OpenAI’s low‑cost ChatGPT Go subscription plan launched in India to make AI more affordable. Within hours, users flooded social media with complaints about payment failures, usage limits and missing features, raising doubts about the experiment.
India becomes the test bed for a budget chatbot
On August 20, OpenAI quietly rolled out ChatGPT Go, a new subscription tier priced at ₹399 (about US $5) per month. Announced via a brief post on the company’s help page, Go is positioned as a budget plan that offers “ten times more access” than the free version at a fraction of the ₹1,999 monthly cost of ChatGPT Plus. For OpenAI, India is the company’s second‑largest market and an ideal laboratory: millions of students, developers and entrepreneurs use chatbots daily, but few pay for premium features. Nick Turley, Vice President and head of ChatGPT, said the goal is to make advanced AI “more accessible and easier to pay for through UPI”.
The subscription promises access to GPT‑5 with enhanced Indic language support and up to 10× higher message limits, image generation and file uploads. It also doubles memory so the assistant can recall longer conversations. However, details about exact usage limits remain vague; OpenAI says limits may vary based on system conditions.
The payment chaos
As soon as Go opened for sign‑ups, Indian users flooded X and Reddit with screenshots of error messages. The UPI payment integration — a key selling point — failed for many. One X user posted, “Paid ₹399 for ChatGPT Go and my money just vanished, no plan activated.” Others complained that the checkout page timed out or that the plan activated but reverted to free after a few hours. Within 12 hours, the hashtag #ChatGPTGoDown trended across Indian social media. Bloggers and tech YouTubers jumped on the story, sharing tutorials on how to fix the payment glitch.
The Federal’s business desk reported that Go is “designed for people in India who want greater access to ChatGPT’s advanced capabilities at a more affordable price” but noted that OpenAI had not disclosed the precise usage quotas. Without clarity, some subscribers feared being throttled after a handful of prompts. Others pointed out that the plan excludes features like priority access during peak times and advanced model settings, making it a watered‑down version of ChatGPT Plus.
User expectations versus reality
Part of the uproar stems from misaligned expectations. Many Indian creators saw Go as an opportunity to gain full access to GPT‑5 at a bargain price. When they discovered that certain features were missing and payments were unreliable, disappointment turned to anger. Rumours spread that Go uses a slower model than GPT‑5, though OpenAI insists the plan offers the same “core capabilities.” Some early adopters posted positive experiences, noting that the doubled memory and expanded message limits improved workflows.
There is also an undercurrent of regional pride and scepticism. Users asked why India should accept an experimental plan that might not arrive in wealthy countries until kinks are worked out. Comparisons to past tech rollouts — like free ad‑supported smartphone plans that later vanished — fuel suspicion that multinationals treat emerging markets as guinea pigs. Local AI start‑ups see an opportunity: they have been promoting domestic chatbots that accept rupee payments, emphasising data sovereignty.
The bigger picture: AI monetisation and global rollout
From OpenAI’s perspective, ChatGPT Go is an experiment in price segmentation. The company needs revenue to support costly model training but also wants to expand its user base beyond early adopters. Launching in India allows OpenAI to test price elasticity and payment infrastructure at scale. If successful, Go could roll out to other regions at higher prices, similar to how streaming services used India as a trial market. A parallel experiment can be seen in Google’s Gemini for Government plan, which offers AI tools at just $0.50 per user, raising questions about how low AI pricing can realistically go.
The plan also dovetails with OpenAI’s strategy of offering multiple subscription tiers. Alongside the free plan, there is ChatGPT Plus at ₹1,999 per month and ChatGPT Pro at a steep ₹19,900 per month for enterprises. The Federal article notes that India is likely to become OpenAI’s largest market. CEO Sam Altman recently told investors that the country’s adoption rate is “remarkable”.
Yet the payment fiasco underscores the challenges of launching financial products in markets with complex regulations. UPI transactions have stringent anti‑fraud measures and require partnerships with local banks. OpenAI may need to work more closely with Indian payment providers or even offer offline payment options. Meanwhile, local competitors could capitalise on the bad press by highlighting their reliability and lower prices.
As AI becomes a staple of everyday life, subscription fatigue is real. Consumers already pay for streaming, cloud storage and productivity software. Another monthly fee might only be palatable if the service is flawless. The response to ChatGPT Go suggests that price alone cannot compensate for shaky infrastructure.
FAQs
What is ChatGPT Go?
It is a low‑cost subscription plan launched exclusively in India, offering higher usage limits, image generation and file uploads for ₹399 per month.How is Go different from ChatGPT Plus and Pro?
Go offers 10× more usage than the free tier but lacks some premium perks like priority queueing. Plus costs ₹1,999 monthly and Pro costs ₹19,900, targeting heavy users and enterprises.Why did payments fail?
Many users reported issues with UPI integration. The plan is still new, and OpenAI may need to refine its payment partnership to handle demand. There is no official fix yet.Are there hidden limits in ChatGPT Go?
OpenAI has not disclosed exact quotas. The company says limits may vary based on system conditions, which has led to confusion.Will Go expand beyond India?
Possibly. Nick Turley said other regions “may be eligible in the future”. Success in India will likely inform global rollout plans.
