Perplexity's free Pro giveaway to Airtel's 360M users drove 625% download surge
thisiskp_ · x · 2026-08-18
Perplexity partnered with Airtel, India's second-largest telecom operator, to give a free 12-month Perplexity Pro subscription (worth $200) to the carrier's 360 million customers — one of the biggest AI growth experiments to date.
Perplexity saw 5.9 million app downloads in India in July 2025, up 625% month-over-month, per Sensor Tower data shared with TechCrunch. Redemptions closed on January 16, and the earliest free users began expiring last month, having to opt out of auto-renewal to avoid charges. As the giveaways lapse, the experiment will test whether bundling paid AI services can create lasting users and revenue after the free period ends.
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