Airtel’s free Perplexity Pro offer makes it the No. 1 iPhone app in India; Beats ChatGPT

Thanks to Airtel’s free offer, Perplexity has overtaken ChatGPT on the Apple App Store.

Perplexity has beaten ChatGPT to become the number one free app on the Apple App Store for iOS in India, the company's CEO, Aravind Srinivas, announced on X. We have independently verified that this is indeed the case and that Perplexity has surpassed ChatGPT and a few other apps to become the number one free app on the Apple App Store for iOS. Notably, this comes right after Airtel announced a free one-year Perplexity Pro subscription for its users in India.

Here are the apps that Perplexity has beaten in India

Airtel users can avail this offer by logging in to their respective accounts in the Airtel Thanks app. (REUTERS File)

By Shaurya Sharma

Shaurya Sharma is the Technology Editor at Hindustan Times Digital Streams, where he oversees technology coverage across digital and social platforms. With over eight years of experience across editorial, video production, and digital media, his work focuses on smartphones, AI, consumer gadgets, and shaping audience-first content strategies for modern tech consumers.

He began his career in 2018 as a fashion cinematographer before turning his lifelong passion for technology into a profession. From spending his childhood immersed in tech magazines, video games, and the latest gadgets to covering the global consumer tech industry today, technology has remained a constant throughout his journey.

Over the years, Shaurya has worked with some of India’s leading media organisations, including CNN-News18, Sportskeeda, and Guiding Tech, where he led video initiatives that combined strong editorial storytelling with engaging visual and social-first execution.

A graduate in Journalism and Mass Communication from Manipal University, Shaurya has reviewed hundreds of products across categories including smartphones, laptops, gaming consoles, cameras, and wearables. Beyond work, he is passionate about animal welfare, environmental causes, and automobiles, particularly turbo-petrol cars

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At number one is Perplexity, followed by ChatGPT at number two. At number three on the free app store list is Meesho Online Shopping, followed by Blinkit at number four, and Google Gemini, another of Perplexity's competitors, at number five. At number six is Threads; at number seven, Rapido; at number eight, the Airtel Thanks app, which can be used to claim the Perplexity offer; at number nine, District by Zomato; and at number ten, Amazon India. Therefore, the top ten includes three AI apps: Perplexity, ChatGPT, and Google Gemini, with Perplexity ranking ahead of them all.

What does Perplexity Pro offer?

Perplexity Pro gives users access to AI models such as Claude, Grok 4 by xAI, and GPT-4.1, and also allows them to generate images. It also offers deep research capabilities, alongside the ability to upload and analyse files.

In total, the Perplexity Pro subscription, which Airtel is offering its customers in India, is valued at approximately Ra17,000. It is available to all Airtel customers in India using its mobile, broadband, or DTH services. You can claim this offer via the Airtel Thanks app.

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