Perplexity’s free year for 360 million Airtel users in India drove downloads up, then down 90%, while paid revenue rose 60%

Perplexity’s year-long promotion with Indian telecom giant Airtel offers a clear look at what free distribution can and cannot do in a price-sensitive market. Starting in July 2025, the company gave Airtel’s 360 million customers access to a free one-year Pro subscription normally priced at $200. Sensor Tower data shared with TechCrunch showed the campaign triggered a sharp surge in installs, with India downloads reaching 5.9 million in July 2025, up 625% month over month, and totaling 56 million over the following seven months. Monthly active users also climbed, peaking at 22 million in October. Once the offer stopped accepting new users on Jan. 16, 2026, growth reversed. From February to July 2026, downloads in India fell to 3.3 million, down more than 90% from the prior six months, while MAU slipped to nearly 14 million by July, 37% below its peak. Still, usage remained well above pre-promotion levels. At the same time, Sensor Tower estimated Perplexity’s in-app purchase and subscription revenue in India rose about 60% from February through mid-August 2026 versus the period when the offer was still open to new users. The data leaves one key question unresolved: how much of that increase came from users choosing to pay, and how much came from auto-renewals that were not canceled.