Unlocking consumers’ willingness to pay for AI
Aug 06, 2026
By Mutiara Nuralita and Ivan Adi Winata AI users are everywhere, but paid AI users are not Most
Unlocking consumers’ willingness to pay for AI
By Mutiara Nuralita and Ivan Adi Winata
Most people may have already tried AI, but convincing them to pay is another story. To understand why, Cimigo conducted a study in May and June 2026 involving 276 respondents.
AI is becoming part of everyday life. Yet one question remains: when do users decide it’s worth paying for? Among consumers who already use AI, only around 21% have ever subscribed to a paid AI service.

Productivity AI is by far the most widely used category among Indonesian consumers, followed by translation AI. This pattern shifts when it comes to paid subscriptions. While productivity AI remains the leading paid category, creative AI overtakes translation AI, with Canva AI and CapCut emerging as the most popular premium creative tools. ChatGPT continues to dominate the productivity AI category.
This is reinforced by the reasons people subscribe: they are looking for unlimited use, greater efficiency and more advanced capabilities rather than simply paying for AI itself.

When we looked at consumers who have never subscribed to paid AI, one thing immediately stood out. Interestingly, the barriers and motivations almost mirror each other. The common thread is clear: people need a stronger reason to see the value of premium AI.
For AI providers, this means the challenge is not just getting people to try AI, it is helping them understand why upgrading is worthwhile. Three priorities stand out from the data:

Our findings suggest that free AI is not the problem. In fact, it remains an important part of how people discover and build habits around AI. The challenge is not simply deciding which features belong behind a paywall, it is finding the right balance between what should remain free and what creates enough value to justify an upgrade. How premium is communicated may matter just as much as what it offers.

Interestingly, consumers rarely describe premium AI in terms of features. Instead, they talk about outcomes such as, saving time, working more efficiently and achieving better results. This suggests that premium offerings are more compelling when they’re communicated through the value they create, rather than the features they include.
What creates that value, however, won’t be the same for every product or every audience. Understanding where users begin to see premium as worthwhile is exactly the kind of question customer research is designed to answer.
Unlocking consumers’ willingness to pay for AI
Aug 06, 2026
By Mutiara Nuralita and Ivan Adi Winata AI users are everywhere, but paid AI users are not Most
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Đoàn Ngọc Huy (Johnny Doan), CMO & Market Research Expert -
As a Marketing Director and Market Research Expert Advisor across international markets, I have collaborated with numerous market research agencies, both global and local, that operate with a high level of professionalism and effectiveness. Cimigo is among the most outstanding. The Cimigo team demonstrates exceptional professionalism, strong commitment, and operational excellence. From research design and fieldwork execution to insight analysis, all stages are conducted rigorously, delivered on schedule, and closely aligned with business objectives. This is a highly capable team that I would confidently recommend to my partners and stakeholders.
As a Marketing Director and Market Research Expert Advisor across international markets, I have collaborated with numerous market research agencies, both global and local, that operate with a high level of professionalism and effectiveness. Cimigo is among the most outstanding. The Cimigo team demonstrates exceptional professionalism, strong commitment, and operational excellence. From research design and fieldwork execution to insight analysis, all stages are conducted rigorously, delivered on schedule, and closely aligned with business objectives. This is a highly capable team that I would confidently recommend to my partners and stakeholders.
Lisa Nguyen - Vietnam Marketing Lead
Mark Ratcliff - Managing Director
The team at Cimigo are my favourite researchers in South East Asia. They’ve proved adept at tackling the most private and complex personal issues at qualitative research level, not flinching when the client endlessly chopped and changed fieldwork timing, or ramped up the workload without warning. They have recruited the most extraordinarily niche consumers without pause or complaint. Their patience with clients and their flexibility and hard work that went above and beyond what was initially asked of them on two projects relating to sexual behaviour means there is now no other research company we would choose to work with in that part of Asia. The fact they also pulled off a third project for us so well, on men’s relationship with beer and beer advertising, shows they have breadth of expertise— we still quote from the report they produced.
The team at Cimigo are my favourite researchers in South East Asia. They’ve proved adept at tackling the most private and complex personal issues at qualitative research level, not flinching when the client endlessly chopped and changed fieldwork timing, or ramped up the workload without warning. They have recruited the most extraordinarily niche consumers without pause or complaint. Their patience with clients and their flexibility and hard work that went above and beyond what was initially asked of them on two projects relating to sexual behaviour means there is now no other research company we would choose to work with in that part of Asia. The fact they also pulled off a third project for us so well, on men’s relationship with beer and beer advertising, shows they have breadth of expertise— we still quote from the report they produced.
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