Anthropic has started rolling out India-specific pricing for its Claude AI assistant, allowing users to subscribe in Indian rupees instead of US dollars. The move is expected to simplify payments for Indian users by eliminating foreign exchange conversion charges, while highlighting the country's growing importance in Anthropic's global expansion strategy.The company says India has become Claude's second-largest market after the US, accounting for 5.8% of its global usage. Local pricing has already started appearing for some users on Claude's website and mobile apps, although the rollout appears to be gradual.About The AuthorJournalist and a writer with a strong interest in news, culture, technology, and human-interest stories. Passionate about making complex topics accessible and engaging.Claude subscriptions now available in rupeesUntil now, Indian users had to pay for Claude subscriptions in US dollars, often incurring additional foreign exchange charges along with GST. Under the new pricing structure, all listed plans already include GST, making the overall subscription cost more transparent.However, Anthropic has not yet enabled payments through the Unified Payments Interface (UPI). Users can currently pay only via debit or credit cards or through Apple App Store and Google Play billing. By comparison, OpenAI introduced Indian rupee pricing for ChatGPT last year along with UPI support.Anthropic has not officially commented on the rollout.More articles by AuthorTrending StoriesClaude Pro starts at Rs 2,000Anthropic has introduced local pricing across its paid subscription tiers while continuing to offer a free version of Claude.Claude Pro is priced at Rs 2,000 per month with annual billing or Rs 2,399 per month on monthly billing.For users requiring higher usage limits, Claude Max is available in two tiers. The Max 5x plan costs Rs 11,999 per month, while the Max 20x tier is priced at Rs 23,999 per month.Businesses can subscribe to Claude Team Standard at Rs 2,399 per user per month with annual billing or Rs 2,999 on monthly billing. The Claude Team Premium plan starts at Rs 11,999 per user per month with annual billing and Rs 14,999 on monthly billing. Anthropic notes that prices on mobile apps may vary slightly from those listed on its website.What the plans includeClaude Pro subscribers receive access to Sonnet 5 by default, along with Opus and Fable 5 models. The subscription also includes higher usage limits than the free tier, Research mode, unlimited Projects, Memory, web search, voice mode, file uploads, Claude Code, Claude Design and Microsoft 365 integration.The free version continues to offer access to Sonnet 5, Sonnet 4.6 and Haiku 4.5, along with web search, limited Projects and uploads of up to 20 files per chat.Claude Max includes all Pro features but offers substantially higher usage limits, priority access during peak demand, longer Claude Code sessions and early access to upcoming models and features.For enterprises, Claude Team includes a 200,000-token context window, Claude Code, Claude Cowork, API usage credits, centralised billing, administration tools, single sign-on, domain capture and admin controls. Anthropic also says customer content on Claude Team is not used for model training by default.How Claude compares with rivalsWith local pricing now available, Claude enters direct competition with other paid AI assistants in India.Claude Pro starts at Rs 2,000 per month with annual billing, placing it close to ChatGPT Plus, which costs around Rs 1,999 per month. Google's AI Pro subscription for Gemini is priced at around Rs 1,950 per month, while SuperGrok is estimated to cost around Rs 2,500 per month based on its global pricing.India becomes a key growth marketAnthropic has steadily expanded its presence in India over the past year. The company opened its Bengaluru office in February after announcing its India plans in October and appointed former Microsoft India Managing Director Irina Ghose to lead its India operations in January.The company has also partnered with Infosys and Tata Consultancy Services to expand enterprise AI deployments across the country.Earlier this year, Anthropic temporarily restricted access to its Fable 5 and Mythos 5 models for users outside the US. While access to Fable 5 has since been restored, Mythos 5 remains unavailable in several international markets.The introduction of India-specific pricing reflects Anthropic's increasing focus on the country, where a large developer ecosystem and growing adoption of generative AI continue to make it a strategic market. At the same time, the company, like its rivals, still faces the challenge of converting a large base of free users into paying subscribers in India's price-sensitive market. FAQsHow much does Claude Pro cost in India?Claude Pro is priced at Rs 2,000 per month with annual billing or Rs 2,399 per month on monthly billing.Can Indian users pay for Claude using UPI?No. At present, Anthropic supports payments via debit cards, credit cards, Apple App Store and Google Play billing. UPI support has not yet been introduced.Why has Anthropic introduced India-specific pricing?The company says India is Claude's second-largest market after the US. Local pricing simplifies subscriptions by allowing users to pay in rupees instead of US dollars while avoiding foreign exchange conversion charges.Do the present users of Claude in India have any benefits out of the new pricing strategy?If you purchase your subscription from Claude's official website or through their certified app stores, then you may notice that they are now being offered in Indian rupees rather than US dollars.end of article