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

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.