Google’s Budget AI Plan Expands to 40+ Countries
▼ Summary
– Google has expanded its cheaper AI Plus plan to over 40 countries, including various nations in Africa, Asia, and Mexico.
– The plan was first launched in Indonesia at a price of $4.50 per month and costs approximately $5 in most other countries.
– Subscribers to the AI Plus tier gain access to Gemini 2.5 Pro, creative tools like Veo 3 Fast, AI features in Gmail and Docs, and 200GB of cloud storage.
– This expansion follows OpenAI’s recent launch of its own sub-$5 ChatGPT Go plan in Indonesia, with India being a notable omission from Google’s country list.
– Both companies are introducing these lower-cost tiers to attract more paying users in regions where the standard $20 monthly subscription is considered expensive.
Google has significantly broadened the reach of its affordable AI Plus subscription, making the service available in over forty countries. This strategic expansion targets key markets across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, bringing advanced AI tools to a wider, more price-sensitive audience. The move highlights the intensifying global competition to democratize access to powerful artificial intelligence technologies.
The budget-friendly plan, which debuted in Indonesia earlier this month for approximately $4.50, is now priced around $5 per month in most of the new territories. To further stimulate adoption, Google is introducing an introductory 50% discount for the first six months in select countries, including Nepal and Mexico. This aggressive pricing strategy is clearly designed to attract users who may find premium AI services financially out of reach.
Subscribers to the AI Plus tier gain a substantial suite of capabilities. The plan provides access to the advanced Gemini 2.5 Pro model and a collection of creative tools for generating images and videos, such as Flow, Whisk, and Veo 3 Fast. Furthermore, users can enhance their productivity with AI features integrated directly into Gmail, Docs, and Sheets. The subscription also includes premium access to the AI research assistant NotebookLM and comes bundled with 200GB of cloud storage.
This announcement arrives just one day after OpenAI extended its own sub-$5 offering, ChatGPT Go, into Indonesia. It is noteworthy that India, the initial launch country for OpenAI’s budget plan, does not appear on Google’s current expansion list. Both tech giants maintain a standard $20 monthly plan, but these new, lower-cost tiers represent a concerted effort to capture paying customers in regions where a twenty-dollar subscription represents a significant financial barrier.
(Source: TechCrunch)
