OpenAI Expands Affordable ChatGPT Go Plan to 16 Asian Countries, Intensifying AI Competition

OpenAI's affordable ChatGPT Go plan expands to 16 new countries in Asia | TechCrunch

OpenAI is rapidly expanding its affordable ChatGPT Go plan, which costs under $5, to 16 new countries across Asia. The subscription tier is now available in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, East Timor, and Vietnam. In select countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Pakistan, the company is allowing users to pay in local currencies. In the remaining countries, users must pay in USD at a price of approximately $5, with the final cost varying based on local taxation. ChatGPT Go gives users higher daily limits for messages, image generation, and file or image uploads per day. The plan also offers twice as much memory as the free plan, enabling more personalized responses. According to OpenAI, the expansion comes as the company has seen its weekly active user base in Southeast Asia grow by up to four times. The plan was first launched in India in August, followed by Indonesia in September. OpenAI reports that paid subscribers in India have doubled since the launch. OpenAI is competing with Google to make affordable AI chatbot subscription plans available in more regions. Google launched its similarly priced Google AI Plus plan in Indonesia in September, followed by expansion to over 40 countries. The Plus tier gives users access to Gemini 2.5 Pro, Google's most advanced AI model, along with creative tools for image and video creation -- including Flow (for design), Whisk (for image remixing), and Veo 3 Fast (for video creation) -- as well as 200GB of cloud storage. The expansion comes at a pivotal moment for OpenAI. At its DevDay 2025 conference this week in San Francisco, CEO Sam Altman announced that ChatGPT has reached 800 million weekly active users globally, up from 700 million in August. The company also unveiled a major platform shift, introducing apps that work directly inside ChatGPT and that transform the chatbot into an ecosystem that's similar to an app store, with partners like Spotify, DoorDash, and Uber. "The evolution we're trying to make over the next few years is one where ChatGPT itself is more like an operating system where you can come and use applications," the head of ChatGPT, Nick Turley, told TechCrunch of the development on the outskirts of the event. "If you want to write, there's an app for that. If you want to code, there's an app for that. If you want to interact with goods and services, there are applications for you." Despite OpenAI's rapid growth and recent $500 billion valuation, the company reported a $7.8 billion operating loss in the first half of 2025 as it continues spending heavily on AI infrastructure. The company's affordable subscription tiers, like ChatGPT Go, are seen as an important step toward achieving profitability while expanding its global user base, particularly in high-growth markets across Asia where both OpenAI and Google are aggressively competing for market share.

ChatGPT Go is just $10 a month - here's who gets it

OpenAI is expanding its chatbot access to more countries through its latest subscription plan. ChatGPT Go, launched in August specifically for India, offers OpenAI's most popular features at a lower price -- under $10 a month, according to The Verge -- and is now coming to 16 more countries, the company announced earlier this week. Also: Amazon takes shots at ChatGPT with Quick Suite - your new AI 'teammate' at work "ChatGPT Go is designed for people who are looking to gain access to our most popular ChatGPT features at a more affordable price," OpenAI's Nick Turley writes on X. ChatGPT Go includes everything offered in the Free plan with the addition of extended access to GPT-5, image generation tools, file uploads, Python and other data analysis tools, extended file upload access, and longer memory. The Go tier sits between ChatGPT Free, which offers limited access to features like fast response times, memory, data analysis, and vision, and ChatGPT Plus, a $20 monthly subscription with extended access to GPT-5, access to ChatGPT Agent, and more access to different models. Also: I'm an AI tools expert, and these are the 4 I pay for now (plus 2 I'm eyeing) This subscription tier is available in 18 select countries, including India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Indonesia. OpenAI is planning to expand country availability, it said in the blog announcing ChatGPT Go. OpenAI is rolling out the new subscription tier gradually. Want more stories about AI? Sign up for AI Leaderboard, our weekly newsletter. The news of OpenAI's expanded ChatGPT tier directly competes with the news that Google's AI Plus plan is coming to 36 more countries. Google's first-wave rollout deployed the plan to 40 countries. AI Plus offers increased limits for its photo editing and image generation models. Also: You can now chat with third-party apps in ChatGPT - here's how Both companies are expanding their AI to more markets, signaling a growing interest in affordable AI outside of the US.

