Elon Musk’s social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, has implemented a sweeping reduction in subscription fees for Indian users, marking the largest pricing overhaul since the service’s debut as Twitter Blue in February 2023. The move, announced in July 2025, sees subscription rates across Basic, Premium, and Premium Plus tiers slashed by up to 48%, making premium features significantly more accessible in one of the world’s fastest-growing digital markets.
The most dramatic reduction is for the Premium subscription via the mobile app, now priced at ₹470 per month, down from ₹900—a 48% cut. For web users, the Premium tier has dropped to ₹427 per month from ₹650, a 34% reduction. The Basic tier now costs ₹170 per month, down from ₹243.75, and annual billing for Basic users is now ₹1,700, previously ₹2,590.48—a 34% drop. Even the top-tier Premium Plus plan has seen a price drop, with web pricing at ₹2,570 per month (down from ₹3,470) and mobile pricing at ₹3,000 per month (down from approximately ₹5,100).
This marks the first time X has reduced prices across all tiers in India, though the Premium Plus tier had seen price hikes earlier in the year. The price disparity between mobile and web subscriptions is attributed to commissions charged by app stores, which Musk’s team has factored into the new pricing structure.
Features and Benefits: What Subscribers Get
The price cuts apply to all three subscription tiers, each offering a range of features tailored to different user needs:
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Basic Tier: Now at ₹170/month, includes the ability to edit posts, publish longer content, background video playback, and media downloads. However, it does not provide the coveted verification checkmark.
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Premium Tier: Priced at ₹427/month (web) and ₹470/month (mobile), adds the blue checkmark, post editing, longer content, access to creator tools like X Pro and analytics, reduced ads, and expanded access to X’s AI features such as Grok.
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Premium Plus Tier: At ₹2,570/month (web) and ₹3,000/month (mobile), offers an ad-free experience, the ability to publish long-form articles, higher reply visibility, and exclusive access to SuperGrok, X’s advanced AI tool powered by Grok 4.
The overhaul is aimed at making X’s premium services more attractive and affordable, especially for creators, professionals, and power users in India’s massive online ecosystem. The platform’s leadership hopes the new pricing will boost paid subscriber numbers and increase engagement with advanced features.
Boosting Adoption in a Key Market:
India is the second-largest internet market in the world, and many people believe that X made a calculated move by lowering pricing in order to gain a bigger portion of the nation’s online population. With more than 80 million users in India, X has a lot of room to grow, but paid subscriptions have only contributed a small portion of its income thus far.
Elon Musk has repeatedly stated that subscriptions are central to X’s future business model, aiming to reduce the company’s reliance on advertising revenue. The timing of the price cut is notable, coming just after xAI, Musk’s artificial intelligence venture, released Grok 4 and completed its acquisition of X in March 2025. By lowering the barrier to entry for premium features, X is positioning itself to drive adoption of AI-powered tools and create new monetization opportunities.
The revised pricing also comes amid leadership changes, with CEO Linda Yaccarino stepping down earlier in July. The new management, now closely aligned with xAI, appears determined to make X’s AI-driven features more widely accessible to Indian users.
User Response and Market Impact:
The price reduction has been met with positive reactions from users and industry observers, who see it as a long-overdue move to align X’s pricing with local market realities. Many Indian users, previously deterred by high subscription fees, are now considering upgrading to premium tiers to access advanced tools and features.
The new pricing structure is expected to drive a surge in paid subscriptions, especially among content creators, journalists, and businesses seeking greater visibility and engagement on the platform. Features like the blue checkmark, ad-free browsing, and access to Grok AI tools are likely to be major draws.
Industry analysts note that the price cut could put pressure on rival platforms to reconsider their own subscription strategies in India, potentially sparking a wave of competitive pricing in the digital services sector. For X, the move is a clear signal of its intent to deepen its footprint in India and build a sustainable, subscription-based revenue model.
As the platform rolls out its new pricing, all eyes will be on user uptake and the long-term impact on X’s business in India. The coming months will reveal whether Musk’s bold bet on affordability and AI-powered features can transform X into a leading force in the Indian digital landscape.
