---
title: "Perplexity's India revenue jumped 60% after free access offer ended"
url: https://www.parallelquant.com/posts/perplexity-s-india-revenue-jumped-60-after-free-access-offer-ended-7ff4f6
source_name: "TechCrunch"
source_url: https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/18/perplexitys-free-ai-offer-left-it-with-millions-more-users-in-india/
published: 2026-08-18T13:45:40.000Z
topics: ["products", "llms"]
publisher: "Parallel Quant"
---

# Perplexity's India revenue jumped 60% after free access offer ended

*2026-08-18 · Source: [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/18/perplexitys-free-ai-offer-left-it-with-millions-more-users-in-india/)*

Perplexity's revenue in India rose about 60% after a free-access promotion with telecom carrier Airtel ended for new users. This happened even though the number of app downloads declined.

**Why it matters:** The pattern of falling downloads paired with rising revenue after a free tier ends suggests Perplexity converted a meaningful share of promotional users into paying ones rather than just accumulating inactive installs. That conversion signal matters as AI companies debate whether steep free-tier giveaways in price-sensitive markets like India actually build a sustainable paying user base.

**Topics:** products, llms

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Read the original: https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/18/perplexitys-free-ai-offer-left-it-with-millions-more-users-in-india/
Canonical: https://www.parallelquant.com/posts/perplexity-s-india-revenue-jumped-60-after-free-access-offer-ended-7ff4f6
Published by Parallel Quant — https://www.parallelquant.com