OpenAI expands ChatGPT Go to 16 new Asian countries

OpenAI has expanded its sub-$5 ChatGPT Go subscription to 16 new countries in Asia, a move driven by a reported four-fold increase in its weekly active user base throughout Southeast Asia following its initial launch in the region. The service is now accessible in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, East Timor, and Vietnam. This expansion follows the plan's initial introduction in India in August and Indonesia in September. For customers in Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Pakistan, OpenAI is facilitating payments in local currencies. In the remaining 11 new markets, the subscription is priced at approximately $5 USD, with the final cost subject to variation based on local taxes. The ChatGPT Go plan provides subscribers with higher daily limits on messages, image generation, and file or image uploads compared to the free version. It also includes twice the memory of the free plan, which enables the platform to deliver more personalized responses based on previous interactions. OpenAI attributes the expansion to significant user engagement, citing that its weekly active user base in Southeast Asia has grown by as much as four times. In India, where the plan first launched, the number of paid subscribers has doubled since August. This expansion places OpenAI in direct competition with Google, which has also been making its affordable AI subscription plans more widely available. Google introduced its similarly priced Google AI Plus plan in Indonesia in September and has subsequently rolled it out to over 40 countries. The Google AI Plus tier offers users access to its Gemini 2.5 Pro model, a suite of creative tools including Flow for design, Whisk for image remixing, and Veo 3 Fast for video creation. The subscription also includes 200 GB of cloud storage. The announcement from OpenAI coincides with its DevDay 2025 conference held in San Francisco. During the event, CEO Sam Altman announced that ChatGPT's global user base has reached 800 million weekly active users. This figure represents an increase from the 700 million weekly active users the company reported in August. At the conference, OpenAI also revealed a significant strategic shift for its platform, introducing applications that function directly within the ChatGPT interface. This development aims to transform the chatbot into an ecosystem comparable to an app store, featuring launch partners such as Spotify, Zillow, and Coursera. Nick Turley, the head of ChatGPT, provided further details on this strategy to TechCrunch on the outskirts of the event. "The evolution we're trying to make over the next few years is one where ChatGPT itself is more like an operating system where you can come and use applications," Turley stated.

OpenAI Takes Aim at Asia with Budget ChatGPT Go Expansion - Phandroid

OpenAI is bringing its budget-friendly ChatGPT Go subscription to 16 additional countries across Asia, making GPT-5 access more affordable for potentially millions in the region. The expansion was announced following strong growth in Southeast Asia, where weekly active users jumped fourfold since the initial launch. ChatGPT Go is now available in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, East Timor, and Vietnam. This follows earlier rollouts in India and Indonesia, where paid subscriptions doubled after launch. For users in Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Pakistan, OpenAI offers local currency billing to make signup easier. The plan costs under $5 monthly and delivers access to GPT-5, OpenAI's latest model. Subscribers get higher daily limits for messages, image generation, and file uploads compared to the free tier. Additionally, ChatGPT Go offers twice the memory context, which helps the AI maintain continuity across conversations and provide more personalized responses. Users also gain access to advanced data analysis and image-based queries, features previously reserved for higher-priced plans. OpenAI isn't alone in the budget AI race. Google launched its similarly priced AI Plus plan in September, expanding to over 40 countries. While both plans cost around $4-5 monthly, they target different user needs. ChatGPT Go focuses on chat capabilities, creative tools, and file analysis. Meanwhile, Google AI Plus integrates deeply with Workspace apps like Gmail and Docs, includes 200GB of cloud storage, and supports family sharing for up to five people. For users embedded in Google's ecosystem, AI Plus might feel like the natural choice. However, ChatGPT Go appeals to those prioritizing conversational AI, data analysis, and broader file support. The competition benefits everyone, pushing both companies to improve features while keeping prices accessible. With ChatGPT reaching 800 million weekly active users globally, the battle for Asia's next billion AI users is heating up.

OpenAI's most affordable ChatGPT plan now available in Vietnam - VnExpress International

Users in the country can subscribe to the new plan directly through the website from Thursday afternoon. OpenAI said Go was launched on Thursday in 18 markets, including Vietnam, India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Thailand. Earlier its only options were ChatGPT Pro at US$200 and ChatGPT Plus at $20. Compared to the free version, the Go plan offers longer conversations with its GPT-5 AI model, image generation, file uploads, and access to custom AI models. But it does not include advanced tools such as Deep Research, Agent, the Sora video generator, and Codex found in the Plus and Pro plans. In late September Google launched three subscription plans for its AI services, with prices starting at VND122,000 (US$4.6) a month. Its cheapest option, AI Plus, provides access to Gemini in Gmail and Drive, the Gemini 2.5 Pro, Veo 3 video generation, and the full version of research and writing tool NotebookLM. Vietnamese tech company Misa provides AI services starting at VND500,000 ($19) a month, and allows access to multiple AI models and sharing among five users.