FREEMIUM MODEL
India's ChatGPT boom faces a reality check as free AI use meets rising costs
India has emerged as ChatGPT's largest market, driven by its vast digitally connected population and widespread access to free AI services. However, as AI infrastructure expands and computing and energy costs rise, companies face the challenge of recovering investments. Convincing price-sensitive Indian users to pay for AI remains difficult.
Reinventing the pond: How this Bengal start-up is helping fish farmers battle climate and credit crisis
At a time when climate change is impacting world resources, including the aquatic system, Jalpaiguri’s Essential Aquatech is working to empower smallholder fish farmers by turning data into actionable insights and measures.
Two childhood friends turned a college note-taking problem into an AI business that generated more than $13 million by age 21
Turbo AI, founded by Sarthak Dhawan and Rudy Arora, is a groundbreaking note-taking app that rapidly grew its user base. From their roots as college students to thriving entrepreneurs, they showcased effective marketing and innovation. Their strategic use of social media helped them amass 300,000 users and generate $500,000 in revenue soon after launch. Their journey also taught them invaluable lessons from previous endeavors.
Gen Z has jobs, networks and endless online connections, but still feels lonely: This startup wants to change that
A startup focused on helping young professionals build real-world communities has raised $3.5 million as concerns grow over loneliness among younger workers. Clockout, founded by Krishna Dosapati, connects users with nearby professionals, clubs and events, aiming to move networking beyond screens. The company says its platform is designed to help people form social and professional relationships, particularly after moving cities or changing industries.
ET Startup Awards 2026 | Bootstrap Champ: Habuild stretches profits without bending to VC cash
Founded in 2020 by Saurabh and Trishala Bothra and Anshul Agrawal, the platform aimed to make yoga more accessible and has become one of India's largest digital wellness platforms, growing without external funding.
Pocket FM says 1 in 5 monetised creators earn over ₹1 lakh a month: Here’s how they make money
Pocket FM is seeing significant creator success. Over 1% of its creators now earn more than ₹1 lakh monthly. Total creator payouts have surpassed ₹300 crore, with a target of ₹1,000 crore by 2026. This growth is fueled by AI tools and expansion into Indian languages. The platform's freemium model, combining paid unlocks and subscriptions, drives creator income.
How Apple’s proposed changes could crumble the freemium model
The company will now allow developers to opt for the ‘new regime’ which lets users within the EU download apps and make purchases outside the Apple app store. It will also permit developers to distribute their apps via alternate stores, thereby also opting out of Apple’s in-app payment system.
Candy Crush Saga hits $20 billion revenue milestone, says maker King
Candu Crush Saga pioneered the "freemium" model, in which the game is free but players can spend money to boost their performance or can watch ads to gain moves.
Viu launches OTT service in South Africa
In South Africa, the app will be available in a ‘freemium’ model offering premium local, regional and original content.
Reliance Jio may find it hard to make users pay for free content
Freemium is an online business model whereby basic services are provided free of charge while more advanced features must be paid for.
India to have 310 million online gamers by 2021: Report
It also projects that the online gaming industry in India will gain momentum and grow at 20 per cent to $1 billion by 2021, from the current $360 million.
Quikr's online recruitment firm Hiree switches to freemium model for quick growth
Hiree is looking at the freemium model as a way to attract more jobs online and therefore drive growth. The company is targetting a growth of 3x in the next 12 months through this model alone.
Shilpa Shetty to launch digital fitness venture
Shetty is looking to create an 'offline-meets-online' model for the channel. Consumers who are able to complete the various fitness challenges on the channel will be offered special offline fitness sessions with the actor.
Content is the closer future, robotics is the longer future
We are going big time into robotics.We have a fully-owned subsidiary running it in China as there are lot of hardware manufacturers there.
Leakedsource for the hacked souls
This is a significant rise from the 17-million compromised websites in 2015. Even the likes of Mark Zuckerberg and Sundar Pichai’s social media accounts have been hacked.
Here's how 'Clash of Clans' app makes $1.5 million a day
The mobile game "Clash of Clans is free to download and free to play, so how does it pull in an unheard of $1.56 million revenue everyday?
Startups head to UK for tour of British startup ecosystem
The initiative, known as “'Great Tech Rocketships', hosted five Demo Days across Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, and Pune.
Marketing in cyberspace
If you're generating lots of traffic but few people are paying to upgrade, you may have the opposite problem: Your free offerings are too rich, and it's time to cut back.
Free mobile games forcing Indian developers to change technology & pricing formats
Personal entertainment devices are forcing game developers in India to change tacks and shift the focus of their business models away from the PC.
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