered with Indian telecom giant Airtel in July 2025, offering a free 12-month Perplexity Pro subscription, typically valued at about $200, to Airtel's 360 million customers. New redemptions for this offer concluded on January 16. The earliest free subscriptions began expiring last month, requiring users to opt out of auto-renewal to avoid charges.
The promotion led to a significant surge in downloads, with 5.9 million in India in July 2025 alone, a 625% increase from the previous month. Monthly active users peaked at 22 million in October 2025 and stood at nearly 14 million in July 2026, which is still over five times the average from the first half of 2025.
While downloads declined sharply after the offer closed, the increase in revenue suggests some users may be willing to pay for the premium service. However, it is possible some of this increase reflects users who did not cancel their auto-renewing subscriptions in time, rather than those who actively chose to pay.