Anthropic has introduced rupee pricing for Claude in India, its second-largest market after the United States, as global artificial intelligence firms adjust their strategies to capture users in the world’s most populous nation.
The rollout and the missing payment method
Rupee prices are now visible on Claude’s website and mobile applications for Indian users. However, the company has not yet enabled payments through the Unified Payments Interface (UPI). This is the instant payments network widely used across the country. Customers must still rely on credit or debit cards, or the billing systems provided by Apple and Google. This stands in contrast to OpenAI, which launched Indian rupee pricing for ChatGPT in August and included UPI support.
Users in India have long wanted subscriptions denominated in rupees. Dollar pricing and currency conversion created friction when trying to access the service. India accounts for 5.8% of global Claude usage, according to Anthropic.
Price comparisons
On the Indian version of the website, Claude Pro lists at ₹2,000 a month when billed annually. This converts to about $21. The same plan costs $17 a month in the U.S. Claude Max starts at ₹11,999 a month in India, which is around $125. The U.S. price for this tier is $100. Team plans begin at ₹2,399 per seat a month, or about $25. The equivalent U.S. price is $20. All India prices include local taxes. Prices on Claude’s mobile apps vary slightly from those listed on the website.
Expansion and recent friction
The rupee pricing follows Anthropic’s growing focus on India. The company opened an office in Bengaluru in February, after announcing the move in October. In January, it appointed Irina Ghose, former managing director of Microsoft India, to lead operations in the country. Anthropic has also partnered with Infosys and Tata Consultancy Services recently as it looks to scale enterprise AI deployments.
That expansion faced a setback in June when Anthropic abruptly suspended access to its Fable 5 and Mythos 5 models for non-U.S. entities. This move prompted some Indian developers and startup founders to consider alternatives to American AI models. Access to Fable 5 has since been lifted, though access to Mythos 5 remains limited.
What it means
India has become an increasingly important market for AI companies, driven by its large base of developers and technology workers. However, converting widespread usage into paid subscriptions remains a challenge in the price-sensitive market. Anthropic did not respond to a request for comment on the Indian rupee pricing rollout.
