New Delhi | Date: July 26, 2025 | ⏱️ Read Time: 4 min
Summary: A little-known AI app is turning heads in India. Perplexity AI has overtaken ChatGPT on the App Store charts after its Airtel tie-up, raising questions about whether this could mark a major shift in India’s AI race.
In a move that’s caught the Indian tech world off-guard, Perplexity AI ,a relatively lesser-known AI search assistant—is now beating ChatGPT in India’s app rankings. This surprising surge follows a strategic partnership with Airtel, which began offering Perplexity Pro subscriptions for free to its customers.
What’s Making This Little-Known AI App a Giant Killer?
Article हिंदी में पढ़े: क्या Airtel की एक डील ने ChatGPT को पीछे छोड़ दिया? जानिए Perplexity AI का गेम
The app shot up to the top of the Indian App Store charts last week, grabbing more downloads than ChatGPT, Gemini, and other AI tools combined. What’s behind this explosive growth? A cocktail of smart marketing, aggressive push in India, and perhaps most importantly—free GPT-4 level AI access via Airtel.
How Airtel Helped Turn the Tables
Perplexity’s Airtel deal is being seen as a masterstroke. Users who subscribe to certain Airtel plans now get complimentary access to Perplexity Pro, which uses GPT-4 Turbo under the hood. This one-click benefit eliminates the friction of payment or signup—something most AI apps still struggle with in India.
Add to that a lean, fast UI and a solid answer engine that combines real-time web data with GPT-style response quality, and you’ve got a tool Indians are rapidly trusting as their “Google + AI” alternative.
Is ChatGPT Losing Its Grip on India?
While OpenAI’s ChatGPT remains globally dominant, its monetisation limits in India have made it harder to access full GPT-4 features. In contrast, Perplexity’s no-strings Airtel integration feels like a power move tailor-made for Indian users hungry for premium AI without premium pricing.
Marketing also played a big role—Perplexity’s rising LinkedIn visibility, influencer-led reels, and clever media drops made sure it wasn’t just a feature story but a consumer tech trend.
Related Post : Airtel AI partnership: Airtel–Perplexity AI Tie-Up Unleashes ₹17K Pro AI Tools on 360M Users
What This Signals for India’s AI App Race
India, with its billion-strong population and fast-growing smartphone base, is now the battleground for AI search dominance. Perplexity’s sudden rise might push other telcos and AI providers to rethink their bundling and accessibility strategies.
If Airtel’s model works, don’t be surprised if Jio or Vi tries something similar—maybe even with OpenAI or Anthropic next.
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